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Put the lawnmower away…and take out the rakes. Yup, it’s that time again. Autumn is here in all her glorious color, crisp temperature and leaf dropping ways. At Mr. Booze, we’ve always considered fall to be the best season in which to imbibe. The weather is cool enough to take the party outside, the colors in the trees are the perfect backdrop for a late afternoon drink, the rich, smoky flavors of whiskies, brandies, and harvest beers are cause for celebration. Heck, I even enjoy the old standards & classic jazz more with a sweater on. I’ve been writing fall drink recipes for around four years now, so below, besides a new classic cocktail you’ll find on top, I’m including some chestnuts from past lists. All are time-tested, all will tickle your pallet with the tastes of the season, all can be included in whatever way you choose to celebrate the season at home. So get out there, rake a big pile of leaves for your kids to leap into, and enjoy a few of these beautiful Autumnal cocktail classics.

Tawny Manhattan

I’m seeing a lot of variations of the Manhattan cocktail this past two years. Contests & bar festivals are now being thrown pitting bartenders against one another coming up with spins on this, my most favorite of all, cocktail. I tried this Tawny version a few weeks ago and she really caught my attention. Right then & there, I knew this was a fall cocktail & squirreled the recipe away for this piece. The affordable tawny port carries her woody, nutty flavor right into the heart of the Manhattan in a woodsy way. You’ll be reminded of the changing leaves outside your window. The orange bitters swirl about between rye & port and provide a subtle backdrop that you’ll appreciate.

Here we go –

• 2 oz Rye Whiskey
• 1 oz Tawny Port
• couple dashes orange bitters

Shake with plenty of ice in a shaker & serve up in a martini glass or pour over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Apple Harvest Collins

I found this one on the NY Daily News website. Perez Kiebhan & Jack Judson of the Suba Bar in NYC created the drink. I made a round of six just last night and while a bit time consuming, the drink garnered the most “ooohs” and “ahhhs” of the evening.  Loaded with the tastes of the season — apples, cinnamon, & spiced cider  — this drink is also gorgeous to look at. Tall and satisfying, I’d definitely consider pairing this one with a fall meal. Its rich flavor would tremendously compliment a bowl of spicy chili or a salty lamb stew.

Here we go –

• 1 Macintosh apple peeled, cored and sliced
• 1 ½ oz of a complex, juniper gin (Bulldog or Bombay will do the trick)
• 1/3 oz simple syrup (if you have the ginger, it couldn’t hurt)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 oz spiced cider
• club soda to finish

Begin by muddling a quarter of a med apple in the bottom of a shaker. Add lemon juice and syrup as muddling. Add ice and gin then shake ‘til ingredients are mixed and cold. Pour into tall Collins glass and add cider. Stir then top with a little club soda. You can rim your glass ahead of time with cinnamon/sugar but I feel it can make the drink too sweet so be conservative. Garnish with a beautiful slice of red or green apple.

 

The Nutty Monk

Found this surprise in the December 2008 issue of Imbibe magazine. I was quite surprised by the reaction of the Mr. Booze fans that tried this one. More than half called it their favorite of the evening. A cousin of the Manhattan, this is a booze- mixed-with-more-booze cocktail that even unaccustomed strong drink drinkers might enjoy. This one does require a couple days pre-prep because you’re going to infuse toasted walnuts into cognac, so think ahead. You’ll need a quality cognac but they’re expensive so here’s what Mr. Booze did; I purchased a small, split size bottle of V.S. Courvoisier for $15 which ended up making 10 cocktails, more or less. I found this to be an affordable option.

* To make the walnut infused cognac called for in this drink roast ½ lb shelled walnuts  in a 350-degree oven ‘til nuts are toasted dark. Soak warm walnuts in a glass pitcher with the cognac (if you happen to use a full bottle of cognac, use one lb of walnuts) for 1 ½ – 2 days, no more. Infuse the foil-covered pitcher in a dark, cool place. Strain the liquid though a strainer back into the bottle (you’ll notice a little of the liquid is gone but that’s ‘cause your walnuts drank it). You can also substitute with broken chestnuts as a holiday drink.

Here we go –

• 2 oz walnut infused cognac
• 1 oz Benedictine liqueur
• couple dashes aromatic bitters (Angostura are fine)
• nice, big pieces of cracked ice.

Pour the ingredients into your glass martini pitcher on top of a couple pieces of cracked ice. Stir ‘til ingredients mix properly and get nice and cold. In a double old-fashioned or rocks glass place a piece or two of large cracked ice (just freeze a Tupperware or two with 1 1/s inches of water and crack w/ an ice pick.) Pour cold Nutty Monk over ice and serve. Garnish with a brandied cherry.

 

Ginger Daiquiri

I mixed up one of these on a whim after making a batch of ginger simple syrup and fell in love. Even back in July, I realized that the strong ginger flavor would carry this drink into the brown & orange months long after my taste for summer sours went off to hibernate. It calls for ginger simple syrup, which is pretty easy to make, and I suggest you make yours strong. You’ll want the ginger to stand up against the lime.

