Saynora citrus. Bye bye, Barcardi and pineapple slushies. See you next summer, white peach sangria. All the punchy, light, and refreshing drinks you’ve been sipping on the last few months in order to beat the heat and make pool days so much more satisfying are giving way to fall flavors. That means revamping your home bar with a few new ingredients and searching for a go-to tipple that goes with cooler nights and over-the-top Halloween decorations.
We won’t bore you with syrupy takes on pumpkin spice. Instead, these fall cocktails are surprising, sophisticated, and — above all — super delicious.
Apple Pie Bourbon Shots
The fine folks at Delish have put together a cocktail recipe that somehow feels both rebellious and so traditional even your grandmama would be willing to take a sip. Ingredients include bourbon — chose one with a little age for even more yummy caramel notes but no need to go crazy expensive — real apples, actual cinnamon sticks, and fresh ginger. The result is a balanced, uber-tasty beverage that you can sip over ice or shoot with your pie-lovin’ bros.
Fennel & Fig Infused Vodka
This is a rad recipe for several reasons. For starters, it’s delicious. Secondly, it’s sweet with a savory edge which keeps it from feeling cloying or to summer/juice-like. Third, it requires a little bit of work, but that’s a good thing because it means you can boast about your top-shelf mixology skills. After all, you made an infuuuuusion, baby, rather than just pouring out a bottle of pre-made booze. Serve your concoction on the rocks or try it with a mixer like artisanal ginger ale (you want the extra zip you get from the good stuff) or soda water.
Roasted Marshmallow Coffee Cocktail Shakes
Much like capri-length jeans, this cocktail straddles the line between summer and fall, albeit with a lot more style. The creamy coffee is heavy enough for autumn drinking yet the frozen base and campfire-inspired marshmallow topping feel distinctly summery. This is one to whip up when you got sudden run of warm nights but still want to sit outside and roast weenies (or grill steaks, whatever floats your boat).
Jack-Of-Trades
Cognac in a warmed snifter is fall and winter incarnate. You can’t go wrong with strategic simplicity, but add apple cider, lemon juice, honey syrup, and prosecco, and the spirit takes on a whole new dimension. This could easily be served chilled or gently warmed — we’ll be trying the latter as we hand out candy on Halloween.
Spiced Pear Gin Cocktail
Depending on the variety, pears come into season in late summer and last through the early part of winter. That doesn’t entirely matter for this recipe, which calls for pear juice (you can get it bottled) and spiced pear liqueur, but the combination of stone fruit, cardamom, and thyme does seem like a smart way to recover after raking the leaves (or watching someone else do it).