Fall COcktails to fall in love with
Article By
Mixologist: Hansel Tan
The first amber leaf cascades to the windswept ground, the air is nippy with a dry chill, and Fall is finally here! Whether you’re scrupulously planning that pre-holiday party, or dreaming up some culinary creations for Thanksgiving, we’ve got some out-of-the-box Fall Cocktail ideas to caress your creative bone, however you choose to celebrate!
On the menu are 3 distinctly different styles of cocktails to bring a little holiday cheer to your abode, starting with the Maple Masala Sour (a riff on the classic New York Sour), swapping in South Asian spices and the lesser-used fortified wine Dubonnet Rouge, to give this drool-worthy sipper a slight herbaceous twist.
The Japanese citrus Yuzu takes centerstage in the Yuzu Sour, an aromatic version of the French 75, pairing floral notes of gin and elderflower, with an effervescent sparkling wine finish.
Take a stab at Rosencrantz is Alive! (though Guilderstein sadly remains deceased), incorporating an easy-to-make spiced cranberry shrub. Also known as “drinking vinegars,” shrubs add characteristic bright acidity to cocktails, tempered by honey, rosemary, and a modicum of contrapuntal heat from ginger beer.
*Spiced Fall Syrup
32 oz Apple Cider
2 Cinnamon Sticks
8 Green Cardamom Pods
2 Tsp Black Peppercorns
5 Whole Cloves
3 Tbsp Grated Ginger
Zest of half an Orange
10 oz Maple Syrup
Maple Masala Sour
1.25 oz Rye Whiskey
0.75 oz Blackstrap Rum
1 oz Lemon Juice
0.75 oz Spiced Fall Syrup*
0.25 oz Dubonnet Rouge (or a Dry Red Wine)
Garnish: Orange peel
Glassware: Old Fashioned
Instructions:
Add the rye, rum, lemon juice, and spiced fall syrup to a shaker filled with ice. Shake well, and strain contents into an Old-Fashioned glass with a large ice cube. Carefully layer a float of Dubonnet Rouge on top, and garish with an orange peel.
Instructions:
Place cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and peppercorn in a sturdy ziplock bag, and use a rolling pin or pestle to gently crush the spices into smaller pieces. Add the spices, grated ginger, orange zest, and apple cider to a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in maple syrup until it is dissolved. Let the mixture cool, and strain out the solids using a sieve, and keep the syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Yuzu Sparkler
2 oz Gin
0.5 oz Yuzu Juice
0.25 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz St Germain
2 oz Sparkling Wine
Garnish: Lychee Fruit
Glassware: Champagne Flute
Instructions:
Add gin, yuzu juice, lemon juice, and St. Germain into a shaker filled with ice. Shake well, and strain the contents into a champagne flute, and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a lychee fruit.
Rosencrantz is Alive!
2 oz Vodka
0.5 oz Spiced Cranberry Shrub†
0.25 oz Lime Juice
0.25 oz 2:1 Honey Syrup‡
2 oz Ginger Beer
Garnish: Rosemary Sprig
Glassware: Highball
Instructions:
Add vodka, shrub, lime juice, and honey syrup into a shaker filled with ice. Shake well, and strain the contents into a Highball glass filled with ice, and top with Ginger Beer. Garnish with a Rosemary Sprig.
Instructions:
Add cranberries, rosemary, vinegar, sugar, and cloves to a medium saucepan, and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring regularly until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to low, and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat, let it cool, then strain out the solids from the mixture. Keep the remaining liquid in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and let it sit for at least 1-2 days to let the flavors incorporate and mellow.
†Spiced Cranberry Shrub
1 Cup Fresh or Frozen Cranberries
1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
8 oz White Sugar
1 Tbsp Whole Cloves
1 Sprig Rosemary
‡2:1 Honey Syrup
1 Cup Hot Water
16 oz Honey
Instructions:
Combine 1 cup of hot water and 16 oz (by weight) of honey in a mixing glass, and stir well until all the honey has dissolved. Let the mixture cool, then keep the syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
