Stone-Fence

A History of New York, Washington Irving, 1809

8 cups apple cider

4 cups bourbon

5 cinnamon sticks

3 orange peels

30 to 40 whole cloves

Place the apple cider, bourbon, and cinnamon sticks in a slow cooker and cook on low for 2 hours, making sure the mixture does not come to a boil.

Cut the orange peels into rectangles and press the cloves into them.

Garnish each serving of the cocktail with a clove-studded square of orange peel and enjoy.

They lay claim to be the first inventors of those recondite beverages, cock-tail, stone-fence, and sherry-cobbler.

In this passage, Irving’s satirical work makes fun of the colonists of Maryland, or “Merryland,” claiming that they were always making merry with alcohol, hence the name. And if they were the first to produce these cocktails, as Irving claims, no wonder they were making merry! In addition, he says: “They were, moreover, great horse-racers and cock-fighters, mighty wrestlers and jumpers, and enormous consumers of hoe-cake and bacon.”

The Stone-Fence is most commonly a mixture of apple cider with spirits (usually bourbon, brandy, or rum), and a dash of bitters. It was apparently enjoyed in colonial America and makes a great autumnal cocktail. Wrestling and jumping are optional.