If summer is the season of refreshing drinks by the water, then fall is the seasons of cozy beverages by a bonfire or curled up in a quilted blanket. Whether you’re warming up at home after a long hike or settling in for an evening by the campfire, the perfect beverage pairing is essential. While we’ll never say no to a flask of Knob Creek, mixing it up a little can feel celebratory (and taste delicious).
For outside-the-box recommendations on what to sip this fall, we tapped four food and beverage professionals to get their take on the ideal fall cocktails.
Farm and Fish House Punch
Danny Childs, the bar manager at New Jersey’s Farm and Fisherman Tavern and the mind behind , an Instagram account that chronicles Childs’ constant exploration of the region’s foraged and farmed products, offered an Applejack-centered bourbon and rum punch. This sip should be prepared ahead of time, as the base requires overnight steeping. Oleo-saccharum is made by steeping lemon peels with sugar and spice overnight, or for at least eight hours. It has a strong taste of apple cider vinegar, albeit sweetened with sugar, and can be served hot or cold.
Ivy Mix’s Fall Cranberry Spritz
Ivy Mix, who runs Leyenda, a pan-Latin bar, and Fiasco Wine and Spirits, both in Brooklyn, offered a cranberry gin spritz that somehow lands both refreshing and cozy, perfect for those still-a-little-warm fall afternoons. This spritz is like a spiced lemonade with a hint of tartness and a lot of cranberry. It’s intentionally low in alcohol, but you can add more gin if desired.
Fall Espresso Spritz & Mezcal Negroni
Cybille St. Aude-Tate and Omar Tate, the husband and wife team behind Honeysuckle Provisions, a trailblazing culinary concept in Philadelphia, have opposite approaches to the autumn drink. Tate recommends an espresso spritz lightly sweetened with apple cider, which has a bit of caffeine so he can keep up with his kids. This drink mixed unfiltered apple cider with sparkling water so it’s still bubbly but the espresso gives it a nutty, lovely taste. On the other hand, St. Aude-Tate prefers to sip on a mezcal negroni during a rare quiet moment at the end of a busy day. Even though an ice-cold negroni isn’t what most people think of for a cozy fall drink, this classic cocktail is spiced up by using mezcal rather than gin.
Whatever your needs for a fall-weather drink, we’ve got something to suit your fancy all season long.