10/22/2026
What if we made an apple pie with vanilla ice cream into a drink?
+ Today with my friends at , we’re going to find out what happens when you take a classic southern dessert and turn it into a tasty fall cocktail. It all starts with the smoked apple pie syrup. For this recipe, I used the Traeger Woodridge Elite since it has a built-in infrared side burner so I could make the syrup while smoking some juicy honeycrisp apples dusted with cinnamon sugar.
Of course we’re using apple wood pellets at 375 for about 45 minutes just to give them that kiss of smoke and concentrate their flavors a bit before adding it to our baking spices, brown sugar to make our syrup.
The topping is a non-negotiable, a salted maple, vanilla cold foam to really drive home that vanilla ice cream on top of an apple pie. That smokiness from the apple gives this recipe a one-of-a-kind, but familiar flavor profile and you’ll want to make over and over again. Just make sure to make enough of that syrup.
Cheers y’all!
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APPLE PIE A LA MODE
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1½ oz | 45 ml Spiced Rum
½ oz | 15 ml Fresh Lemon Juice
½ oz | 15 ml Smoked Apple Syrup (recipe below)
1 oz | 30 ml Apple C***r
Salted Vanilla Cold Foam (recipe below)
Apple Slices (Garnish)
Cinnamon sugar
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Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake until well chilled, then strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Top with salted vanilla foam and garnish with apple slices and cinnamon sugar.
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APPLE PIE SYRUP
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2 Smoked apples
3 Cloves
2 Star Anise
1 Cinnamon Stick
3 Allspice Berries
½ cup | 120 ml Water
½ cup | 120 ml Maple Syrup
1 cup | 200 g Light Brown Sugar
½ cup | 120 ml Apple C***r
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Instructions: Preheat your ** Woodridge Elite** to 300°F. Place sugar coated halved apples directly on the grates and cook until smoky and caramelized, about 10–15 minutes. On the Woodridge Elite’s side burner, toast dry spices until fragrant. Then add sugar, water, maple syrup and cubed smoked apples. Simmer on medium heat for 10 mins then let cool. Bottle and store for 1 week in refrigerator.
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SALTED VANILLA COLD FOAM
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1 cup | 240 ml Heavy Cream or Half-and-Half
½ oz | 15 ml Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Sea Salt (about ⅛ tsp)
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Instructions: Add heavy cream, vanilla extract, and sea salt to a container and using milk frother. Froth until you have a thick, airy foam with peaks that hold their shape. Pour directly over ice in your glass.
