The Best Fall Cocktails of 2020

Pumpkin

The King of the season. Shake up a Pumpkin Spiced Martini that even the Sanderson Sisters can appreciate. Combine 2 ounces Pumpkin Vodka, 1 ounce Dark Rum, 1/2 ounce cream or milk, 2 tbsp. pumpkin puree, 1 ounce maple or simple syrup, and 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract to a shaker with ice. Shake like a leaf and pour into a chilled martini glass.

For something simpler, Bailey's has a killer Pumpkin Spiced Irish Cream that you can add to your coffee or use as a substitute to milk in any creamy drink. Or spike that Pumpkin Spiced Latte from the mermaid herself so you can enjoy that zoom call with your cozy sweater and WITHOUT any suspicion from your boss. Vodka or Rum does the trick nicely.

Our Recommendations-

Pumpkin Vodka: Crop Organic Spiced Pumpkin Vodka, Pinnacle Pumpkin Spice, Pinnacle Pumpkin Pie

Dark Rum: The Kraken, Gosling's, Cruzan, Bacardi, Ron Barcelo

Chai

Unpopular opinion: Not everyone likes Pumpkin. GASP. We know. But it's okay. Some people still want that fall spicy sweetness, and the Chai Tea White Russian is the ideal balance. There are various ways you can go about this cocktail, but our favorite involves some time and planning:

Infuse your vodka with a few chai tea bags for a minimum of 2 hours, then discard the tea bags. For every 8 ounces, we used 3 tea bags. Once that's ready, layer 2 ounces of your Chai infused vodka and 1 ounce Kahlua in a rocks glass over ice. Add 2 ounces cream or milk of your choice. For a richer, creamier taste, use cream. You can also try oat or almond milk, or go without for a Black Russian if you don't like cream based drinks.

Our Recommendations-

Vodka:  Our/New York Vodka, Grey Goose, Absolut, Haku, Chopin, Stoli

Liqueur: Everyone knows the only way to make a White Russian is with Kahlua. But did you know they have a wide variety of flavors? So if you'd rather flavor your White Russian up with something else, they have *pumpkin spice*! We also really enjoy their Mocha, Peppermint Mocha, and Hazelnut flavors.

Cinnamon

Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey is excellent for shots - we all know this. That's why we at Hart Agency have dedicated an entire day of the week to it - (Don't tell us you haven't heard of Fireball Fridays?!)

But have you tried the delicacy that is the  Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shot? It's incredibly simple and creamy. Mix one part Fireball with one part Rumchatta Rum Liqueur, shake with ice, strain into a shot glass, and you're good to go! It's balanced and delicious. If you're feeling fancy, add a cinnamon sugar rim first (caramel or maple syrup work best). You can also sip on a full sized cocktail, which makes a perfect after dinner drink to wind down.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cocktail

3 ounces Rumchatta

1 ounce Stoli Vanilla

1/2 ounce Fireball Whiskey

Cinnamon Sugar Rim

Caramel Apple

One of our favorite fall snacks is a caramel apple. This weekend, elevate your brunch game with a Caramel Apple Mimosa. It's incredibly easy, despite how fancy it appears.

Simply dunk the rim in decedent caramel (add cinnamon sugar rim if you'd like). Layer about 1 part apple cider, 1 part vanilla vodka, and top it off with 2 parts Korbel Brut or any dry sparkling wine.  Garnish with fresh green apple slices. Cheers!

Our Recommendations-

Sparkling: Korbel Brut, LaMarca Prosecco, Mionetto Prosecco, Josh Cellars Prosecco, etc.

Vanilla Vodka: Absolut Vanilla, Stoli Vanil

Pear

Create a twist on your favorite classic with a Spiced Pear Moscow Mule. You'll need to prep the simple syrup by adding one cup of sugar to one cup of pear juice; spicing it up with cinnamon sticks, pear slices, and a dash of nutmeg; simmering in a pot for 2-5 minutes until sugar dissolves and it cooks down. Next strain the spices and fruit out with a colander, let cool, and store in the fridge in a mason jar.

Once you're ready to mix it up, add one ounce of your spiced pear simple syrup to 2 ounces of your favorite vodka to a shaker with ice and shake it up. Strain into a mule mug, squeeze in half a lime, and top off with a quality ginger beer and ice.

Our Recommendations-

Vodka: Our/New York Vodka, Haku Vodka, Absolut, Grey Goose, Chopin, Svedka

Ginger Beer: Goslings, Fever Tree

Fall Sangria

Sangria season doesn't end with summer. Small changes will go a long way for a refreshing and seasonal cocktail that we lovingly like to call the "Fruit Salad".

Our Fall Sangria is like a Pick Your Own Adventure game:

1. Grab a bottle of wine. For a Red Wine Fall Sangria, Cabernet works perfectly. If you prefer White Wine Fall Sangria, go with a white blend or something that's dry and crisp such as a Sauvignon Blanc.
2. 1 1/2 cups Apple Cider
3. 1/2 cup apple or pear brandy. Or do 1/4 cup of each!
4. 1/4 cup simple syrup. Use less if you'd prefer it not so sweet. Feel free to infuse your syrup with cinnamon to enhance.
5. Add spices and chopped fruit. Green & red apples, pears, oranges, nutmeg, cinnamon... all great options.
6. Optional: add a can of club soda right before serving to cut the sweetness.

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and let sit in the fridge. Cut up some fresh fruit to garnish, pour, and enjoy!

Maple

Grab your best bottle of bourbon and use a simple substitute for an old classic with a Maple Old Fashioned. Now by this point, we should all know that better ingredients equals a better cocktail. Therefore you can't buy a bottle of "Butter Flavored" Pancake Syrup from Dollar General. Sorry. We're talking about a genuine bottle of MAPLE syrup from one of those states like Vermont or Ohio. Trust us on this one.

To make this cocktail, it's as easy as substituting your sugar cube for a bar spoon of maple syrup:

Combine 2 dashes Angostura bitters with maple syrup and a bar spoon of water in a chilled rocks glass. Pour in 2 ounces bourbon with a large ice cube, and stir for approximately 30 seconds. Add orange twist. Another option is to skip a step and go straight for the maple flavored bourbon. Yes it does exist. You're welcome.

Our Recommendations-

Bourbon: Woodford Reserve, Knob Creek, Maker's Mark, or any sipping bourbon or rye

Maple Bourbon: Knob Creek Smoked Maple, Jim Beam Maple

It's still Frozen Season!

We've noticed many restaurants serving up frozen versions of our favorite fall flavors, so check them out if you're in the area:

The Bonnie Bar (Astoria): Frozen Pumpkin Spiced [Spiked] Coffee with house-made Whipped Cream

Kilobravo (Brooklyn): Chocolate Moonshine Frosty. Yes, just like the place with "Old Fashioned" don't-cut-corners hamburgers, but with BOOZE!

Oliver's (Astoria): Frozen Sangria - Fresh pressed NY Apple Cider, mixed fruits, Brandy, and Cinnamon

The Refuge (Melville): Smashing Pumpkin - Cinnamon Sugar Rim, Pumpkin Whipped Cream, Frozen Tequila/Rumchatta/Vanilla Cocktail

We hope you enjoy, and this list can open up your mind to creative ideas of mixology. Feel free to tag us or comment below with your own recipes and creations.

Check out our social media for more events as well as cocktails we're serving up. @hartagency

Ta ta for now!

Cheers,

The Hart Team