Eat*Drink*Cleveland

A hungry girl's adventures in Cleveland and beyond.

#EatDrinkWedding Guest Post: Favorite Fall Drinks

To wrap up my time off in newly wedded bliss, Katie from Call Me Trouble is sharing some of her favorite fall cocktails. I totally love her and I think you'll want to be her friend too after reading this post. I know what I'll be making with all my leftover wedding booze!

First and foremost, HUGE thanks to Crystal for thinking of me for a guest post. This is one of the first Cleveland blogs I read and Crystal has welcomed me into the community and her life with her warm smile and vibrant laugh. Two things that may not come across in a blog but trust me, are so there.

In honor of Crystal’s nuptials, here are a few of my favorite fall drinks I will be making and drinking in honor of the happy, new husband and wife!

1. Pumpkin Old Fashioned
Yes, I’m starting bold. This is not for the faint. I wasn’t sure Old Fashioneds could get any better until this. I’m gaga for pumpkin in the fall and it only makes sense to incorporate my favorite fall flavor into a classic cocktail. This is the perfect drink to have while making a pumpkin dessert, a little puree for the pumpkin pie dip, a little puree for my bourbon...


Ingredients:
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 ½ ounces of bourbon (Or 2)
½ ounce Grand Marnier
A dash of orange bitters
Orange peel twists, for garnish

Directions: Combine the liquid ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake the container, then strain the liquid into a chilled cocktail glass with ice. Top the cocktail with an orange slice. Want to get real fancy? Poke some cloves into the orange slice. Inspired by Learn2Serve
link

2. Apple Cider Sangria
I’m a strong believer in having a sangria recipe for every season, this is my autumn home-run. (Get it? Baseball playoff season?) No fridge should be without cider in the fall, and my fridge is rarely without a bottle of Pinot Grigio in case of an emergency. This is a simple sangria, which I can really appreciate. Too much prep should never come between a lady and her drink of choice.

Ingredients:
1 bottle (standard size) of pinot grigio
2 1/2 cups fresh apple cider
1 cup club soda
1/2 cup ginger brandy (Regular brandy is just fine too. I don’t believe in buying obscure liquer for a seasonal drink)
3 apples, chopped- The recipe recommends honey crisp but I’m a green apple kind of girl. You pick your apple, Eden.
3 pears, chopped

Directions: Combine all ingredients together and stir. Refrigerate for an hour or so before serving. Inspired by How Sweet It Is


3. Hot Chocolate with a Twist
Perhaps my most simple and beloved drink of the fall is hot chocolate and a little something, something. This is how I get warmed up for a football game, cut the briskness after jumping in leaf piles, and read a book during a chilly fall rainstorm.



Ingredients:
Hot chocolate - however you like it, by milk, by hot water, by keurig. It can be milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, whatever your fancy.
1.5 ounces of one of these divine vodka flavors:
  • Marshmallow (of course.)
  • Whipped
  • Cherry Whipped (with dark chocolate)
  • Vanilla
  • S’mores
  • Cake
Directions: Pour 1.5 ounces (one shot) into your hot chocolate and stir! P.S. You’re never to old to add mini-marshmallows.

Thanks for joining me at Eat*Drink*Cleveland and I hope you try one (or all) of my favorite fall libations.

What are some of your iconic fall drinks?