Autumn is finally here, and that means the fruity and sweet cocktails we have been enjoying this summer will soon be a thing of the past. Soon, it will be too cold to enjoy a margarita or crisp beer by the pool. So, what do you do when you want a fun cocktail during the colder months of fall? Well, here are my personal cocktail recipes for Thanksgiving and all of your upcoming Autumn get togethers:
1. Spiked Caramel Apple Cider
Ingredients: 1 gallon of fresh apple cider, 1 bottle of caramel apple vodka, half teaspoon of ground nutmeg, a half teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Garnish with green apple slices, sprinkle of nutmeg/cinnamon. Whipped cream and caramel drizzle optional if served warm.
2. Not-Your-Grandma's-Apple-Pie Mimosas
These are the perfect Autumn brunch cocktail. I know I will have one of these in my hand this year while helping momma make Thanksgiving dinner.
Ingredients: 2 oz. apple pie liqueur and 2 oz. apple cider shaken over ice, and strained into glass. Top with your favorite champagne. Garnish with apple slice. Optional: rim glass with cinnamon and brown sugar mixture.
3. Spiced Pumpkin White Russian
Ingredients: 1 oz. pumpkin spice Kahlua, 2 oz. pumpkin pie vodka, and 1 oz whipping cream. Garnish with a spring of nutmeg.
4. Pumpkin Pie Martini
This is the perfect after-Thanksgiving-dinner cocktail. Creamy and delicious what more could you ask for? Everyone will be begging for more.
Ingredients: 1 cup Rumchata, half cup whipped cream vodka, 3 and a half table spoons of pumpkin pie filling. Shake over ice, and strain into glass. Garnish with a crushed graham cracker and cinnamon mixture. For a Rumchata drunken pumpkin pie recipe, click here.
5. Salted Caramel Apple Jello Shot Slices
6. Spiced Pumpkin Old Fashioned
Nothing beats an autumn twist on a traditional favorite. It's savory, and it's simple.
Ingredients: 1 and a half oz. of Bailey's Pumpkin Spice, 1 oz of your choice of bourbon. Shake with ice and serve.
7. Apple Pumpkin Harvest Beer Cocktail
Cool, crisp, and oh so refreshing. This cocktail is a crowd pleaser and usually is enjoyed by men and women alike. Make to order, or throw this in your punch bowl -- you won't regret it.
Ingredients: 12 oz. of Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin ale, 9 oz. of fresh apple cider, 2 and a half oz. of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and 7 and a half oz. of your favorite bourbon. Shake over ice, and strain. Garnish with cloves, cinnamon sticks, and thin apple slices. Optional: garnish with pomegranate seeds for a pop of color.8. Crisp Apple Bourbon Bellini
Another apple recipe that's sure to be a crowd pleaser and perfect for autumn get togethers or holidays. I, personally, could drink this cocktail all year long, but that's just me.
Ingredients: Scoop half a tablespoon of cinnamon applesauce into the bottom of each flute. Add one table spoon of fresh apple cider, a squirt of fresh lemon juice, and 1 oz of apple bourbon to the flute. Top with sparkling white wine.
9. Candy Corn Martini
Every year, I get excited about the return of my beloved candy corn. What better way to celebrate its return this fall than with a cocktail and cheers?
Ingredients: 5 oz. of candy corn infused vanilla vodka (let candy corn sit in vanilla flavored vodka for at least 5 hours), 3 oz. of orange juice, and 3 oz of whipping cream. Serve shaken over ice and strained (my favorite) or layered (pictured above). Rim glass with matching sprinkles or nonpareils.
10. Chilled Apple Sangria
Apple juice, cider, and brandy. Simple, fresh, sweet, and everything you never knew you wanted in an Autumn-themed cocktail.
Ingredients: 1 cup of your favorite brandy and 4 cups of 100 percent apple juice, chilled over ice and apple slices. Fill glass half way, and top with spiked cider right before serving for a crisp and carbonation.
11. Caramel Apple Cheesecake Shots
A dessert and cocktail in one. This concoction will have your tastebuds singing "Hallelujah!"
Ingredients: 1 box of instant cheesecake flavored pudding mix, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of caramel apple vodka, 8 oz. of whipped cream, 1 can of apple pie filling, and 2-3 granny smith apples. Garnish with caramel sauce, and apple slice. To follow the directions for the inspiration of this recipe, click here.12. Salted Lime Cranberry Margaritas
Crisp and refreshing, this cocktail is delicious at anytime of the day, and great for any occasion. It is a must try for adults of all ages.
Ingredients: 3 cups of 100 percent cranberry juice (not cocktail), 1 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice, 1 cup of margarita mix, a half a cup of orange juice, and 2 cups of your favorite tequila. Garnish with fresh cranberries and a lime slice. Serve in a salt-rimmed glass.13. Peach Mulled Wine
Ingredients: 1 bottle (750 ml.) of red, medium bodied wine, a half a cup of sugar, 8 cloves, 2 lemons, 4 large sliced and pealed peaches, and 4 large cinnamon sticks. Heat on stove, discard cloves and sticks, and serve. Garnish with freshly pealed peach slice, and fresh cinnamon stick. Rim glass with nutmeg and sugar mixture if wanted. Optional: garnish with fresh and rinsed blackberries.
14. Fireball Apple Jello Shots
I will just let you try these and let them speak for themselves.
Ingredients: half cup of sour apple vodka, 1/2-1 cup of Fireball cinnomon whiskey, 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin, 1 cup of water, and 2 cups of fresh apple cider (not cocktail).
15. Desaree's Autumn Toddy
Ingredients: Make your syrup by combining 2 cups of water with 4 cinnamon sticks, 2 cups of sugar, 1 tablespoon of nutmeg, and 2 cloves on the stove. Let the syrup simmer for 10-15 minutes, until all sugar has dissolved. Strain, and serve over 2 oz. of your favorite gin. Add a half oz. of lemon juice, and garnish with a fresh cinnamon stick/orange peel. (Best served still warm. Syrup will keep in fridge for up to a week in a closed container.)
