Washington Apple Shot
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 14.7% ABV ∙
The Washington Apple Shot is a stirred shot of Canadian whisky, sour apple liqueur, and cranberry juice, topped with a splash of soda. A quick, cold sip opens tart and fruity, mellows into a smooth whisky-warmed core, then fizzes lightly to a crisp, clean finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Stir the first 3 ingredients with ice: Canadian blended whisky 20 mlSour apple liqueur 15 mlCranberry juice 20 ml
- Strain into the chilled glass
- Top with Soda water
Tips
- Pre-chill the shot glass so the strained pour stays cold without extra dilution from the glass itself.
- Add the soda water last, straight into the chilled glass, so it stays fizzy rather than getting stirred flat.
- Strain firmly to keep ice shards out of the shot glass for a clean, smooth pour.
History
The Washington Apple is a shot or short cocktail of Canadian whisky, sour apple liqueur, and cranberry juice that became popular in the United States in the 1990s and early 2000s. A widely repeated origin story credits a Washington state carpenter named Christof Guycoogan, who supposedly stumbled into a pile of rotten apples left after a pest outbreak devastated the state's orchards in the late 1980s, splashed the juice into his usual Canadian whisky and cranberry drink, and later fermented the fruit into an apple liqueur to recreate the taste.
That story traces to a self-published 2021 e-book by a Seattle-area writer named Randy Woodward, and it has since been repeated across recipe sites without independent verification. Journalists who investigated the tale found no supporting evidence for Guycoogan's existence or the orchard-pest incident, and cocktail historians and bartenders they consulted called the "tripped into rotten apples" account implausible. A separate, likewise unverified theory holds that the drink was invented by a bartender in New York City as a nod to the "Big Apple" rather than Washington state. No documented, verifiable creator or origin story for the drink has been established.
FAQ
What is a Washington Apple shot?
It is a stirred whisky shot, built with sour apple liqueur and cranberry juice for its tart-sweet flavor, strained into a chilled shot glass and topped with soda water. It comes in around 14.7% ABV and roughly 95 calories per serving, and is vegan, vegetarian, and lactose-free.
How do you make a Washington Apple shot?
Pre-chill a shot glass, then stir the Canadian whisky, sour apple liqueur, and cranberry juice together with ice. Strain into the chilled glass and top with a splash of soda water. The result is a cold, lightly fizzy shot with tart cranberry and sweet apple over a whisky base.
How strong is a Washington Apple shot?
It comes in at about 14.7% ABV, milder than a straight whisky shot because it is stretched with apple liqueur, cranberry juice, and a soda top.
How do I make a Washington Apple with Crown Royal?
Crown Royal, a Canadian blended whisky, works as the whisky base in this build: stir it with sour apple liqueur and cranberry juice over ice, strain into a chilled shot glass, and top with soda water. Using Crown Royal in place of another Canadian whisky does not change the method, only the whisky's specific flavor.
