Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The Stone Fence Cocktail

The Stone Fence Cocktail

Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys probably drank this before capturing Fort Ticonderoga

The Stone Fence Cocktail (sometimes called the Stone Wall) predates America’s revolutionary war. More history later.

What you need to know now is that the Stone Fence is a wonderful autumn refresher. It’s great as a predinner drink. Like maybe before your Thanksgiving feast? It also works as a Sunday afternoon sipper while you’re watching football.

Drink this and you’ll be the real winner, no matter how your team fares.


The Stone Fence Cocktail

Recipe: The Stone Fence Cocktail

The Stone Fence has only two ingredients: Hard apple cider and rum. So it’s very easy to make.

The flavor of this drink somewhat resmbles that of the Dark and Stormy Cocktail (which combines dark rum with ginger beer and lime juice). We prefer the D&S in warm weather, though. The Stone Fence speaks to us when there’s a chill in the air.

This recipe takes about 5 minutes to prepare, and serves one.

Ingredients
  • 1½ to 2 ounces dark or amber rum (to taste; see Notes if you want to substitute another spirit)
  • hard cider (may substitute non-alcoholic cider)
  • apple slice or wedge for garnish (very optional)
Procedure
  1. Fill a tall (Collins) glass halfway with ice cubes (may substitute a rocks glass if you prefer). Add the rum. Fill to the top with hard cider. Give it a quick stir to mix.
  2. Add an apple slice or wedge for garnish, if you wish, and serve.
The Stone Fence Cocktail

Notes
  • We prefer dark rum in this drink. But amber (gold) rum works fine, too.
  • Ingredient quantities for this cocktail are flexible, so you can vary them to taste. But we think the drink tastes best if the rum:cider ratio is about 1:3 (no more than 1:5).
  • In colonial America, diners typically drank hard cider with their meals. Water often was not safe to drink, so just about everyone (children included) preferred fermented cider or beer/ale. Nonalcoholic (unfermented) “soft” cider was also available, but it spoiled more quickly than hard cider, so it wasn’t a reliable source of hydration.
  • You can generally find 6-packs of hard cider wherever beer is sold. (Some high-quality ciders are sold in larger wine-sized bottles.) Your local liquor store probably has a selection of brands available. We suggest asking them for a cider that’s on the dry side. Dry works better than sweet in this drink. 
  • BTW, some ciders have added flavorings. Avoid those when you’re making this cocktail.
  • You can substitute soft (nonalcoholic) cider in this drink if you prefer.
  • Rum was very popular in colonial America, partly because it was distilled from sugar cane grown in the nearby Caribbean islands. The first rum distillery in the American colonies was constructed in 1664 on Staten Island. Boston followed with its own distillery in 1667. Within a short time, the spirit became so popular that rum distilling was New England’s largest industry.
  • Over time, the colonists began distilling other spirits too, especially applejack (apple brandy) and rye whiskey. Bourbon whiskey soon caught on as well. You can substitute any of these spirits for rum in this drink if you wish.
  • OK, so what’s the story with Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys? They were a militia formed in the late 1760s in New Hampshire (in an area that later split off to become the state of Vermont). The Green Mountain Boys originally organized to resist incursions by the state of New York. Later on, remnants of the group fought in the American war for independence.
  • The Green Mountain Boys were loosely organized, but Ethan Allen is usually credited as their leader. Shortly after the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, Allen and some of his Green Mountain Boys gathered at the Catamount Tavern in Bennington (in what is now Vermont), where they planned an attack on the British garrison at Fort Ticonderoga. Legend says they drank many a Stone Fence to boost their courage.
  • As it turned out, they didn’t need much courage after all. The fort was very lightly defended and they quickly captured the lone sentry on duty. No one was killed in the action. (The Green Mountain Boys plundered the fort’s liquor stores, of course.)
  • BTW, during late 1775/early 1776, Henry Knox, an officer in the Continental Army, transported the cannons captured at Fort Ticonderoga to the heights overlooking Boston, which was being besieged by the British. The arrival of the cannons persuaded the British to move their fleet out of Boston harbor, thus shifting Britain’s main military efforts away from New England.
The Stone Fence Cocktail

Rum Thing

“Yum,” said Mrs. Kitchen Riffs. “This cider flavor is really a-peeling.”

“I’m ‘cited about the cider,” I said. “And it mixes so well with dark rum.”

“Core-rect,” said Mrs K R.

“That was a very fruitful comment,” I said.

“Ah, you’re just an apple polisher,” said Mrs K R.

Well, she is the apple of my eye.

You may also enjoy reading about:
Dark and Stormy Cocktail
Hot Spiced Apple Cider with Rum
Washington Cocktail
Beaujolais Nouveau
Betsy Ross Cocktail
Brandy Smash Cocktail
Cranberry Shrub Cocktail with Bourbon
Cocktail Basics
Or check out the index for more

56 comments:

Mae Travels said...

Your photos are always beautiful, but today's are exceptionally wonderful! Nice historic background too.

best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Mae, we LOVE cocktail history. Well, any kind of history, really. :-) Thanks for that very kind comment.

Amy (Savory Moments) said...

I love apple cider and rum! What a winner of a drink and I love the bubbles around the ice in your photos.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Amy, this really is a winner of a drink! Wonderful flavor. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Pam said...

The ice cubes look AMAZING in the photos and the drink sounds tasty!

savorthebest said...

This really looks like a perfect Autumn drink with the fall color and the slice of apple. I bet the cider flavor is fabulous!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Pam, it IS tasty! :-) Thanks for the comment.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Pat and Dahn, hard cider is wonderful -- we've really come to love it (and this drink1). Thanks for the comment.

