6 Delicious Cocktails to Toast in Autumn

With temperatures dropping and that distinct crisp chill pervading the air, it's time to move away from the bright, zesty tastes of summer and usher in the spicy, comforting flavors of autumn. Sweater weather is all about warming spices, apple, pumpkin, dark fruits, and cranberry. To celebrate the advent of fall, we have a few easy to make cocktails to entice your palate.

Cranberry & Ginger Sparkler

The gingery kick in this sweet-tart cocktail makes it a perfect tipple to toast the arrival of autumn. It's a festive eye-catching drink which is ideal served up as an aperitif for your first parties of the season. It's so tasty no one will blame you if it becomes a staple through winter as well.

• 1 oz Cranberry Liqueur
• 1 oz Ginger Liqueur
• 4 oz brut Prosecco
• Garnish with a lemon twist and candied ginger

Pour the liqueurs into the glass. Slowly add the Prosecco until the glass is filled. Garnish and enjoy.

Calvados Daisy

The original Daisy recipe calls for brandy but swapping it out for Calvados (a gorgeous French apple brandy) is an effortless way to put a seasonal twist on this classic cocktail. There are endless variations on the Daisy. For this incarnation, we'll adapt from one of the earliest versions of the cocktail as recorded by Jerry Thomas in the 1876 edition of his Bartender's Guide.

• 2 oz Calvados
• 2 dashes of curaçao liqueur
• 2 dashes rum
• 3 dashes simple syrup
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Seltzer

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the Calvados, curaçao, rum, simple syrup, and lemon juice and give it a few good shakes. Strain the contents of your shaker into a well-chilled cocktail glass and top it up with seltzer and sip away.

Brandy Alexander

Why eat your dessert when you can drink it? The Brandy Alexander is unbeatable as an after-dinner drink you can enjoy curled up by the fire (or space heater). Think of it as the White Russian's fancier cousin. The profiles are similar although the only ingredient they share is cream. To make it peak fall-friendly, be generous with the spices when it's time to garnish.

• 1 oz Cognac
• 1 oz crème de cacao
• 1 oz cream

Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg and a dusting of cinnamon powder

Toss ice cubes into a cocktail shaker. Pour the ingredients in the shaker, shake well, and strain into a nicely chilled cocktail glass. Grate a little nutmeg over the top and add a dash of cinnamon powder.

Mulled Perry

If you aren't acquainted with perry, it's high time you get to know this gorgeous libation. Perry is essentially cider but made from pears and as all pear lovers know, the best pears come into season around autumn and winter. Infusing your perry with spice is a fantastic alternative to mulled wine or cider and on those nights when you're expecting company, mulled berry is a unique treat your guests will love.


• 1 bottle of perry
• 3 clementines or satsumas
• 8 cloves
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Break out a large pot and pour in the perry, sugar, and spices. Squeeze the clementines into the pot, making sure to add the peels in to the mix as well. Pop a lid on the pot and let the liquid simmer gently over a low to medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or so. Serve in mugs and garnish with a cinnamon stick if it strikes your fancy.

Apple Bourbon Hot Toddy

The Hot Toddy is a delicious home remedy for warding off the cold, making it a favorite for many come the colder months. This version sees the addition of applejack, an all-American apple brandy and an extra kick of warming spices to keep you feeling toasty and hopefully keep the first bugs of the season at bay.

• 1 oz applejack
• 1 oz bourbon
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 cloves
• 1 star anise
• Boiling water

Pour the ingredients into a mug and top it off with boiling water. Let the spices steep for several minutes. You can remove them if you'd like or keep them for an extra spicy kick.

Bourbon Bramble

Autumn is blackberry season and there's no cocktail that better conjures up images of freshly picked berries than the Bramble. The classic recipe calls for gin, but swapping the clear spirit for bourbon adds more complexity to the drink and makes it a bit more appropriate for the season.

• 2 oz bourbon
• ¾ oz crème de mure blackberry liqueur
• 1 tbsp simple syrup
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Garnish with fresh blackberries

Pour the bourbon, lemon juice, and simple syrup into a shaker filled with ice. Shake your it well then strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Add the crème de mure over the top and garnish with the fresh blackberries.

Written by Camille Berry for Knockaround.