Ella was the oldest of the Jay children and one of two girls. Always fiercely independent, Ella and her siblings helped on the family apple orchard after school each day and all day during the summer, planting new trees and grafting branches from the family’s heirloom varieties.

When her parents passed, Ella ran the family orchard on her own making some of the best cider found in the hills of North Georgia. We’ve taken inspiration from her cider to create The Ella Jay, which feels like a taste of fall with every sip.

• 2 ounces of bourbon
• 1 ounce of apple cider
• 1 ounce of sweet vermouth
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 dash orange bitters
• Garnish: apple slices

Combine the bourbon, cider, sweet vermouth and lemon juice in a mixing glass and stir with ice to chill.  Strain into cocktail glass. Add a dash of orange bitters. Garnish with applied slices.

Uncle Louie left the farm and headed North for work in the auto industry. You might say he became ‘citified’ over the years, but who doesn’t love a classic Manhattan? Popular history suggests it was created in the late 1860s in a bar on Broadway near Houston Street in none other than Manhattan, of course.

• 2 oz of bourbon
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
• Ice
• Luxardo cherries

In a large shaker, add bourbon and vermouth. Add a dash or two of bitters. Add ice and shake together.  Strain into a martini glass and add a delicious Luxardo cherry, or three!