Raise a Glass to Fall: Our Favorite Autumn Cocktails
As the days get shorter here in Vermont, and we trade warm summer afternoons for crisp mornings and colorful foliage, our cocktail cravings veer to the familiar flavors of the season. Bright and refreshing summer drinks make way for the deeper flavors and warming aromas of freshly picked apples, maple, cinnamon, and other baking spices. The spirits behind Autumn cocktails can make just as much of a difference when it comes to seasonal sipping. Straight Bourbon, Burnt Rock Bourbon and Revolution Rye naturally complement fall ingredients, with notes of oak, smoke and spice. Our aged First Run Rum brings richness and warmth to cocktails made with cider and maple. Mad Apple Brandy puts the flavor of freshly picked apples front and center, while our Maple Cask Rum and Double Tapped Maple Bourbon Whiskey offer another distinctly Vermont way to embrace the season.
Whether you’re looking for something crisp enough to sip on a sunny foliage-filled day, or rich enough for a chilly evening by a cozy fire, here are some of our favorite cocktails to raise a glass to this Fall.
AUTUMN SOUR
Ingredients - Yields 1 Cocktail
-1.5 oz. of Straight Bourbon
-1/2 oz. of Cream Sherry (Lustau Solera Sherry)
-1/2 oz. of lemon juice
-1/2 oz. of simple syrup
-1 Tbsp. of Pumpkin Butter
-4 dashes of Angostura Bitters
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake the contents and strain them over a large ice cube in a rocks glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and an orange peel.
AUTUMN SWEATER
Ingredients - Yields 1 Cocktail
-1.5 oz. of Burnt Rock Bourbon
-1 oz. of lime juice
-1 oz. of cinnamon syrup
-1/2 oz. of Fernet
-lime wheel garnish
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well, then strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
MALENA
Ingredients - Yields 1 Cocktail
-1 oz. of Revolution Rye
-1 oz. of Campari
-1 oz. of Ruby Port
-1-2 dashes of Orange Blossom Water
-orange peel
-grated cinnamon
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a large rocks glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with an orange peel. Top with a little bit of ground cinnamon.
TRICKSTER
Ingredients - Yields 1 Cocktail
-1.5 oz. of First Run Rum
-1/2 oz. of Orange Curaçao
-3/4 oz. of honey-ginger syrup
-1/2 oz. of lemon juice
-2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Stir and shake up. Serve over a large ice cube. Add ginger for garnish.
BAD APPLE
Ingredients - Yields 1 Cocktail
-2 oz. of Mad Apple
-3/4 oz. of Maple Cask Rum
-1/2 oz. of Allspice dram
-1/4 oz. of cinnamon syrup
-1/4 oz. of vanilla syrup
-1/2 oz. of lime juice
-3/4 oz. of beet juice
-2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well, then strain into a highball glass. Garnish with mint sprigs, a dehydrated apple slice, and a gummy worm.
HARD PRESSED
Ingredients - Yields 1 Cocktail
-2 oz. of Maple Cask Rum
-1 oz. of fresh apple cider
-2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
-cinnamon stick
Instructions
In a shaker, combine ice, Maple Cask Rum, Angostura bitters and apple cider. Shake until frosty, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and an orange peel.
MAPLE MULE
Ingredients - Yields 1 Cocktail
-1.5 oz. of Double Tapped Maple Bourbon Whiskey
-1/2 oz. of fresh squeezed lime juice
-ginger beer
-lime wheel garnish
Instructions
In a copper mug with ice, add the Double Tapped Maple Bourbon Whiskey, then lime juice. Top with ginger beer. Add a lime wheel for garnish.
Fall doesn’t have just one flavor, so your cocktail glass doesn’t have to, either. From crisp apple and warming cinnamon to rich maple and baking spice, the season offers plenty of inspiration for experimenting behind the bar. Reach for your favorite Mad River Distillers spirit, consider adding some ingredients from a local orchard or farmers market, and raise a glass to everything we love about the Autumn season in Vermont, one delicious sip at a time.
Written and published by Brianne Lucas on September 28, 2026.
