Once again we return to “Maryland’s Way,” this time for a patience-testing take on a most cherished Maryland libation.
This recipe for “Apple Toddy,” one of many that I considered, comes from Louis Dorsey Gassaway (b.1862) of Annapolis. Although his mother was a member the notable Dorsey family, L. Dorsey Gassaway appears to have led a relatively humble life as a bank teller at the Farmers National Bank.
That doesn’t mean that he didn’t know how to party. This toddy recipe involves a lot of booze and a full year’s maturation.
Gassaway was also a member of the Freemasons Annapolis Lodge No. 89, where the “Gassaway” dining room bears his name to this day.
Like many of the “Maryland’s Way” recipe originators, Gassaway was also involved in documenting and preserving local history – collecting and publishing family histories… that sort of thing. Gassaway passed away in 1940.
“Forgotten Maryland Cocktails” by Nicole & Gregory Priebe was an invaluable resource for this recipe as I am not so schooled in booze.
According to the book:
“From the middle of the eighteenth century to the dawn of the twentieth, the toddy, a versatile and resilient precursor of the cocktail, dominated the landscape of American drinking…. Around the 1780s, a variant of the toddy appeared, even more popular in the Chesapeake region than the original: the apple toddy… Maryland had a special fondness for the drink that stretched into the early decades of the 1900s.”
The Gassaway receipt called for Peach Brandy, which I could not find. Thankfully the Priebes advise that a fine apple brandy is a good substitute. Instinct told me to avoid brandies which bore the word “flavored.”
The receipt did not specify on whiskey, so I used Pikesville Rye, “probably the most authentic” choice according to “Forgotten Maryland Cocktails.”
As for apples, my options were endless. Apples are king at the farmers market this time of year. I asked the very first orchard I came across for an apple similar to “Stayman” or “Winesap” and was recommended “Enterprise”. I went on to notice
that other vendors had Stayman and Winesap varieties, including
“Stayman Winesap.” Any of these types of apples will do, I’m sure.
I can’t comment on the outcome of this recipe, as it will be stored away until next winter. The Priebes cautioned that “for the uninitiated, the apple toddy can be quite the potent drink, especially if undiluted.” I only hope that I can remember the instruction to add water. Maybe I should write it on the jar…
I highly recommend this book to Maryland enthusiasts. In addition to many other drinks, it offers much more information on the Apple Toddy, chronicling its decline, resurrection, and a cautionary tale should you not “dilute! dilute! dilute!*”
Recipe:
- 4 Stayman or Winesap apple
- 4-6 cloves
- ½ pint brandy
- ½ pint peach brandy
- ½ pint Jamaican Rum
- ¼ lb sugar
- 1 quart Whiskey, Maryland Rye preferred
Stick a few cloves in half of the apples and bake all until ready to burst. Dissolve sugar in a few tablespoons of water. Put the baked apples in a gallon jar.. Pour the liquors on them, cover the jar and let sit for 12 months.
To serve, add 3 pints of cold water, plus a lump of ice.
Recipe adapted from “Maryland’s Way: The Hammond-Harwood House Cookbook”
*That’s a little Dr. Bronner’s reference for you there. I can’t say the word dilute just once thanks to Dr. Bronner.