Mixer Weekend: 3 Fall Inspired Cocktails

Photo by Felipe Gabaldon on Flickr

It’s now officially fall. The temperature has dropped and the leaves are changing color. It’s time to put Tom Collins on the shelf and start looking for more weather appropriate drinks. Think maple syrup, whiskey, cinnamon, cloves, all the wonderful things that come from the fall time.

Whiskey Maple

image via cltampa.com

Whiskey is a great choice for the colder months because of it’s deeper flavors and stronger taste. Mix that with a little maple and you’ve got yourself a real winner. When you make this drink, be sure you use real maple syrup. Also combine the syrup with some hot water before mixing it into the drink. Otherwise it won’t incorporate into the drink.

Ingredients

• 2 oz. whiskey
• 3 lemon wedges
• 0.75 oz maple syrup
• 4 dashes of angostura bitters

Equipment

• Jigger
• Muddler
• Cocktail shaker
• Strainer
• Rocks glass
• Ice

Directions

1. Put the lemon wedges into the cocktail shaker and muddle well.
2. add the rest of the ingredients then top with ice.
3. Shake well for 20 seconds.
4. Fill rocks glass with ice.
5. Strain contents of the cocktail shaker into the rocks glass.

Jalapeño Ginger Margarita

image via The Reynolds Group

Margaritas are generally thought of as a summer drink, but the little spice of the jalapeño should give you enough heat to stay warm in the chilly weather. You can choose to make your own jalapeño tequila by cutting up some jalapeños and letting them soak in the tequila for at least a couple days. The longer you let it soak, the spicier the tequila will get. Or if you don’t want to wait that long, you can buy a bottle of jalapeño infused tequila, like Tanteo.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz jalapeño infused tequila
• 0.75 oz lime juice
• 0.5 oz ginger syrup

• Jigger
• Cocktail shaker
• Rocks glass
• Ice
• Lime wedge garnish
• Salt (optional)

How to Make the Ginger Syrup

Cut a one inch knob of ginger into thin slices. Put it into a sauce pan and add equal parts water and sugar. Heat up the mixture and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Let the syrup get to a boil then the saucepan off the stove. Pour into a bottle and let cool. This can be stored for 3-4 days.

Directions

• Combine all ingredients into the shaker and top with ice.
• Shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds.
• Pour everything from the shaker into a rocks glass
• Garnish with lime wedge.

Note: If you want a salt rim on your glass, be sure that you do this before pouring in the drink. Wet the outside of the rim with the lime wedge garnish. Pour a generous portion of salt onto a plate. Slowly rotate the rim of the glass in the salt until only the outside is salted. For an extra kick, add some cayenne pepper to the salt.

Candied Red Apple Martini

image via cbc.ca

I love candied apples. It’s just something that reminds me of fall and of fairs. There’s just something delightful about biting into that hard candy shell and getting into that slightly sour apple center. The problem I always had was getting in that first bite. Now as an adult, I can drink those memories of youth.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Canadian whisky
• 0.5 oz butterscotch schnapps
• 2 oz cranberry juice
• 2 oz sour apple schnapps

Equipment

• Jigger
• Pre-chilled martini glass
• Cocktail Shaker
• Strainer
• Apple wheel garnish

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together into the cocktail shaker and top with ice
2. Shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds.
3. Strain contents of the shaker into the pre-chilled martini glass
4. Garnish with apple wheel.