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Applejack substitute

Best substitute

Calvados

Use the same amount as the applejack you are replacing

Best for Jack Rose

Close match

Calvados is the best substitute and swaps 1:1, being the French equivalent made from Normandy cider apples. Any straight apple brandy, including Laird's own bonded bottle, also works 1:1 but is stronger and much more apple-forward, so expect a bolder drink. If you have no apple spirit at all, use brandy or cognac 1:1 plus a teaspoon of apple cider per two tablespoons, which restores the fruit if not the exact character.

Other applejack substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

Substitutes for Applejack with ratios

  1. 2Bonded or straight apple brandy

    Close match

    Use the same amount or use a shade less in a delicate drink

    Pure apple brandy with no neutral spirit added, bottled at 100 proof in the bonded style.

    What changes
    Best for
    Jack Rose, Widow's Kiss, Old Fashioned variations, pork glazes, apple pie filling

    Technically an upgrade rather than a substitute, and worth understanding why. Blended applejack is roughly 35 percent apple brandy and 65 percent neutral grain spirit at 80 proof, whereas bonded apple brandy is all apple and 100 proof. Swapped 1:1 the drink comes out noticeably stronger and far more apple-forward, with more oak and a longer finish. In a Jack Rose that is delicious. In a cream sauce or a light dessert, use about three-quarters of the amount so it does not dominate.

  2. 3Brandy or cognac plus apple cider

    Different taste

    Use the same amount brandy, plus 1 tsp apple cider per 2 tbsp

    Grape brandy topped up with a little cider to bring back the apple.

    What changes
    Best for
    pork braises, apple desserts, bread pudding, punch, flambe

    The most likely thing to actually be in a home cupboard. Brandy gives you the right kind of warm, oaky, dried-fruit spirit, and the cider puts back the specific orchard sweetness that applejack is named for. What you will notice is that the fruit reads as grape underneath, and the cider brings a little extra sugar and acidity, so in a stirred cocktail cut any syrup back slightly. In a pork and apple braise this substitution is close to invisible.

  3. 4Bourbon

    Different taste

    Use the same amount

    American corn whiskey aged in new charred oak, sweet with vanilla and caramel.

    What changes
    Best for
    Jack Rose, whiskey sour variations, pork glazes, apple cake, bread pudding

    A usable swap that makes no attempt to taste of apple. Bourbon's vanilla and caramel sit well in the same recipes, and a Jack Rose made with bourbon is a perfectly good grenadine-and-lime whiskey sour. But the apple, which is the entire reason applejack is specified, is gone. In apple desserts and pork dishes the fruit is already present from the apples themselves, so the loss barely registers there and this becomes a strong option.

  4. 5Apple liqueur or apple schnapps

    Taste and texture differ

    Use 2 tsp for every 1 tbsp applejack, and drop any syrup in the recipe

    Sweetened apple-flavoured liqueur such as Berentzen, much lower in proof.

    What changes
    Best for
    punch, desserts, frostings, sweet cocktails

    Gets you apple flavour, but the wrong kind and far too much sugar. These liqueurs taste of green apple candy rather than fermented cider and oak, and they are typically half the strength of applejack. Use about two-thirds the amount and remove any other sweetener from the recipe. Acceptable in a sweet punch or a dessert; wrong in a spirit-forward cocktail like a Widow's Kiss.

  5. 6Apple cider plus a splash of cider vinegar (no alcohol, cooking only)

    Different taste

    Use ¼ cup cider plus 1 tsp cider vinegar for every ¼ cup applejack

    Cider for the fruit, a little vinegar for the sharpness the alcohol would have brought.

    What changes
    Best for
    pork braises, pan sauces, apple desserts, glazes, alcohol-free cooking

    Genuinely excellent in a braise, and better than most alcohol-free swaps because applejack's contribution to a pork dish is essentially apple, acidity and liquid, all of which cider and vinegar cover. Reduce the cider a little longer than you would the spirit, since it contains more water and sugar. What you lose is the spirity warmth on the finish. In a cocktail this does not work at all, as the applejack is the base.

What is Applejack?

Applejack is Applejack is American apple brandy, distilled from hard cider and aged in oak, and the widely sold blended version from Laird's is apple brandy cut with neutral grain spirit, which makes it lighter and less intensely appley than the bonded bottling.

Cooking tips

  • Check whether your recipe wants blended applejack or bonded apple brandy, because they are quite different products. Blended applejack is 80 proof and mostly neutral spirit; bonded apple brandy is 100 proof and all apple. Older cocktail books written before the blended style existed assume the stronger, appleier bottle, which is why some Jack Rose recipes taste thin if you follow them with blended applejack.
  • Applejack and Calvados both come alive against acid. In a Jack Rose the lime or lemon and the grenadine are what make the apple readable, and in a pork braise a spoon of cider vinegar at the end does the same job. If a dish made with either tastes flat, it usually needs acid rather than more spirit.
  • For pork, deglaze the pan with the applejack while it is still hot, scraping up the browned bits, and let it bubble for thirty seconds before adding stock. Poured in at the end it tastes raw and sharp instead of merging into the sauce.
  • The old story about applejack being made by leaving cider outside to freeze is real history, but freeze-concentrated cider is not the same as distilled brandy and concentrates unwanted compounds along with the alcohol. Buy the bottle rather than attempting it.
  • For a flambe, warm the spirit gently in a small pan, take it off the heat, then light it, and keep the bottle well away from the flame. Applejack at 80 proof lights readily and the apple aroma that comes off it is one of the nicest reasons to do this at all.

Frequently asked questions

Is applejack the same as apple brandy?

Not exactly, though the terms get used loosely. All apple brandy is distilled from cider, but the widely sold blended applejack is apple brandy diluted with neutral grain spirit, which makes it lighter and less appley. Bonded or straight apple brandy has no grain spirit in it. Both work in the same recipes, but bonded apple brandy is stronger and tastes considerably more of apple.

Can I use Calvados instead of applejack?

Yes, 1:1, and it is the best substitute there is. Calvados is French apple brandy from Normandy and does the same job with more finesse: more floral, more distinctly orchard-fruity and often drier. A Jack Rose or a Widow's Kiss made with Calvados is a very good drink, and in a pork braise you would struggle to tell the difference.

Can I just leave the applejack out?

In a braise, sauce or dessert, yes, as long as you replace the liquid with cider or stock so the dish reduces properly. In a cocktail such as a Jack Rose or a Widow's Kiss, no, because applejack is the base spirit and the drink is built around it. What you can do in that case is substitute another spirit and accept a different but respectable drink.

What is the best substitute for Laird's applejack in a Jack Rose?

Calvados first, then any bonded apple brandy, which is what a bar would use. If you only have grape brandy, use it 1:1 with a teaspoon of apple cider added, and taper the grenadine slightly since the cider brings its own sugar. Bourbon makes a good drink but it is no longer a Jack Rose in any meaningful sense.

Can I use hard cider instead of applejack?

Only in cooking, and only with an adjustment. Hard cider is roughly 5 percent alcohol against applejack's 40, so it is much weaker and much more watery. Use about four times the volume and reduce it hard before adding anything else, otherwise your sauce will be thin and cidery rather than concentrated. In a cocktail it cannot replace the base spirit.

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