Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

Makes 1 cocktail

Aged apple brandy is an often-overlooked gem that should be on every bar cart and liquor shelf. One of the earliest recipes that I fell in love with was the Marconi Wireless as an apple Manhattan of sorts. Here, I riffed on that classic by adding Scotch to the mix to create the Old Number One, named after the world’s first telephone at Charles William Jr.’s house on Arlington Street in Somerville.

1 ounce aged American apple brandy
1 ounce blended Scotch
1 ounce sweet red vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 Luxardo cocktail cherry, speared with a pick

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe and garnish with the cherry.

This recipe appeared in the Fall 2022 issue as part of a larger story on Cider-Based Cocktails.