“Crisp autumn air sends me to the liquor cabinet for a bottle of something apple-y,” said Jason Wilson in The Washington Post. There’s no more all-American liquor than applejack—”a blend of apple brandy and neutral spirits that is the less expensive cousin of apple brandy.” George Washington distilled it. Abraham Lincoln proudly served it. I associate it with “bonfire pep rallies and homecoming games.” Nowadays, distilleries across the country turn out excellent applejacks.

Laird’s ($55) New Jersey. Aged 12 years.

St. George Spirits’ Heirloom ($50) California. Aged five years.

Clear Creek Eau de Vie de Pomme ($26, half-bottle), Oregon. Aged eight years.