Apple Pie

The verdict on a homemade Apple Pie arrives with the first cut. If the filling slumps across the plate, the pie has failed, and nearly every call we make, from the apples to the cooling time, is about keeping that slice standing.Before we can get into the science, we've got to deal with the history. That means an apple tart from an English royal recipe scroll around 1390, baked in a pastry case called a coffin, and how a borrowed pie became an American symbol. Then comes a friendly fight over the filling, cooked first or drained raw, and one of us gives ground. There's booze in the crust for a reason that has little to do with taste, a second pour that's all about flavor, and a Vermont law with cheddar on its list of things to serve alongside.A slice like that wants a cold drink beside it. This week's cocktail combines apple brandy, lemon and demerara, tops them with dry hard cider and finishes with a float of heavy cream in a cinnamon-sugar-rimmed glass.For the full recipes and more, become a premium subscriber at https://sauced.supercast.com/Follow us on Instagram: @sauced.podThanks to all of this week's partners:El Acabo Raicilla: https://pkgdgroup.com/raicilla-el-acabo/Underberg: https://underbergamerica.com/