Is this not true of an autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love that makes life and nature harmonize.”
George Eliot
It seems like just yesterday we were enduring the searing heat of summer, slurping drinks so cold that my fingers pressed against the condensation of the glass. It’s so fresh in my mind, I can almost feel the chill of the beverage sliding quickly down my throat, eliciting an unwelcome numbness in my head like it did when I was a kid gulping down my 7-11 Slurpee.
And, just like that, it’s fall — a wonderful, welcome guest. For me, fall brings a sense of crispness, excitement, and change. I breathe in the seasonal air from the leaves and the smoke from the neighbor’s chimney and breathe out a comforting sense of calm. I’m ready to gather old and new friends around a crackling fire and have some fun – maybe with a cocktail in hand.
As George Eliot alludes, life and nature do harmonize in autumn. In terms of fall cocktails, harmony is made from the gentle blend of apple cider with a vodka martini, or pumpkin spice with a rum, or a fig margarita.
I’m showcasing a few of my favorite Fall cocktails:
- Apple Pear Cocktail
- Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Fig Margarita
- Maple Bourbon Old Fashioned
- Hot Buttered Rum
- Sparkling Pomegranate Cocktail
I hope they will add a lingering glow to your last neighborly outdoor BBQ dinner, sweeten your family movie night by the fire, or spark some festivity at a special fall date night dinner.
You’ll thank me from the bottom of your glass.
Pear Apple Cocktail
This mixture is early fall in a cocktail. With the addition of some homemade cinnamon-infused simple syrup, you’ll “fall” head over heels for this cozy glass of crisp comfort.
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Martini Shaker
Ingredients
- 3 ounces pear nectar (fresh preferably)
- 2 ounces apple cider
- 1 ounce cinnamon simple sugar (recipe to follow)
- .75 ounce lemon juice fresh
- 2 ounces Grey Goose pear vodka
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- thinly sliced apple (or pear) for garnish
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- For the Cinnamon Simple Syrup:Pour 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar into a small saucepan heated to a medium low and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add cinnamon stick and bring to a boil.Cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 30 minutes to an hour to infuse. Remove cinnamon stick. Store syrup in a container in refrigerator for up to 1-1/2 weeks.
- For the Drink:Mix together sugar and cinnamon for rim. Dip rim of glass in a bit of simple syrup, then in the sugar/cinnamon mix.Combine the pear juice/nectar, apple cider, 1 ounce cinnamon simple syrup, lemon juice and pear vodka into a martini shaker with ice. Shake for 30 seconds. Pour into a martini or rock glass. Garnish with an apple or pear slice.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
If you loved my summer "Peach Cobbler" dessert martini, you'll thank me for this pumpkin libation. We're kicking it up again with our friend, Rumchata. He left his summer love, Crown Royal Peach, in favor of some autumn flavor
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Martini Shaker
- Coffee maker
- Mug
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups boiling water
- 2 tablespoons espresso powder
- 5 ounces Rumchata
- 3 ounces Pumpkin Pie Vodka
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- whipped cream for garnish
- 1 dash pumpkin pie space for garnish
Instructions
- In a heatproof measuring cup or bowl, stir the espresso powder, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice into the boiling water until dissoved. Add the Rumchata and vodka. Stir to combine.
- Pour into glasses or mugs and top with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice.
Fig Margarita
Figs are a sometimes forgotten fruit. Yet, in this margarita, they're the star ingredient! Trust me on this one!
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Martini Shaker
- Rock Class
Ingredients
- 1.5 ounces blanco tequila
- 1 ounce fig syrup (recipe follows)
- 0.5 ounce Triple Sec
- 0.25 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 pints figs stems removed, cut into quarters
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 lime wedge for garnish, optional
- 1 fig wedge for garnish, optional
- Margarita Salt for rim of glass
Instructions
- For the fig syrup:Cut the figs into quarters, removing the stems. In a small pot, bring the figs to boil with the water and sugar, lower the heat and simmer until the syrup has reduced by half. Let cool to room temperature and strain into a clean glass jar. Refrigerate up to two weeks.
- For the cocktail:Combine the tequila, one ounce fig syrup, triple sec, lime juice into a martini shaker with ice. Shake well to combine. Strain into an ice-filled glass. Rim glass with margarita salt, if desired and garnish with lime and/or fig wedge.
Maple Bourbon Old-Fashioned
Classic cocktails are never out of style, and this Maple Bourbon Old-Fashioned is perfect for Fall. It'll warm you from the inside out!
Equipment
- Rock glass
- Vegetable/fruit peeler
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
- 2 ounces Michter's bourbon (or your favorite bourbon)
- 1 orange peel
- 1 maraschino cherry for garnish
- 1 cinnamon stick for garnish
Instructions
- Combine maple syrup, water and bitters in a glass, stirring until well-blended. Add a few ice cubes and the orange peel. Pour bourbon on top. Garnish with a cherry and cinnamon stick.
Hot Buttered Rum
Don't cringe when you read the list of ingredients. Yes it's just that luscious and decadent, and it will keep in the freezer for three months. So, make up a batch for sipping, then put on a movie by the fire, or sit outside near a bonfire. The kids will enjoy their "rum-less" mocktail as much as you savor your adult version. Well, maybe not . . . but what they don't know won't hurt 'em!
Equipment
- Large container
- Mug
- 1 large pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound unsalted butter
- 1 pound light brown sugar
- 1 pound confectioners sugar
- 2 quarts Talenti vanilla bean gelato, softened or your favorite vanilla bean ice cream
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 ounces Goslings Black Seal Rum or your favorite dark rum
Instructions
- For the ice cream batter:Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Blend in brown sugar and confectioners sugar. Remove from heat, then whisk in ice cream, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour mixture into a plastic container, seal and freeze.
- For the drink:Put one ice cream scoop full of the batter into our favorite mug. Add 2 ounces your favorite dark rum. Fill with boiling water. Sprinkle nutmeg on top.
Sparkling Pomegranate Cocktail
No fall cocktail list would be complete without something fresh and sparkling. This one will tantalize your taste buds while packing a bit of a punch. Watch out!
Equipment
- Champagne flute, wine glass or rock glass
Ingredients
- 1.5 ounce pomegranate juice
- 1 ounce white rum
- .25 ounce simple syrup
- 2 ounces Prosecco (or your favorite sparkling wine)
- Pomegranate seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Combine juice, rum and syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and pour into a glass filled with crushed ice. (Ice optional if you prefer a champagne flute.) Top with Prosecco or your favoriate sparkling wine. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.
Sabine
September 23, 2020These drinks all sounds fabulous! They are making me salivate and it is only 9:30 in the morning, but it’s 5pm somewhere in the world. Right??? …
RAMONA R MIDEIROS
September 23, 2020I will print out these recipes…always up for a tasty new adult beverage.
Luanna
September 24, 2020Ramona: I highly recommend the fig margarita! Goes well with vodka too!
Stacy Kopper
September 24, 2020These all look yummy! And so many of them would count as my fruit serving for the day.
TG baugh
September 25, 2020Good thing fits are in season…. heck who needs a season? These drinks look wonderful and can’t wait to try!