Crispin Bourbon Char

For a long time, there were only two alcoholic drinks I would consume with breakfast: champagne in a mimosa, or Irish Creme in a coffee. I’m a huge tomato fan, but never really got behind drinking tomato juice, so Bloody Mary’s are out. And cracking open an IPA first thing in the morning has always seemed a bit…much.

This year; however, I’ve started to dabble a bit in non-cocktail options for the first meal of the day and have found a few worthy beer options (Green Flash’s Passion Fruit Kicker in particular is a big winner). Most recently, I found myself at a “Cider Brunch” hosted by Crispin, where it paired four of its ciders with breakfast courses.

We kicked things off with the company’s Pacific Pear cider and some lox flatbread, and then moved on to Crispin’s Original Cider with an Autumn Salad, and then its unfiltered cider, The Saint paired with eggs benedict.

Then came the final course, Beignets, paired with Crispin’s Bourbon Char, a bourbon cask-aged cider that Crispin finished with smoked maple syrup. It’s a limited release, and one that I immediately wanted to start stocking on the bottom shelf of my fridge.

Cracking it open, you get a hint of bourbon, but not overpoweringly so. Delicious, fresh apple flavor breaks through and is perfectly balanced with the sweetness of maple and just a touch of smoke and bourbon flavor.