[1] Another way to enjoy fall’s apple cider: with bourbon and bacon (photo courtesy Davio’s | Manhattan). [2] Make your own cinnamon simple syrup with cinnamon, sugar and water (photo by Ben Fink, Indian Home Cooking by Suvir Saran).

As restaurants and lounges switch to their autumn menus, we’re getting lots of fall cocktail recipes. We test cocktail recipes each weekend, typically inviting friends to stop by between their errands.

This week’s cocktail recipe: Bacon Bourbon Cider from Davio’s Manhattan, one of New York’s fine steakhouses with a Northern Italian-accented menu.

Two fall favorites—apple cider and maple-candied bacon—will make this a favorite fall cocktail. It’s so easy that it may well end up on your favorite home cocktail list.

Davio’s uses Bulleit Bourbon for the cocktail. We used another top brand/
 
Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the ingredients in a cocktail shaker; shake and pour into a Collins glass.

2. GARNISH with a slice of candied bacon.
 
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*You can add ground cinnamon to plain simple syrup or use the recipe below.
 
RECIPE: CANDIED BACON

This recipe is for 8 pieces, but trust us: You’ll want to candy the entire pound package.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 300°F. Place the bacon strips flat on a cooling rack screen placed over a baking sheet. Bake the bacon for approximately 10 to 12 minutes, or until thoroughly brown and crisp.

2. COOL the bacon; then brush both sides of the strips with maple syrup, using a pastry brush. (We long ago replaced our bristle pastry and basting brush with a silicon pastry brush—so much easier to use and clean).

3. PLACE the bacon back on the rack in the oven and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes.

4. RESTRAIN yourself from eating all the candied bacon.

You can make simple syrup up to a month in advance and keep it in the fridge, tightly capped. It can keep even longer, but why take up spice with an item you don’t use?

Instead, use the cinnamon syrup to sweeten tea or coffee, or to drizzle over desserts: baked goods, fruits, puddings, etc. You can also give it as gifts in a Mason jar tied with a ribbon.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BREAK the cinnamon sticks into pieces (1 inch or longer), using a rolling pin or other implement (or break them by hand). Place them in a small sauce pan with the sugar and water.

2. BRING to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until all the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool.

3. STRAIN out and discard the cinnamon stick pieces, and refrigerate, tightly covered.
 
SUBSTITUTING GROUND CINNAMON FOR CINNAMON STICKS

 
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CINNAMON AND CASSIA

Who knew that most of our ground “cinnamon” is actually cassia—not true cinnamon?

Check out the different types of cinnamon.