Newton / Des Moines East KOA Journey Blog

13 Favorite Fall Cocktails to Fall Head Over Heels For

Reposted from the KOA blog: 

You may have noticed the days getting shorter. The air is getting crisper. But 5:00 still hits at the same time every day. Just because summer is getting further in the rearview mirror doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy some tasty cocktails at the end of a long day (or even in the middle of the day, if you’d like).

If you’re anything like us, you love summer, but you also love fall. So join us in happily welcoming the turning of the season to something a bit more comfortable and autumnal by mixing up some tasty cocktails.

We’ve rounded up the tastiest cocktails infused with all the flavors that scream “fall” – we’re looking at you, pumpkin spice – and are ready to have fun with them.

So grab a glass, all the ingredients, and get ready to cheers to fall.

13 of the Best Cocktails for Fall

1. Campfire Sling

From Town & Country

Makes 1 serving

It’s no surprise that this cocktail made the top spot on our list. We can’t help but fall in love with anything related to campfires, and this cocktail is no exception. When you need something to warm you up on a chilly night, reach for this drink.

What you need:

• 2 oz rye whiskey
• ¼ oz pure maple syrup (grade A amber is recommended, but B is richer)
• 3 dashes chocolate bitters
• Orange twist with scorched orange oil

What to do:

1. Add all ingredients in an old fashioned glass with a big piece of ice
2. Stir well
3. Release the oils from the orange zest by using a flaming wood pick over the drink
4. Serve

2. Hard Cider Sangria

From Food & Wine

Makes 4 servings

If you’re struggling to let go of summer, don’t worry – we have something we think will help. Bring a bit of summer with you, but add a twist of fall to it with this cocktail. To make it more seasonal, switch out the wine for some hard cider and you’ve got yourself a tasty treat.

What you need:

• 1 cup quartered and thinly sliced unpeeled green, yellow, and red apples
• 1 orange, quartered and thinly sliced crosswise
• 2 T fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup apple brandy
• 1 22-oz bottle hard apple cider, chilled
• Ice

What to do:

1. In a pitcher, combine the apples with the orange, apple juice, lemon juice, and brandy
2. Add the hard cider just before serving
3. Serve in tall glasses over ice

3. Apple Cider Mule

From A Couple Cooks

Makes 1 serving

Moscow mules are a favorite no matter what season we are in. They always seem to hit the spot whether it’s a hot summer day or a cool winter night. Why not take a favorite drink and add even more spice to it to make it your new favorite fall drink?

What you need:

• 2 oz vodka
• 2 oz apple cider
• ½ oz fresh lime juice
• 3 oz ginger beer
• Lime wedge, thyme sprig, or apple slice for garnish, plus cinnamon

What to do:

1. In a copper mug or glass, mix the vodka, apple cider, and lime juice
2. Then add the ginger beer
3. Add ice and top with chosen garnish
4. Serve

4. Pomegranate Sparkler

From The Pioneer Woman

Makes 6-8 servings

Who says white wine is just for the summer? We don’t. Give your favorite white wine some extra flavor by adding in the fall flavors of pomegranate, both in seed and juice form. This drink will refresh on those days where you need a little pick-me-up.

What you need:

• 2 T pomegranate seeds
• 1 8-oz bottle pomegranate juice, chilled
• 1 bottle sparkling white wine, chilled

What to do:

1. Put a spoonful of pomegranate seeds in the bottom of 6-8 cocktail glasses
2. Fill the glasses halfway with pomegranate juice
3. Top with sparkling wine
4. Serve

5. Pumpkin Spice White Russian

From Country Living

Makes 4 servings

This drink is far from basic. It’s a fun twist on a classic, rich cocktail. We think everything tastes better with some pumpkin spice, in it, so we will let you be the judge as to whether that’s true in the case of this cocktail. (But we are pretty sure you’ll agree.)

What you need:

• 4 gingersnap cookies, crumbled
• 1 tsp honey
• ¾ cup coffee liquor
• ? cup vodka
• 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ¾ cup heavy cream

What to do:

1. Crumble the cookies onto a place
2. Rub the rims of 4 glasses with honey
3. Dip the cups in cookie crumbs to coat
4. Whisk together coffee liquor, vodka, and pumpkin pie spice in a measuring cup
5. Pour into prepared glasses evenly and top with ice
6. Divide the ¾ cup of heavy cream evenly among the glasses
7. Serve

6. Apple-Brandy Hot Toddy

From Food & Wine

Makes 8 servings

A hot toddy is cold weather’s signature drink, but we have opted to make this one lean more towards fall than winter by using apple brandy. You may find yourself making this cocktail far into the holiday season.

What you need:

• 1 ½ cups water
• 2 T plus 2 tsp honey
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups apple brandy
• 8 3-inch cinnamon sticks

What to do:

1. In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the honey, until dissolved
3. Stir in the lemon juice and apple brandy
4. Set a cinnamon stick in each of the 8 mugs or heatproof glasses
5. Pour in the hot liquid
6. Serve

7. Autumn’s First Press

From Town & Country

Makes 1 serving

Get fancy with a drink that incorporates many different flavors to create a flavor that your tastebuds will go wild for. No matter how cold the fall evening is, this cocktail will warm you right up. We dare you to have only one.

What you need:

• 1 oz dark rum
• 1 oz Montreuil Calvados
• ½ oz herbal liqueur (like Michelberger Forest)
• ½ oz lemon oleo Saccharum
• ¾ oz lemon juice
• Rosemary sprig

What to do:

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker
2. Shake with ice
3. Strain into a coupe glass
4. Garnish with rosemary sprig
5. Serve

8. Chipotle Bloody Mary

From The Pioneer Woman

Makes 8 servings

If you’re a bloody mary type of person, then you are gonna want to try this twist on the classic. And if you’re not a bloody mary type of person, then you are also gonna want to try this twist on the classic. It’s different than other bloody marys and might just be the one to convert you.

