This infusion is very easy to make. Both bourbon lovers and bourbon abstainers love this concoction.
I found some similar recipes that called for a 2-5 day infusion. Lately, I have seen a lot of tips that call for infusing liqueurs for only a few days. I taste all my infusions frequently, and while some ingredients may act quickly, I prefer to infuse most of my liqueurs for a longer time period. Sometimes it may take months. Use your judgment here, but I let this marinate about a month.
Apple Pie Bourbon
750 ml Bourbon
3 Granny smith apples (or enough to cover)
Cinnamon Stick
1/2 vanilla bean, split
Slice and core the apples. Discard the cores. Place the apple slices, cinnamon, and vanilla bean in a large jar. Add bourbon, making sure it covers all the apples slices. Close tightly and stir or shake every few days. Allow to infuse for about a month or until it reaches your desired taste. Keep in mind that the flavors will mellow and change over time. Strain and filter through a strainer, cheesecloth, and coffee filters.
Almost immediately, the harsh alcohol flavor was mellowed. The cinnamon took over pretty quickly. Be patient, the rest of the flavors will come through. After infusing for a month, the apple and vanilla were much stronger. And as with many infusions, flavors change and mellow after all of the ingredients are filtered out. A few weeks after straining, the cinnamon flavor was less intense and the liqueur was a very balanced, apple pie taste. This has been a favorite of many! We will make it again, and probably try some variations as well.
* Save the apples when you strain the bourbon. They make a great filling for Bourbon Apple Pies!
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February 21, 2012 at 8:55 pm
This sounds delicious! Do you happen to watch Justified on FX?
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September 22, 2012 at 9:03 am
Do you need to refrigerate when using apples?
September 23, 2012 at 7:28 pm
Hi Pete, this recipe has a high enough alcohol content that it is not necessary to refrigerate. thanks!
September 27, 2012 at 12:57 pm
This looks so delicious! I can’t wait to make this and it would be great Christmas gifts!
October 10, 2012 at 7:49 pm
Yes! This would be great for Christmas gifts. I hope you enjoy it!
September 28, 2012 at 5:09 am
Mmm… Apple Season is upon us, and soon my mind will want nothing else. I go apple crazy once a year, including what I drink. Your infusion sounds delightful.
And sugaredpecan – that’s a great idea. I’ve been told I should make infused syrups for people to buy, but instead might make them as gifts.
October 8, 2012 at 11:08 am
An apple a day keeps the doctor away…right!? Lol.
October 10, 2012 at 7:39 pm
Right!!
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November 11, 2012 at 11:21 am
this looks great. Definitely going to set this up today.
November 13, 2012 at 8:07 pm
That sounds amazing!
November 13, 2012 at 9:12 pm
Thanks! It is really tasty, I hope you give it a try!
November 18, 2012 at 3:28 pm
do you discard the apples after the infusion?
November 18, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Hi Yancy, sometimes I discard the apples. Last time I made them into pie filling and they tasted great! here is the recipe: http://boozedandinfused.com/2012/10/28/bourbon-apple-pies/
November 21, 2012 at 9:21 pm
What bourbon did you use? I want to do this and I’m debating between Jim Beam or Makers Mark. I was also thinking of trying a rye bourbon and see what happens
November 21, 2012 at 9:54 pm
Hi Paul, I just used Jim Beam for this and it was delicious. I think Makers would be even nicer, but you don’t need to go that high if you don’t want to. Beam infuses quite well. I served this to a friend who normally drinks Makers and he guzzled down two glasses exclaiming how great it was and how he wanted to drink the whole bottle. I also think Rye would be nice, let me know how it goes!
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November 27, 2012 at 2:19 pm
Add a few cloves to get a good mulling spice flavor. I tried this recipe for an after thankgiving dinner drink and it went over great. I infused for 3 weeks, then infused the infusion for the last week. Was finished within minutes!
November 27, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Thanks for the tip! I’m sure the clove would be tasty in this infusion… Cheers~
November 28, 2012 at 7:27 am
Sounds delicious. thanks for reading.
November 28, 2012 at 8:58 pm
Thanks, and cheers!
November 30, 2012 at 7:20 pm
This sounds great. Peel the apples or leave the skin?
December 2, 2012 at 8:09 pm
Sorry it took me a while to get back to you. I always leave the skin on. I think the skin has a lot of flavor. Cheers~
December 8, 2012 at 6:02 pm
We have decided as a family to make Christmas gifts for each other this year and since alcohol is a common interest, I couldn’t think of anything more appropriate than “making” infused liquor! Your blog has been my bible in this process so THANK YOU for all the effort and entries! I currently have a batch of the apple pie bourbon and coffee bourbon infusing (for about 1.5 weeks now) and I found several serving suggestions for the Coffee Bourbon, but was curious if you had suggestions for your Apple Pie Bourbon? I have tasted it recently (my favorite step in this process), and it tastes amazing on it’s own, but I thought giving the bottles with a cute card of other serving suggestions would be fun. Any ideas would be great!! Thank you again! Happy Holidays!