Denise Browning said...

You are the best photo taker of cocktails. This one is a piece of art! So beautiful!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Denise, aw, thanks for that very kind comment! :-)

Angie's Recipes said...

The photos are simply amazing. Those ice cubes with little bubbles in them are really cool.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Angie, those are fun ice cubes, aren't they? :-) And a really, really good drink! Thanks for the comment.

Family Spice said...

I'm not a huge drinker, but I do love rum cocktails. Never paired cider with rum, so I'm going to have to try this.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Laura, rum -- and cider, for that matter -- pair nicely with all sorts of stuff. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Natalia said...

Those photos are mesmerizing☺

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Natalia, gosh, thanks for that very kind comment! :-)

Debra Eliotseats said...

Love the history lesson here. The drink sounds so delicious but I think I would have to use the soft cider. :) Thanks for the recipe and the history!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Debra, somewhat different flavor with the soft cider, but still really good. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Juliana said...

I will try this with gold rum...since it is what I have...looks and sounds amazing John...and so easy...what I like! And I am going 1:3 LOL. Thanks for the recipe.
Have a wonderful rest of the week!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Juliana, this is nice with gold rum! Or dark. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Sherry's Pickings said...

yes lovely photos once again. but i don't think i can drink this one, as rum and I do not agree:-) i used to drink it like a fish but now it makes me ill. weird huh?

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Sherry, that is a bit odd. But brandy would be a good substitute. Thanks for the comment.

Merryn said...

So very pretty and I love a hard drink with a good history. It's a win/win situation.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Merryn, this one really has fun history. And wonderful flavor. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen said...

I'm really glad I didn't live in colonial times. I can't imagine drinking hard cider rather than water! But I can totally get behind drinking one of these before my Thanksgiving feast!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Kelsie, we really like water too! But hard cider has its place. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Abbe@This is How I Cook said...

I love hard cider and this gives me a great excuse to drink rum. I don't need courage, but I do need a new couch. Perhaps we can get Manservant off the stone fence and over to Ethan Allen.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Abbe, LOL! :-) Thanks for the comment.

Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) said...

First of all, I think you should create a class to teach us all how to photograph cocktails. Your photos are always so good. And, I like cooking with hard cider, so I'd really like to try this cocktail. And so easy! Pinning.

R's Rue said...

Yum.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Lea Ann, I've kind of thought about having a post desriving how to photograph cocktails against black and white backgrounds. Maybe one of these days! :-) And hard cider is delish, isn't it? Thanks for the comment.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi R, it is, it is. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

John, the drink sounds delish, and I always enjoy a bit of history. But most of all, I am reminded once again that you are the master of drinks photography!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Jean, cocktail history is fun! And this is fun to drink. :-) Thanks for your kind comment!

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

Wow, the light reflecting off the ice cubes is fabulous!! What a great autumnal cocktail, John!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Liz, light is fun! As is this drink. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Ron said...

John, what a great post and a fantastic drink with a wonderfully rich history. Hard cider is huge over this way. Go to any local pub and they will have more than one on tap and go to the government liquor store and they have a whole aisle dedicated to hard cider. So, this drink will be a hit at our upcoming "American in Sweden Thanksgiving party" this year.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Ron, isn't hard cider good? You'll love this drink, I'll predict. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Cocoa and Lavender said...

John - it is so nice to learn some history about my ancestor Ethan Allen! And I would love to have a Stone Fence! I always have to say again - because it is so worth repeating - your photos are beyond stunning!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi David, Ethan Allen is your ancestor? Cool! Have one of these and go out and raise . . . Cain. :-) Thanks for that kind comment!

Akasha said...

Sounds delicious for this time of year.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Akasha, it is! We had it again last night. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Valentina said...

Love the history here, which is all info I didn't know. The cocktail is beautiful -- your drink photographs are over-the-top impressive. Always.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Valentina, isn't the history fun? Good, drink, too. And thanks for the kind comment.

Healthy World Cuisine said...

Love reading about the history of the drinks. We love the dark and stormy cocktail, so I know this one would be right up our alley. Those ice cubes are mesmerizing. Are you into making your own clear ice cubes or what is your process?

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Bobbi, this has become our cold weather refresher of choice; the Dark 'n Stormy is our warm weather one. :-) Those are acrylic ice cubes -- they look good and don't float, so they're wonderful for cocktail photography. We got the cheap ones you can get on Amazon. Real cocktail photographers tend to buy the really expensive ones ($10/each) because they do look better (you can get them at the Set Shop, among other places, if you're interested). These are fine for what we do, though, and MUCH less expensive. Thanks for the comment.

Food Gal said...

Anything with the intense taste of apple at this time of year is A-OK in my book. It's a sip worth savoring for sure.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Carolyn, we're apple-mad at the moment. Love fall! :-) Thanks for the comment.

Jeff the Chef said...

This does sound delicious and perfectly autumnal. I agree with you, it probably would make a great pre-Thanksgiving drink. Its ingredients are are so simple, I've got to try it.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Jeff, try this once, you'll try it again. And again. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Jeff the Chef said...

Probably in the same evening!

Kitchen Riffs said...

:-)

Dawn @ Words Of Deliciousness said...

The photo is beautiful. Sounds like a great cocktail for the fall.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Dawn, it's a great fall drink! :-) Thanks for the comment.

lisa is cooking said...

I love picking a good cocktail for Thanksgiving, and this is perfect! I also love rum.
Your ice cubes looks amazing in the photos. Wish I had such pretty cubes!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Lisa, rum has become maybe our favorite spirit for cocktails, and it plays wonderfully well with cider. :-) Thanks for the comment.