What you need:

• ¼ cup canned chipotle peppers, with adobo sauce
• 46 oz chilled vegetable juice, divided
• ½ cup prepared horseradish
• 1 tsp celery seeds
• 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup chilled vodka
• Ice
• 12 large prawns, peeled and deveined
• 2 T olive oil
• Lemon wedge, for rimming the glass
• Salt

What to do:

1. In a blender, blend chipotle peppers and ½ cup vegetable juice on high until you have a puree
2.  Take ¼ cup of puree mixture and transfer to a small bowl with the shrimp
3. Marinate for a few minutes, at least
4. Meanwhile, in a large pitcher combine the rest of the chipotle puree, vegetable juice, horseradish, celery seeds, Worcestershire, and vodka
5. Mix well and season to taste with salt
6. Refrigerate until ready to use
7. In a heavy skillet, add olive oil over medium-high heat
8. Add shrimp and cook until golden on the edges and opaque in the center (about 1 minute per side)
9. Fill glasses with ice and pour the bloody mary mixture over the ice
10. Garnish and top with shrimp
11. If desired, rub a lemon wedge around the rim of the glasses and dip in salt
12. Serve

9. Mezcal Negroni

From NYT Cooking

Makes 1 serving

Mezcal has been having a moment for a while now, and we are still obsessed with it. This twist on tequila has more fans than anyone ever expected, and many people are opting to create classic cocktails with mezcal instead. This Negroni is a perfect example, and a perfect drink to toast in the fall.

What you need:

• 1 oz mezcal
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 1 oz Campari
• Orange twist, for garnish

What to do:

1. Combine mezcal, sweet vermouth, and compare in a mixing glass filled ¾ of the way with ice
2. Stir until chilled, or for about 30 seconds
3. Strain into a chilled coupe glass
4. Squeeze the orange twist over the surface, then place in the drink
5. Serve

10. Cranberry Margarita

From A Couple Cooks

Makes 1 drink

Margaritas are not just for the beach. They are a cocktail worth enjoying any time of the year, with some slight adjustments if you are looking to feel more festive. Make this favorite summer drink a fall favorite too but adding in some cranberry juice that will spice up the flavor and the color, too.

What you need:

• 1 ½ oz 100% cranberry juice, unsweetened
• 1 ½ oz tequila Blanco or reposado
• 1 oz Cointreau
• ½ oz fresh lime juice
• ½ oz simple syrup or maple syrup
• Salt for the rim
• Ice for serving
• Cranberries and rosemary sprig for garnish

What to do:

1. Cut a notch in a lime wedge, then run the lime around the rim of a glass
2. Dip the edge of the rim into a plate of salt
3. Put all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice
4. Shake until cold
5. Strain into the glass with the salted rim
6. Fill the glass with ice and garnish with cranberries and rosemary sprig
7. Serve

11. Ticket to Cuba

From Town & Country

Makes 1 serving

We don’t know about you, but no matter how much you love the fall at home, sometimes it’s nice to get away and head somewhere exotic, like Cuba. If you aren’t able to physically go to Cuba this fall, you can travel there in mind with the help of this autumnal cocktail.

What you need:

• 1 ½ oz rum
• ½ oz yuzu juice
• ½ oz simple syrup
• A handful of fresh mint
• Champagne

What to do:

1. Add rum, juice, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker
2. Shake until chilled
3. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass
4. Add champagne float and garnish with mint
5. Serve

12. Pumpkin Old-Fashioned

From The Spruce Eats

Makes 1 serving

Fall isn’t fall without putting pumpkin in as many different things as you can. We’ve decided this time to add it into one of our favorite cocktails, the old-fashioned. This modern twist on a classic doesn’t require any fancy ingredients or concoctions. It’s quick to make, and even quicker to drink.

What you need:

• 1 ½ oz bourbon whiskey
• ½ oz brandy-based orange liqueur
• 1 oz maple syrup
• 2 T pumpkin puree
• 1 dash aromatic bitters
• Orange peel or rosemary sprig for garnish

What to do:

1. Combine the bourbon, orange liqueur, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and bitters in a shaker filled with ice
2. Shake until chilled
3. Double strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a chilled old-fashioned glass filled with fresh ice
4. Garnish with an orange peel or rosemary sprig
5. Serve

13. Orchard Mai Tai

From Food & Wine

Makes 1 serving

A fall mai tai is not something you hear about every day. In fact, we are going to be honest and let you know that we had never heard of it until recently, but all it took was one try and we are hooked. By adding apple brandy and Cognac, this island favorite gets some fall flavor.

What you need:

• 1 ¼ oz bonded apple brandy
• 1 oz Cognac
• ¾ oz orgeat
• ½ oz fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp rum-based allspice liqueur (like St. Elizabeth allspice dram)
• ½ tsp simple syrup
• ½ tsp fresh ginger juice
• Ice cubes
• 3 thin red apple slices for garnish

What to do:

1. In a cocktail shaker, combine all of the ingredients except for the ice and garnish
2. Fill the shaker with ice cubes and shake well
3. Strain into a chilled, ice-filled double rocks glass
4. Top with more ice and garnish with the apple slices
5. Serve

Leslie is a travel writer, copywriter, and web designer who gets butterflies from telling stories through words and visuals.

Her voice comes from a place filled with passion, dreams, and lots of sugar. “Cake over steak” is her go-to motto.

With over 10 years of experience in crafting words, and years of embarking on travels that have taken this Montana girl to some incredible places, Leslie loves the adventures of both body and mind her writing takes her on.

To see what Leslie’s up to in the writing and design world, visit her website here.