Time for a Drink: Stone Fruit Sour Recipe

[Photo: Jessica Leibowitz]

Early October is a challenging time to settle on a seasonal drink. The evenings are cool and crisp, and the onset of autumn sets the mood for rich, brooding flavors, but a clear sunny day can keep a taste for light, bright flavors alive.

Here's a good balancing-act drink: the Stone Fruit Sour. I wrote this drink up for the current issue of Imbibe, and it's become a welcome part of my early autumn cocktail arsenal.

Developed by Seattle bartender Zane Harris from Rob Roy and patterned on the venerable Corpse Reviver #2, the Stone Fruit Sour matches the crisp taste of gin and Lillet with lemon juice and the jammy fruitiness of apricot liqueur, with a touch of peach bitters to fill out the farmers' market flavor experience. Simultaneously light and rich, the Stone Fruit Sour is an easy-sipping way to kick back on an autumn evening.

About the author: Paul Clarke blogs about cocktails at The Cocktail Chronicles and writes regularly on spirits and cocktails for Imbibe magazine. He lives in Seattle, where he works as a writer and magazine editor.