I missed those days when my friends and I took turns entertaining each other, but I want everyone to be safe and well, so I’m taking more time to explore cocktails and meals at home. I never learned how to create cocktails or dinner for one — these days, I’m more aware of waste and experimenting with cocktails for one and cooking smaller portions. There are still have days when I make too much of everything, but I’m slowly learning the Art of Creating for one.
I have been busy looking for Autumn cocktails that look way too delicious not to recreate. My friend says I should create my own, and I will share some of my creations in the Spring/Summer, but for now, why reinvent the wheel.
Here are my top Nine I can’t wait to recreate:
SMOKY HARVEST APPLE CIDER MARGARITA
Ingredients:
Cinnamon sugar and flaky sea salt, for the rim
2 oz. mezcal or silver tequila
1/2 oz. orange liqueur
4 oz. apple cider
Juice from 1/2 a lime
1–2 teaspoons maple syrup (use more or less to your taste)
Apple slices, rosemary, and cinnamon sticks, for serving
How to make it:
Be fancy, rim your glass in salted cinnamon sugar (mix equal parts cinnamon sugar and sea salt, then run a lime wedge around the rim of the glass and coat in the sugar mixture). Combine the mezcal or tequila, orange liqueur, apple cider, lime juice, and maple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake to combine. Strain into the glass. Garnish with apple slices, rosemary, and cinnamon sticks. For a smoky effect, light the cinnamon.
Via Tieghan Gerard of Half Baked Harvest
BLOOD ORANGE & BLACKBERRY RUM PUNCH
Ingredients:
1 cup blood orange juice
48 oz. natural blackberry soda
1 cup rum
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup fresh blackberries
1 blood orange, thinly sliced
Pansies to garnish (optional)
How to make it:
Fill a large pitcher with ice, add all of the liquid ingredients. Stir gently to combine. Add several blackberries and an orange slice to each glass. And pour the punch into the glasses. Garnish with a pansy, and serve immediately.
Via Heather Christo
BOURBON PUMPKIN SMASH
Ingredients:
8 oz. pumpkin purée
1 cup water, more as needed
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tbsp. ground ginger
Pinch of ground allspice
1/2 tbsp. brown sugar
Lemon wedges
1 oz. pumpkin spice syrup
2 oz. bourbon
1/4 oz. lemon juice
4 oz. soda water
How to make it:
Simple Syrup
Add pumpkin purée, water, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice to a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Once the syrup is boiling and smooth, remove it from heat and cover. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Strain the pumpkin spice syrup into an airtight container, and let cool completely before making the cocktail.
Please Note:
Syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.
In a small bowl, stir together cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and brown sugar to make the cinnamon rimming sugar. Rub the edge of a rocks glass with a lemon wedge. Pour the rimming sugar into a shallow dish. Rim the rocks glass with sugar. Set aside. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add pumpkin spice syrup, bourbon, and lemon juice to the cocktail. Shake well. Fill a rimmed rocks glass with ice. Strain the cocktail into the glass. Top with soda water. Give the cocktail one final stir and serve.
Via Meghan Yager of Cake N Knife
BLACK APPLE MANHATTAN
Ingredients:
0.5 oz. Carpano Antica
0.5 oz. Fernet Branca
2 oz. apple-infused bourbon
2 dashes Angostura bitters
How to make it:
Combine all ingredients above in a cocktail mixing glass and stir together. Serve in a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with an apple disc and Luxardo cherry.
For the apple bourbon infusion: Per liter of bourbon, soak 400 grams of diced Fuji and/or Gala apples for 48 hours while stirring daily. When straining, let the fruit drip dry to extract all the bourbon.
Via North Italia
APPLE CRANBERRY MOSCOW MULE
Ingredients:
Ice
4 oz. Vodka
1/4 Cup of cranberry juice
1/2 Cup of sparkling apple juice
2 Ginger beers
Fresh cranberries for garnish
How to make it:
Add the Vodka and cranberry juice in two large glasses filled with ice. Add the sparkling apple juice and then fill the rest of the way with the ginger beer. Stir gently to combine and serve immediately.
Via Heather Christo
SPICED CIDER MARGARITAS
Ingredients:
5 oz. Spiced apple cider
1/2 Teaspoon of lemon juice
.5 oz. Grand Marnier (or Cointreau)
1.5 oz. Mezcal or gold tequila
For garnish:
2 Tablespoons of raw sugar
1/8 Teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Cinnamon sticks
Apple slices
How to make it:
Combine the raw sugar and cinnamon, in a small bowl. Pour a splash of Grand Marnier into a separate bowl. Dip the rim of the glass in the Grand Marnier to moisten it, and then immediately dip the glass in cinnamon sugar. Pour all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until well combined. Pour over ice into your rimmed glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick, a slice of apple, and a dash of ground cinnamon.
Please Note:
You’ll have enough cinnamon sugar for about 4 to 5 cocktail glasses.
Via Serena Wolf of Domesticate Me
BLACKBERRY BOURBON SMASH
Ingredients:
Granulated sugar (for the rim of the glasses)
Zest from 1 lime (again for the rims)
8 fresh blackberries
7 Mint leaves
Juice from half a lemon
1-2 Tablespoons of honey
2 oz. Bourbon, more or less to taste
Ginger beer for topping
How to make it:
On a shallow plate, combine the sugar and lime zest. Run the lime wedge around the edge of your glasses, then invert each glass into the plate to create a sugar/lime rim. Add blackberries, mint, lemon juice, and honey in a cocktail shaker or glass jar. Use a muddler to muddle all of the ingredients together, squishing everything to release the juices. Add the bourbon. Add ice to your rimmed glass and pour the drink over the ice. Top the glass with a little more ice and then pour the ginger beer over, gently stirring to combine. Garnish with fresh mint.
Via Tieghan Gerard of Half Baked Harvest
Autumn Fizz
Ingredients:
2 oz Alibi Gin
.25 oz lemon juice
Agave nectar, to taste
Sparkling apple cider
Garnished with thyme and apple
How to make it:
Pour gin in a shaker, add lemon juice and agave nectar, shake, and then pour into a highball glass and top with sparkling cider. Garnish with fresh thyme and an apple slice.
From The Ebbitt Room at the Virginia Hotel in Cape May, NJ
Apple Cider Mimosas
Ingredients:
1 bottle champagne
1 cup apple cider
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
How to make it:
On a small plate, combine sugar and cinnamon. Dip champagne flutes in water to wet the rims, then dip in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Fill champagne flutes 1/4 full with apple cider, then top off with champagne.
From Delish
Comment below and tell us what’s your favorite Autumn Cocktail.
