These Are The 3 Autumn Cocktails We’re Looking Forward To Mixing Up

Autumn is right around the corner with just about a month left to go. With that in mind, it’s only natural we get a little bit excited about autumn hosting and all of delicious food and drinks that will come with it. And with all this time spent daydreaming and drooling over the delicious fall cocktails we’re looking forward to mixing up, we thought it was about time that we put pen to paper (okay, I guess more like fingers to keys) and let you all know what it is we’ll be making this autumn.

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Between flipping through old editions of Martha Stewart Living (seriously, who does hosting better than Martha herself) and wading through conversational recommendations on Reddit, we got a couple of ideas for our fall menus that we simply couldn’t resist sharing. From alcohol-forward drinks to “I can’t even taste the booze in this,” we’ve got everyone’s palates and preferences covered, too.

Maple Old-Fashioneds

Listen, this one may not be the most revolutionary, but it’s certainly the easiest to recreate. Even the most novice of at-home bartenders will probably have all the ingredients already on hand, and frankly it’s just delicious. All you have to do to recreate this drink is to replace the sweetener of your average old fashioned and substitute maple in. Preferably, for a truly noticeable and autumnal fall flavor, you’re using Grade A (aka the darkest) maple syrup to mix up this cocktail.

To me, the best part about this drink is that it’s not actually aggressive fall spices. The maple still lets you appreciate the drink in its original form and isn’t so seasonally unique that (when you inevitably fall in love with this sip) you’d get funny looks when you make this drink in the off-season. But, if you want to up the fall flavor as we get deeper into the season, you can try muddling in a sage leaf with your orange peel. Top it off with some cold-pressed apple cider for something a bit less strong and you’re practically rolling in leaves of gold and red.

Hot Apple Cider

I love this idea for hosting in particular since it’s really just a “set it and forget it” kind of recipe. And, it’s eternally customizable with the amount or kind of booze you pop in. You can go all the way with the apple flavor and toss in some kind of apple brandy like Applejacks or Calvados, or you can pump up the rich, caramelized alcohol flavor with a bourbon or whisky. Add more or less spices depending on what you and your guests prefer and this truly becomes the perfect sip for getting together and being cozy, surrounded by laughter and early sunsets.

Cranberry Mule

Right off the bat, ginger is already a very autumnal flavor. It’s gentle spice offers a warmth that is somehow still bright and refreshing. In the form of ginger beer, I think it’s at its very best. The sparkling bubbly zinginess offers a change of pace from the typical autumn cocktails. And, the addition of cranberry is not only a natural pairing, but it takes us right to Thanksgiving. Everything about this drink is sweet, tart, and bright, and yet the flavors still scream fall. It’s a feat in and of itself, and when you’re ready to switch out the vodka for gin you can start teasing the next season ahead… I heard Mariah’s defrosting.