December 9, 2012 at 10:26 am
Hi Mickey, I am so glad you have found us! I hope your family likes the gifts!
To be honest, I think we drank all of our apple pie bourbon straight. I don’t have any at the moment to be able to test out any cocktails for you. But I would suggest using it in a Manhattan. I also think it would be nice with just the bourbon and a bit of ginger ale. I found this link with suggestions for cocktails, but they are a bit complicated. I’d probably stick with the Manhattan, but if you are interested: http://thedailysouth.southernliving.com/2012/08/31/3-new-bourbon-cocktails-for-labor-day-weekend/
Cheers and Happy Holidays!
December 13, 2012 at 6:56 pm
This sounds great. I’m just finding this recipe, however, and would love to whip it up for guests at Christmas eve. Would 10 days be enough time?
December 13, 2012 at 7:07 pm
Hi Chris, I say go for it! I think the apple flavor continues to get stronger over the month, but it will still taste pretty good after just 10 days. There are plenty of people who say they only infuse something like this for 2-5 days. My preference is the longer infusion time, but don’t let that stop you. It will still be good! If you add a bit of dried apple, that may help the apple flavor come out faster. (I have not actually tried that, but my experience is that dried fruits infuse quicker.) good luck and happy holidays!
December 17, 2012 at 2:37 pm
hi there – how often should you strain the bourbon?
December 18, 2012 at 6:25 pm
Once it reaches your desired taste, you can strain it. If you strain it well enough you shouldn’t need to strain it after that. However, the cinnamon in this was fairly difficult to strain well. You could try double layering the coffee filters on a second pass through. Make sure you have already filtered it thought a jelly bag and single coffee filter, as that stage can take quite a while.
December 19, 2012 at 4:33 pm
Hey there!
Would it compromise the infusion to use vanilla extract instead of half a vanilla bean? If it’s kosher to do so, how much would you suggest? Half a teaspoon or so?
Really excited to try this one out! Thanks a bunch!
December 21, 2012 at 8:59 am
Hi Octavia, I have seen recipes that call for vanilla extract,but I have not personally used it in my liqueur-making. I think it would be fine to try it. I would start out with only a 1/2 teaspoon and see what you think. Wait a while and see how everything tastes when it is done infusing. If you think it needs more after the rest is done, add a touch more. You don’t really want it to taste of vanilla.
January 2, 2013 at 4:24 am
It came out especially nice…thanks for the basic recipe (and I’m glad my tweaks didn’t ruin it): http://1pumplane.wordpress.com/2013/01/02/magic-apple-pie-liqueur-bottled/
February 9, 2013 at 1:49 pm
Hi Alicia,
Thanks for posting this great infusion. Since being introduced to great small batch Bourbons by my Kansas City brother in law, I had been looking for a Bourbon that had Apple Pie flavour. But now I can make my own! Can’t wait to give it a try.
Two questions, please:
1. Can I half the quantities of the ingredients and still get the same result (as I want to try this with different bourbons)
2. Have you ever infused longer than a month and did it make any difference ?
Best wishes from Australia!
Nick
February 23, 2013 at 10:52 am
Nick, sorry for the delay in my response.
To answer your questions, yes, you can absolutely cut the ingredients in half. And no, I have not tried this particular infusion for longer than a month. But experimentation is always fun and welcomed so go for it and see what you think! I was afraid the cinnamon would take over too much of the flavor, but the cinnamon seemed to mellow after a while. I am not sure how that would change with a longer infusion time.
Good luck and cheers~
March 6, 2013 at 11:29 am
I did what you said and let the bourbon infuse for a month, and holy moly, it is AMAZING. I’ve frozen all the apple pieces except for one, which I made the mistake of eating. It was as unpleasant as the apple pie bourbon is delicious. You are a genius and an inspiration. Coffee bourbon, cherry bourbon, and a variety of chai infusions are on the agenda for this week.
March 12, 2013 at 12:02 am
Gotta agree with everyone, this is an impressive infusion. Now I’ve read the comments again realise I’m yet to try a Manhattan with it, probably a dry one would be better?
Anyhow was much fun tasting over time and see the flavours changed. I used 1/3 a bottle of Bulleit and just packed the ingredients into a small, squat glass canning jar. I turned mine everyday as I was worried about the apples going off but they stayed surprisingly firm and packed with alcohol taste!
Any idea of how the alcohol content changes over time?
The apple pie itself was yum and highly recommended