Thanksgiving is next week, which means it’s time to take advantage of the holiday crowds. Themed and seasonal cocktails are a great way to add some spice, pun intended, to your menu. Read on to find cocktails from around the country that will appeal to any market.
The Applejack Sazerac
It's time to say goodbye to the days of rosé and say hello to the Applejack Sazerac. Available at Nearly Ninth at Arlo Midtown for, this is the ultimate autumnal cocktail, including Laird’s Applejack, Woodford Reserve, Honey, Peychaud Bitters and finished with Absinthe and a rinse of Allspice.
Recipe:
.5oz Laird’s Applejack
1.5oz Woodford Reserve
.25oz Honey
4 Dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram Rinse
Spray with Absinthe
Rinse a rocks glass with allspice, shake ingredients together and pour over ice. Finish with a spray of Absinthe.
Pumpkin Mojito
T2, a sophisticated rum and cigar lounge at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, gives a kick to the classic Caribbean mojito by combining rum and fresh mint leaves with house-made pumpkin syrup and pumpkin whipped cream, topped with a dash of soda.
Recipe
2oz John Watling rum
1oz Pumpkin syrup
6 mint leaves
Dash of soda
2 lime wedges
Pumpkin whipped cream
Build ingredients into glass as you would a normal mojito, garnish with the pumpkin infused whipped cream
The Cider Car
If you’re looking to shake off the chilly fall weather, take inspiration from The Cider Car. Served at The Irvington in New York City, it’s presented in a coupe and topped with a dry apple chip. This Insta-worthy cocktail features Cognac, apple cider, lemon juice, apricot liquor and a hard cider float.
Recipe:
1.5oz Cognac
1oz Apple Cider
.75oz Lemon Juice
.5oz Apricot Liquor
Hard Cider Float
Shake ingredients together, pour into a coupe and garnish with a dry apple chip.
The Birds Poison Punch
Just because Halloween is over doesn’t mean spooky season has to be. The Bar at Deer Path Inn keeps the creepy vibes going with this fun play on Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. The Birds Poison Punch cocktail is sold as a group of four drinks. It’s made with mezcal and tequila, tepache, blue curaçao, lemon juice, mineral water and lavender smoke.
Recipe:
1 oz Don Amado
1 oz Casa Dragones Tequila
1 oz Tepache
1 oz Blue curaçao
.5 oz Lemon juice
Small spoon of gold edible glitter
Mineral Water
In a shaker, add of the ingredients (except the mineral water) and shake vigorously. Pour the contents in a fancy decanter with matching glasses. Add smoke to your cocktail with the flavor blaster and top with mineral water.
Spanish Coffee
With temperatures dropping, the newly opened, Spanish-inspired restaurant MDRD atop the historic Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids, MI boasts flavorful twists on classic warm Spanish cocktails, including its cozy Spanish Coffee, which is crafted with rich overproof demerara rum and orange curacao flamed and mixed into European roast coffee. The drink is then topped with whipped cream and a garnish of freshly grated nutmeg and gold leaf.
Recipe:
¾ ounces Hamilton 151 Overproof Demerara Rum
¼ ounces Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
3 ounces very hot 'dark roast' coffee
Combine rum, curacao, and coffee in a Georgian coffee glass. Top with a layer of hand whipped cream and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and gold leaf.
Life is but a Dram
The Joseph Nashville’s rooftop bar, Denim, has distilled the essence of fall into their Life is but a Dram cocktail. It’s a spirited take on a Manhattan made with Heaven’s Door whiskey and The Joseph’s “Highway 61” whiskey blend, espresso-infused Carpano Antica, Angostura bitters and orange bitters.
Image (Courtesy of The Joseph, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville)
Recipe:
1.5 oz Heaven’s Door Highway 61 The Joseph Blend whiskey
1.5 oz espresso-infused Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
Orange twist or orange oil
Dehydrated orange slice (optional)
Add ingredients to mixing glass. Add ice and stir for 45 seconds. Strain into a coupe glass. Spray with orange oil or express oils from a fresh orange peel. Garnish with a dehydrated orange slice.
Merriman’s Coconog
This one might be pushing the season a bit, but we love the tropical twist on a classic eggnog cocktail. Merriman’s Coconog has an Old Forester Bourbon and Licor 43 base, mixed with coconut milk and freshly ground nutmeg. Top it off with whipped cream to bring an island vibe to the season.
Recipe:
13.5 oz Coconut Milk
6 oz Whole Milk
3 whole eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp freshly ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
.5 oz Licor 43
.5 oz Old Forester Bourbon
Blend coconut milk, whole milk, eggs, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon on high speed for a full minute. Whisk over double boiler until mixture reaches 160 F. Chill overnight to create the Eggnog Mix. Shake 6oz of Eggnog Mix with Licor43 and Old Forester Bourbon. Serve in a coconut topped with fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of ground nutmeg.
An Apple a Day
Channeling the refreshingly crisp autumn air, The Bar at The Spectator Hotel has created An Apple a Day cocktail. Organic apple cider, apple brandy and vanilla liqueur invoke memories of fall days spent at the orchard. Combined with bourbon, a spritz of fresh lemon juice, and house-made fall spice syrup, it’s practically irresistible.
Recipe:
1 oz Bourbon (ex. Buffalo Trace or Bulleit)
.5 oz Apple Brandy (ex. Laird’s Apple Jack or Calvados)
.5 oz Vanilla Liqueur (ex. Licor 43)
1 oz Organic Apple Cider
.75 oz Lemon Juice
.75 oz Fall Spice Syrup*
Garnish with fanned Granny Smith apple slices
For the Syrup
1 cup water
½ lb sugar
6 cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves
6 dried allspice berries
¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
Put water and spices in sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Slowly add sugar, stir until dissolved, and then remove from heat. Strain through fine mesh strainer, place in storage container, and refrigerate.
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