Autumn / Fall Cocktails

Summer is fading, leaves are starting to scatter the ground and the weather is turning chillier. It's not yet time for winter warmers, but crushed ice-charged summer coolers are no longer in season. It's autumn/fall, so a time to appreciate those last few warm(ish) sunny days whilst sipping on an appropriately brownish-coloured cocktail which at any other time of year could be considered drab.

It's also harvest time so there's a bounty of ingredients, with cocktails tending to focus on the seasonally available fruit: apples, blackberries, pears and plums. (It's also sloe berry season - time to make sloe gin.)

Perhaps with a view to stocking larders (or pantries if you will), autumn cocktails often use maple syrup, honey and demerara sugar as their sweetener.

When it comes to base spirits, perhaps inspired by the colours of the leaves, brown spirits seem preferred - particularly whisk(e)y, calvados (apples again!) and cognac - are favoured.

Our 20 best autumnal cocktails

Apple Cart
With: Calvados, triple sec, lemon juice, and apple schnapps liqueur.
We say: A calvados Sidecar. I like to add a splash of German apple schnapps liqueur.

Apples 'n' Pears
With: Calvados, vodka, pear and cognac liqueur and apple juice.
We say: In cockney rhyming slang 'apples and pears' means 'stairs'. The flavours of these fruits also combine well.

Autumn Cocktail
With: Passion fruit, bison vodka, apple juice, passion fruit syrup, lemon juice and champagne.
We say: Suitably autumnal in colour with passion fruit, lemon and pear enlivened by champagne.

Autumn Leaves
With: Whiskey, apple brandy, vermouth and herbal liqueur.
We say: A delightful apple, whiskey, vermouth and herbal combination.

Autumn Sweater
With: Rye whiskey, two amari, maple syrup, tobacco and orange bitters.
We say: An Autumn Sweater to warm body and soul.

Dried Meadow Flower
With: Reposado tequila, elderflower liqueur, gentian liqueur, lemon juice, and soda water.
We say: Floral elderflower and tequila with a hint of bittersweet gentian and refreshing lemon.

Fall Back
With: Rye whiskey, applejack, rosso vermouth, amaro, and Creole bitters.
We say: A suitably autumnal apple brandy-influenced riff on the Sweet Manhattan.

Fall Forward
With: Cognac/brandy, ginger liqueur, apple juice, lemon juice, egg white, absinthe and aromatic bitters.
We say: An autumnal-coloured apple brandy sour with warming ginger spice.

Fall From The Tree
With: Calvados, apple juice, lemon juice, cinnamon syrup, and aromatic bitters.
We say: This autumnal cocktail also works well when based on scotch whisky.

Fallen Leaves
With: Calvados, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth and cognac.
We say: An autumnal blend of vermouth and brandies.

Harvest Cocktail
With: Calvados, vermouth amaro and Angostura Bitters.
We say: A spiced apple brandy short boozy cocktail.

Harvest Old Fashioned
With: Rye whiskey, calvados, sugar syrup and Creole bitters.
We say: A dry spirit-forward riff on an Old Fashioned with spirituous spice and appley notes.

Harvest Moon Cocktail (PDT's recipe)
With: Rye whiskey, Lillet Blanc, calvados, Green Chartreuse, and Abbotts bitters.
We say: Apple notes, with the subtle herbal complexity in a rye whiskey-based after-dinner sipper.

Journey of Brothers
With: Scotch whisky, calvados, fino sherry, celery bitters, and tonic water.
We say: Adapted from a recipe which won the 2018 Chivas Masters Competition.

Norwegian Wood
With: Akvavit, applejack, rosso vermouth, Yellow Chartreuse, and aromatic bitters.
We say: Spirituous, fresh and refreshing with delicious herbal spice.

Orchard View
With: Calvados, rye whiskey, rosso vermouth, Bénédictine D.O.M., Creole and aromatic bitters.
We say: If you like Manhattans, you should try this calvados-based, delicately herbal variation.

Pear & Cardamom Sidecar
With: Green cardamom pods, cognac/brandy, triple sec, lemon juice, and sugar syrup.
We say: The combination of delicate cardamom spice and rich pear gives this cocktail an autumnal/winter feel.

September Morn
With: Gold 3 year old light rum, lime juice, grenadine syrup, sugar syrup and egg white.
We say: A suitably autumnal-coloured Daiquiri.

Smokestack Lightning
With: Reposado tequila, Islay single malt, agave syrup and lime juice.
We say: It's a time of year for clearing gardens and having bonfires so a smoky Margarita seems appropriate.

Thyme Will Tell Sour
With: Thyme, bourbon, maple syrup and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
We say: This well-balanced blend has the right level of sweetness and tasty citrusy underlying notes.

More autumn/fall cocktails.