My Favorite Fall Cocktail Recipes

I was ready to give up.

I’d spent the entire day locked in an “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” back and forth with my sisters, and after choosing wrong almost every time, I was more than ready to hop a Subway out of the Big Apple.

Instead, we’d just walked what felt like 200 blocks to find a bar that, naturally, was closed today.

So here we were, on a New York sidewalk, once again staring at each other with “what do you want to do?” looks on our faces.

“Let’s just..go here,” I decided, pointing to the dark pit of a restaurant a few doors down.

No one looked particularly enthusiastic, but the need to find a stiff drink - ASAP - far outweighed any misgivings about ambiance.

So in we went, where we were ushered to the corner by a waiter who was less than thrilled that we would only be ordering drinks.

At that point, any drink would do.

But we didn’t find just any drink. We found the drink.

And one sip in, my sister was already proclaiming it her new favorite.

Soon we were all ordering one, and our previously dejected party perked up almost immediately because it really was that good. 

Naturally, I immediately began to theorize how to concoct my own back home. 

A play on a classic with just the right amount of sweetness combined with a healthy enough dose of bourbon to warm us up from hours spent out in the Fall chill.

The drink? A Cream Soda Old Fashioned.

Since that day, I’ve been recreating it at home for friends and family, and it’s earned a spot on my regular Fall cocktail rotation.

It’s always a hit. Even for those that don’t traditionally love a bourbon-based drink.

And it’s too good not to share.

But as mentioned, it’s only one of many in my Fall cocktail rotation. The others? Also feature bourbon as the star player. 

In fact, I'm proclaiming bourbon the official drink of Fall. And here are three of my favorite recipes that feature it in all its Fall glory. 

Cream Soda Old Fashioned

1/2 oz cognac

1.5 oz bourbon

2 dashes Angustura bitters

2 oz IBC Cream Soda

XL square ice cube

Luxardo cherries to garnish

Mix cognac, bourbon, bitters, and cream soda together. Pour over XL ice cube and garnish with Luxardo cherries. 

Bourbon Mule 

2 oz bourbon

1/2 oz lime juice 

1 tsp simple syrup 

4 oz ginger beer

Mix bourbon, lime juice, and simple syrup. Pour over ice and top with ginger beer. Garnish with lime wheel and mint sprig. 

(New) Old Fashioned

1 orange slice

4 dashes bitters

1/2 oz simple syrup

1 1/2 oz bourbon

1/2 tsp grenadine

Stir in glass then fill with ice.

Top with:

1 1/2 oz ginger beer

1 1/2 oz club soda

Mix bitters, simple syrup, bourbon, grenadine, and orange slice together. Pour into glass and fill with ice. Top with ginger beer and club soda.