What a lot of folks don’t know is that years before I became a chef, I was a bartender. A pretty darn good one, I think anyway. It’s a skill that serves me well to this day. So, let’s raise a glass and toast the harvest! What follows are some killer autumn cocktail recipes to get you in the mood for cozy sweaters, changing leaves and all of the fall things.
Pomegranate Passion
Years ago, I had a case of pomegranate juice left-over from a wedding. That got me thinking…what magic elixirs can I make with this stuff? I never got jazzed up about mimosas, but making them with pomegranate juice instead? Yeah baby! I poured it into the bottom of a champagne flute, topped it with prosecco and gave it a taste. It was fabulous. The pomm juice was a bit tart, so I wondered what might soften this up. I tried a drizzle of Cointreau. That did the trick. I named it Pomegranate Passion and started serving them to all my autumn guests. I thought I’d invented this pomm-osa sorta thing. Hey! This was 20 years ago! But everyone seems to be serving them now…They are fabulous.
– 2/3 glass bubbly of your choice
– 1/3 glass pomegranate juice
– 1 teaspoon Cointreau or triple sec
Garnish with pomegranate seeds if you’re into it and serve!
Cranbubble
This is also called a cranberry Mimosa or a Poinsettia, but I prefer my name cause it’s fun and so am I. This is crazy easy. Make sure to keep the ingredients ice cold.
– 1/3 glass cranberry juice
– 2/3 glass Prosecco
That’s all there is to it.
Garnish with fresh or frozen cranberries, but I prefer a slice of orange because I just do.
To be extra fancy, add a sugar rim – wet the rim of the glass with a touch of cranberry juice and then dip in sugar. For folks who find cranberry juice too tart, the sugar rim is great. Either way it’s pretty.
Apple Cider- Rita
– 1.5 oz (one shot) of tequila *You can add a little more tequila if you’re a tequila hound*
– 3 oz apple cider
– 1 teaspoon Cointreau or triple sec
– 2 teaspoons lime juice
Optional- Sometimes I give this a nice drizzle of dark maple syrup before mixing.
If you’re serving straight up, which is sexy, shake it all up with ice, strain and pour into a margarita glass. If you are serving on the rocks. Give a good shake and pour into a glass over ice.
You can rim the glass first, if you like, by rubbing a lime all around it and then dipping in a plate that is half sugar and half cinnamon. But I prefer it without the rim job. (Oh dear)
You can also use maple syrup to wet the rim and then dip into the cinnamon sugar combo.
Pommo Cosmo
I always loved cosmos. Way before Sex and the City made them popular. Oy. So touristy.
I love making them too. It was amazingly easy to swap the cranberry juice for pomegranate juice instead.
– 3 oz (two shots) vodka – I like Titos myself but whatever you like.
– 1 teaspoon Cointreau or triple sec
– 3 oz pomegranate juice
– 1 teaspoon lime juice
These babies taste best strong. Shake it all up vigorously. Then strain into a martini glass. I like to garnish with a slice of orange and a slice of lime.
Apple Passion
I started making these years ago when we thought sparkling cider was new and different. You know when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
– 1.5 oz (one shot) bourbon – a little more if you’re a heavier drinker
– 1 teaspoon of Grand Marnier-p-==
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Fill with ice cold sparkling cider and garnish with a slice of apple.
Apple Passion 2.0
I’m a vodka girl myself so prefer to make as above with vodka instead. The day I discovered how much vodka and apple cider loved each other was the same day I discovered dancing on the bar, but that’s another story.
Enjoy.
Image via Getty Images, collage by Laura White