To make the ginger simple syrup start with a large ginger root. Peel the ginger and cut into large enough pieces that grating won’t cause problems. Grate all your fresh ginger with a cheese grater and set aside. Boil 2 cups water along with 1 ½ cups cane sugar. Stir as you heat ‘til liquid is clear. Let sugar water boil for about 45 seconds, then add ginger and boil for another two minutes. Take off heat and let mixture cool to room temperature. Strain out all the ginger and bottle the liquid. Syrup will last in your bar fridge for around 6-8 weeks.

Here we go –

• 2 oz dark rum (Appleton or Pusser’s are perfect)
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• ¾ oz ginger syrup

Shake ingredients with ice in shaker ‘til frothy & freezing. Pour up into a cocktail glass or serve over rocks in a rocks glass. Garnish w/ a lime wedge.

 

Misty Maple Leaf

A perfect drink to enjoy as the sun sets on the day’s leaf piles, you can walk your yard with this cocktail knowing that in just a week, you’ll have to rake the whole damn thing again. The maple takes the muscle out of the whisky, creating a slightly sweet drink that goes down easy.

Here we go –

• 2 oz Canadian whisky
• ½ oz pure maple syrup
• club soda to fill

Pour the whisky and syrup over ice in a shaker. Shake ‘til cold and well mixed. Pour in a tall glass over ice and fill to top with club soda. Stir with your straw and enjoy. If you can find those pretty little maple candies that come out in the fall, use one as a garnish.

 

Applejack Old-Fashioned

Exactly what it says it is, this drink should be far from a mystery. But I did promise autumn cocktails and Laird’s Applejack is about as fall-like as a spirit can get. I love Applejack. It tastes strong as it goes down and leaves an apple finish in your mouth that will leave you smiling. Just consider this as a lovely October substitute for your regular old fashioned cocktail.

Here we go –

• 1 sugar cube (yes, I still prefer the cube over simple syrup with an old fashioned)
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• 2 oz Applejack

In a rocks or double old fashioned glass, place sugar cube and splash it with a couple shakes of your bitters. Muddle ‘til muddy and add ice. Pour Applejack and garnish with a long, fat orange peel. Walk around your backyard with this drink while wearing your tweed hat.

 

Maple Cocktail

Fill tall glass or mug with ice, add Applejack and bitters and stir, then fill glass with Apple Cider. *If you happen to have a can or bottle of hard apple cider, pouring a bit into this cocktail only makes it better.

Here we go –

• ¾ oz pure maple syrup
• 1 oz lemon juice
• ¾ oz dry gin (English style)
• 1 oz bourbon

Mix all ingredients in a shaker with plenty of ice. Strain up into a cocktail glass and enjoy.

Apple Ginger Sangaree

I’m passing on a drink I learned about from reading Dr. Cocktail’s column in Imbibe Magazine ( Jan/Feb 07). I LOVE this drink. You have to try it. I insist. The Apple Ginger Sangaree is a perfect fireside cocktail because the ingredients are all winter flavors – apple, ginger, nutmeg. The drink has a nostalgic, old-time taste. When you are sipping it, you feel as if you are tasting something men and women once enjoyed years back. The kind of flavors your Grandfather or his Dad may have enjoyed. I’ll warn you, one of the bottles you’ll need may be hard to find but look for it. I found one after a few days on the phone.

Here we go –

• 1 ½ ounces of Stone’s Ginger Wine
• 2 ounces Calvados
• 1/4 ounce of simple syrup (as one cup water begins to boil, add one cup sugar. Stir ‘til clear and let cool to room temperature on the stove. Bottle and throw in your fridge. Will last forever in there.)

Fill double old-fashioned glass with cracked-ice. Combine ingredients in glass and stir ‘til mixed. Sprinkle ground nutmeg on top of drink and get ready for one hell of a cocktail experience. I think you’ll really like this one.

Stone Fence

Fill tall glass or mug with ice, add Applejack and bitters and stir, then fill glass with Apple Cider. *If you happen to have a can or bottle of hard apple cider, pouring a bit into this cocktail only makes it better.

Here we go –

• 3 oz Applejack
• 3-4 dashes Angostura bitters
• Apple Cider

Fill tall glass or mug with ice, add Applejack and bitters and stir, then fill glass with Apple Cider. *If you happen to have a can or bottle of hard apple cider, pouring a bit into this cocktail only makes it better.

Grand Apple

This one’s as delicious as it sounds and I kicked myself for not trying it early enough to get on our fall cocktail list. A bartender poured one for me after I asked him to surprise me with something seasonal.

Here we go –

• 1 oz Apple Brandy (Calvados or Applejack)
• ½ oz Cognac
• ½ oz Grand Marnier

Shake or stir over ice, strain cold into cocktail glass, garnish with a slice of apple.

Applejack Rabbit

Fall in a glass, try and find real maple syrup for this one. The kid’s Mrs. Butterworth won’t do at all.
Here we go –

• 2 oz Laird’s Applejack
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 2 oz orange juice
• 3/4 oz real maple syrup

Shake all ingredients with cracked ice in a shaker. Serve up and ice-cold in a cocktail glass, garnish with an apple slice, light the jack-o-lantern up and enjoy.