Seasonal Sippers

Do you hear that? The rustling of the leaves…the crackling of the fire…the doe in the meadow…and the sweet sweet sound of me pouring myself a delicious cocktail—it must be fall!

The weather is changing and whether you need to wind down, wind up, or make a family-friendly party punch, I’ve rustled up the perfect recipes to satisfy your thirst. I’ve even got a spooky Halloween cocktail!

Get your shakers out, let’s kick off the season right!

Apple Butter Old Fashioned 

The days are getting shorter — take advantage of early sunsets by serving up a round of apple butter old fashioned cocktails, thanks to this recipe from the Simply Happy Foodie.

Sugar the rim of the glass by holding the glass upside down and dipping the glass in apple cider about ½ inch. Then dip in coarse sugar, or a sugar/brown sugar mix. Set aside.

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake for 20-30 seconds. Pour over large ice cubes in your sugared old fashioned glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and thinly sliced apple and voila! Enjoy your beverages and let the games begin!

Harvest Cider

This recipe is a delight at fall family gatherings with kiddos. It’s got that classic apple cider flavor, a tiny kick from the ginger, and warmth from the cinnamon—and if the adults want to doctor it up, it goes great with whiskey!

Add a half gallon of apple cider (fresh from the farmer’s market if you can), a can of sparkling water, a teaspoon of ground ginger, orange slices, and apple slices to a bowl and stir to combine. Fill glasses with ice and pour over the top, adding a cinnamon stick garnish.

Pro tip: To keep your apple slices from turning brown, squeeze a little lemon juice on them before you add them in!

Spiced Sunset Paloma

This autumnal twist on the classic Paloma is a party pleaser. Don’t let the list daunt you—it’s actually fairly simple to make! Start by making a spiced syrup…

In a small saucepan combine equal parts sugar and water, a couple of cinnamon sticks, anise, cloves, and vanilla bean. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let the spices infuse for 10 minutes, then remove the spices and set the syrup aside in a jar. Congrats! You just made spiced simple syrup. Look at you, you mixologist!

In a cocktail shaker (or a jar with a lid if you don’t have one), combine cranberry juice, grapefruit juice, lime juice, simple syrup, tequila, and shake!

Pour over ice in a cocktail glass, top off with sparkling water, a sprig of rosemary, dried grapefruit, sugared cranberries, and voila!

Purple People Eater

Alright all you gremlins, ghouls, and glitter fiends, this boo-tiful Halloween cocktail is for you! Let’s start by getting crafty…

Mix a little Blue Curaçao, grenadine, and enough sugar to cover the top of your cocktail glass. Rim the glass with a lemon wedge, then dip the glass in the purple sugar.  

In a cocktail shaker, add ice, 1.5 oz of vodka, 3 oz lemonade, .5 oz Blue Curaçao, and .25 oz grenadine, and shake! shake! shake! Strain mix over ice in your rimmed cocktail glass, garnish with berries, and dance the night away to the Monster Mash—you earned it!

Solstice Mimosa

The days are getting shorter, why not lighten the long night with a festive solstice aperitif? 

Dip the rim of your champagne flute in a bit of honey, and then in the sugar—if you’re feelin’ extra fancy you can swing for glitter sprinkles!

Fill the flutes halfway with lemonade, add a splash of Blue Curaçao, and then top with champagne.

Quick! Simple! Blue! What more could you want?!

Thanks for joining in on the fun. Enjoy your festivities and make sure to take pictures with your seasonal sippers and tag @MyBobs on the photos!