Flagler’s Rusty Spike Cocktail Recipe

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Flagler’s Rusty Spike Buzzard’s Roost Restaurant

The Florida Keys are better known for margaritas and mojitos, but there’s a new cocktail in town: Flagler’s Rusty Spike. Created to honor the upcoming 100th anniversary of the completion of Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad in Key West, this warm and fuzzy concoction is perfect for a cool evening by the water.

Joshua Zajac, a local college student with no previous bartending experience, dreamed up the recipe, and it won the top prize at the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce’s 30th Annual Cookoff earlier this month. A New Jersey native, Zajac said that inspired by winters in his hometown, he combined equal amounts of apple cider, Goldschlager cinnamon schnapps and Laird’s Applejack brandy.

“The Applejack actually comes from an apple orchard I used to pass all the time in Scobeyville, New Jersey,” he said. “For visual appeal, I used a cinnamon stick for the ‘spike’ and some red cinnamon sugar to simulate rust,” he added. “The beauty of this drink is that it can be served either chilled or warmed and is delicious either way.”

You can find the bartenders at Buzzard’s Roost Restaurant in Key Largo whipping up this tasty concoction, or you can make it at home using the following recipe.

MAKES ONE COCKTAIL

Flagler’s Rusty Spike

1 ounce Goldschlager cinnamon schnapps
1 ounce Laird’s Applejack brandy
1 ounce Zeigler’s Apple Cider
Red cinnamon sugar to taste

  1. Mix all ingredients in equal parts and add the cinnamon sugar to preferred taste. Serve cold in a highball glass with lots of ice. Garnish with a cinnamon stick or “spike” or serve warm in an Irish coffee glass with a cinnamon stick.

Stir the drink after mixing with the “spike” to get the full effect of the Goldschlager flakes and the “rust.”