Summer has come and gone, and suddenly our favorite lime juice, lemon juice, and even pomegranate juice-based drinks feel a little too tropical for the cozy fall season. The Pumpkin Spice Latte may trump all drinks during the fall (at least in attention), but that doesn't mean there aren't a few flavors that give this iconic fall beverage a run for its money. From pumpkin-flavored cocktails to apple cider booze, we collected some drinks that might have you begging for the leaves to change.
Warm Up, Drink Up
A little bit of hot and boozy never hurt anyone! When the weather starts cooling down, the beverages start heading up. Here are a few of those hot commodities that we have on our tastebuds this fall.
Apple Cider Sangria
You can never go wrong with sangria! And trust us, this is not the first time we've said this. Sangria is traditionally a punch that's made from a mixture of wine and fruit like orange slices, pears, or cranberries. However, other liquids are often added to the mix to increase the potent punch's alcohol content or enhance a particular flavor. As such, sangria is incredibly malleable, and as long as you're combining fruit with alcohol, we think you're making sangria.
While the final product may look like a ton of work, the truth is, sangria is incredibly easy to make. As we said, all you need to do is mix wine with fruits and let it sit. The trick to always excellent sangria is to allow your ingredients to sit together for quite some time. Doing so gives the fruit time to infuse its flavor into the liquid and create a sweet, delicious taste.
Cider Hot Toddy
An apple-y take on a classic hot-toddy that will have you wanting to curl up by a fire and read. A hot toddy is known for its use as a home remedy for a cold, and while there is no proof they work, it's not stopping us from sipping.
Mulled Cider
Hot Mulled Cider is a variation of mulled wine that is also known as "Waissailing." A medieval Christmas drinking ritual intended to ensure a good apple harvest was coming in the upcoming year. This tradition gave birth to mulled cider as we know it today. Back then, "wassail" was a punch that was hot and mulled and drunk from a wassail mule. The first variations of the drink were concocted from sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger and then topped with slices of toast.
Today, the recipe has evolved, and now there are many variations of the hot fall drink. What is usually shared across all recipes is a wine base, fruit juice or ale, and a liqueur such as brandy or sherry.
Boozy Apple Cider
A cocktail that fulfills numerous taste thresholds, boozy apple cider is part apple cider, and part mulled wine. The mulling spices balance out the intense apple cider flavors and are sure to warm you up on a cold winter's day! When making this delicious spiked drink, the key is not to rush the recipes. The flavors from the spices need time to come out and evolve. Another suggestion is to use a few different whole spices rather than ready-made blends. Why? Because in the end, you won't be left with the chalky texture that sometimes occurs when you use loose herbs.
Spiked Hot Cocoa
This one's a two-ingredient crowd-pleaser guaranteed to warm you up on those chilly autumn nights. Shake a shot (or two) of bourbon, whiskey, or vanilla vodka into a cup of hot chocolate, and enjoy an evening watching scary movies by the fire. Add a cinnamon stick stirrer for a festive touch, or top it off with vanilla ice cream for a satisfying hot-cold concoction.
Punch For The Party
The fall season is always a time of chaos. Everyone is busy and has a million things to cross off on their to-do list, whether it's preparing for school or getting ready for the upcoming holiday season. That's why if you're hosting a party, punches should be your best friend. Easy to make in one large batch, you free yourself of having to play cocktail waitress throughout the entire event. Plus, wine punches are cheap and an easy way to take a not-so-great bottle of wine and transform it into the most delicious cocktail your guests have ever sipped.
Cranberry Punch
One of the prettiest punches we ever did see, Cranberry Punch, puts you in the mood for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Cranberries are not only beautiful, but they also have a long history with the holidays as Pilgrims ate them at their very first Thanksgiving feast. Serve in a vintage coupe glass for a fancy fall dinner party.
A drink that screams Christmas Cheer, here are two delicious cranberry white wine punches we have on our to-do list!
Apple Cider Mimosas
Instead of making your mimosas with orange juice, mix champagne and apple cider. Top it off with a dash of cinnamon around the rim for a boozy brunch to remember.
Must Have Martinis
I can't get enough fall-favored food: anything pumpkin, cinnamon, or spice will do. I love a good pumpkin spice latte, and I wondered how that syrup would taste in a cocktail. I whipped up a batch of homemade pumpkin spice syrup and created the perfect fall cocktail, the Autumn Spice Martini. Whether it's your third party of the season or you're just beginning to celebrate this shift to cold weather, continue reading below for some of our favorite fall martinis.
Caramel Apple Pie Martini
Ever wonder why caramel apples are always associated with the fall? Well, apparently, this is because a Newark, NJ candymaker named William Kolb dipped apples into melted cinnamon candies to create a festive window supply back in 1908. Who knew?
In addition to being festive simply because of the fun martini cups that martinis come in, a caramel apple pie martini is a dessert in a glass that's only complete with a graham cracker crumb rim. Like drinking an apple pie that's been perfectly spiced, you're going to wonder how many are too many.
Frozen Pumpkin Pie Martini
Pumpkin Latte Who? Get your hands for a Frozen Pumpkin Pie Martini, and you won't even need a latte. The quintessential holiday cocktails, Frozen Pumpkin Pie Martinis, combine champagne for a little extra celebration. For an extra-special touch, replace simple syrup in your recipe with maple syrup for some autumnal sweetness. Put it all in a cocktail shaker or mixing glass until it's well-mixed, then double strain into a martini glass with an orange peel garnish.
White Russians & Moonshine!
A cocktail made with vodka, coffee liquor, and cream in an old-fashioned glass; White Russians can be dressed up for the fall season. Likewise, moonshine, high-proof alcohol, can be created with the best flavors of the fall.
Apple Pie Moonshine
With flavors similar to apple pie, this cocktail is ridiculously easy to make and even easier to drink.
Salted Caramel White Russian
Give the Classic White Russian Cocktail a contemporary (and delicious) enhancement with the season's most cherished flavors: salted caramel. If you're craving a Moscow mule and don't know which to choose, make this festive fall drink into a White Russian mule by replacing your standard rocks glass with a cute copper mug.
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