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Craft easy cocktail recipes your guests will love! Use a muddler to develop aromatics, a glass beaker to prevent clouding and a cocktail shaker to aerate your drinks.
The Vineyard Sour uses a robust red wine with whiskey and lemon juice, the Fall Fairbank combines Tawny Port with Amaretto and Old Tom Gin, The Orchard 75 is a refreshing sparkling wine, rum and Campari combination, Harvest Rosé uses dark rum with dry rosé or you can mix up a Hearthside Negroni with Riesling, Sauternes and VSOP Cognac.
If you want a frothy “head,” use unfiltered apple cider by shaking it up, then straining into a chilled glass. Transform classic harvest-season cocktails into complex, layered drinks using this guide.
Ensure Your Home Bar is Stocked With These Essentials
COCKTAIL SHAKER
Simultaneously chill, dilute and aerate your drinks while ensuring ingredients are properly mixed.
GLASS BEAKER
Stirred cocktails prevent "clouding" of clear spirits and are preferred for delicate ingredients.
MUDDLER
Crush fresh ingredients such as herbs, fruit and spices to release essential oils without bitterness.
Vineyard Sour
This cocktail is a seasonal glowup for the classic New York Sour. We recommend using a dry, robust red wine.
Ingredients
- 1/2 oz red wine (such as Malbec or Shiraz)
- 2 oz rye whiskey
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 oz maple syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- Garnish: lemon peel and cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Fill a rocks glass with fresh ice and set it aside while you prep.
- Combine the rye, lemon juice, maple syrup, and bitters in a shaker with plenty of ice. Shake vigorously for about 12–15 seconds. (Forget the dry shake; we want dilution and chill here!)
- Strain the mixture into your prepared rocks glass.
- Hold a bar spoon upside down just above the surface of the drink. Slowly pour the red wine over the back of the spoon. This breaks the liquid's fall, allowing it to settle into a beautiful, dark layer at the top.
- Garnish with a lemon peel over the top (twist it to spray the oils) and drop it in. For an extra autumnal touch, add a fresh cinnamon stick.
Fall Fairbank
Stirred, not shaken, this drink preserves the delicate aromatics of the spirits. It's a bright yet complex choice for early fall afternoons.
Ingredients
- 1 oz Tawny Port
- 3/4 oz Amaretto
- 1 oz Old Tom Gin
- 1/4 oz fresh lemon juice
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- Garnish: orange peel
Instructions
- Place a coupe glass in the freezer for 5 minutes. A drink this elegant should be served chilled.
- Add the primary ingredients and large, solid ice cubes to your mixing beaker until it is 3/4 filled.
- Stir gently but consistently for 30 seconds. This achieves the right dilution and a heavy, "silky" mouthfeel.
- Fine-strain into your chilled coupe glass.
- Garnish with a wide strip of orange peel, rub the rim and drop it into your drink.
The Orchard 75
This refreshing cocktail uses dry sparkling wine to add effervescence to the earthy, herbal notes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz Brut sparkling wine
- 1 oz dark rum
- 1/2 oz Campari
- 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 oz honey
- 4-5 fresh sage leaves
- Garnish: Extra sage leaf
Instructions
- Place the sage leaves and honey syrup in your shaker. Press them gently (don’t shred them) with a muddler 3–4 times.
- Add the aged rum, Campari, and lemon juice to the shaker.
- Fill with plenty of ice and shake hard for 10–12 seconds. You want this very cold to preserve the bubbles of the wine later.
- Use a Hawthorne strainer and a fine-mesh tea strainer while pouring into a chilled coupe or flute. This catches all the tiny sage bits so the drink stays crystal clear.
- Gently pour the chilled sparkling wine into the glass. Give it one very brief, gentle stir with a bar spoon to integrate.
- Take a fresh sage leaf, lay it in your palm, and smack it once with your other hand to release the aroma. Float it on top.
Harvest Rosé
Our version uses dark rum and grapefruit soda to give the classic Mojito a deeper, autumnal profile.
Ingredients
- 2 oz dry rosé
- 1 1/2 oz dark rum
- 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz maple syrup
- 2 oz unsweetened grapefruit soda
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- Garnish: Extra rosemary sprig and grapefruit wedge (fresh or dehydrated)
Instructions
- Take your rosemary sprig and rub it between your palms to “wake up” the aromatic oils.
- Add the rum, lime juice, maple syrup, and rosemary sprig to a shaker with plenty of ice. Shake hard for 10 seconds.
- Double strain the mixture (to catch any rosemary needles) into a highball glass filled with fresh, large ice cubes.
- Pour in the rosé and the grapefruit soda.
- Use a long bar spoon to reach the bottom of the glass and "lift" the ingredients once or twice. Don't over-stir, or you'll lose the carbonation.
- Garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig and grapefruit wedge.
Hearthside Negroni
This sophisticated, honey-gold sipper balances the elegance of French dessert wine with the feel of a cozy fireplace.
Ingredients
- 2 oz dry Riesling
- 3/4 oz Sauternes
- 3/4 oz VSOP Cognac
- 1 dash walnut bitters
- 1/4 oz Peated Scotch
- Garnish: Fresh orange peel and dehydrated orange wheel.
Instructions
- Pour the whiskey into a chilled Nick & Nora or Sour glass. Swirl it around to coat the entire inside of the glass, then dump the excess (or drink it as a "chef’s snack"). This provides the aroma without overpowering the wine.
- In a mixing glass filled with plenty of ice, combine the Riesling, Cognac, Sauternes and bitters.
- Stir gently for 20–25 seconds. We want a velvety, heavy chill without too much dilution.
- Optional: If you have a smoking gun, smoke the mixing glass before pouring. Use Applewood chips to keep it autumnal.
- Strain the golden liquid into your Scotch-rinsed glass.
- Express a small orange peel around the rim for flavor, but garnish with a dehydrated orange wheel.
Tips for the Best Fall Cocktails
Temperature Matters: Serve your red wine cocktails at closer to room temperature, but ensure your white and sparkling wine glasses are properly chilled.
Tip for Extra Flair: If you want a "frothy" look without using egg whites, use 1/2 oz of a high-quality, unfiltered apple cider (the cloudy kind). It adds a natural pectin foam and tastes like a trip to the pumpkin patch. Add it into a shaker with one large ice cube and several smaller ones, then vigorously shake. Strain immediately into your glass. The result looks like a freshly poured craft ale head.
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