The Selby: A Spiced Cider And Whiskey Cocktail

PREP TIME 2 minutes • COOK TIME 12 minutes • 1 serving

The Backstory

This drink was inspired by the singer Hozier’s song De Selby — primarily part 1. If you haven’t listened to his album ‘Unreal Unearth’, I definitely encourage you too. It’s beyond words and tells a story of entering and going through the various levels of Dante’s Inferno.

You can listen to Hozier’s De Selby Part 1 below — and keep scrolling for the drink tools, ingredients, and steps.

Tools You’ll Need

Here are the tools you’ll need:

• A pot

• A cutting board

• A knife

• Storage for your cider [jar or pitcher or bottle]

• A cocktail shaker

• A jigger

Tools I Love For This Drink

Cocktail Shaker Set

Ribbed Coupe Glasses

Ice Kit

Ingredients

For The Spiced Cider

• 4 cups of apple cider

• 1-2 cinnamon sticks [use 1 if you want it less ‘spicy’]

• 1 inch of ginger, sliced

• 1 tsp. of whole cloves

• 6 pieces of whole dried star anise

While you can use the powder version of pretty much everything above, I highly suggest you use the whole dried herbs and the fresh ginger. I’ve made this recipe both ways and let me tell you…it tastes SO much better with fresher ingredients.

For The Selby Cocktail

• 3 ounces of spiced cider [you can always add more to taste if you don’t want your drink to taste as strong]

• 1 ounce of whiskey

• Ice for your cocktail shaker [about a handful]

• A shake of cinnamon on top for garnish [optional]

• A piece of whole dried star anise for garnish [optional]

The Steps

For The Spiced Cider

1. Grab your pot and add your apple cider to it. Place it on the stove and set it to medium-high heat.

2. Add your ginger, cloves, star anise, and cinnamon.

3. Watch the cider. As it begins to boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and let it cook for about 3-5 minutes to let the herbs and ginger saturate the cider.

4. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let it cool just a bit [about 2-5 minutes, totally up to you]. You don’t want to burn your taste buds off!

5. Strain out the ginger and herbs from the cider and toss them out.

6. Let cider cool and then pour into a jar or pitcher for storage to cool further in the fridge until ready for use.

For The Selby Cocktail

1. Get your cocktail shaker.

2. Add ice.

3. Pour in your cider that you made [should be cold now].

4. Pour in your whiskey of choice.

5. Put the top on your shaker and shake it up.

6. Grab your glass of choice and pour your drink in.

7. Garnish with a shake of powdered cinnamon and a piece of star anise.

8. Enjoy your Selby cocktail!

Did you try this recipe? Let me know how it was by leaving a comment below or sharing on Instagram with the tag #shenayesuggs

Nutritional Disclaimer

Shenaye Suggs is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, I recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.

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