Get cozy with these fall cocktails

When you think of summer cocktails, the word refreshing comes to mind. They're supposed to be fizzy, citrusy, and herbal. But what about the fall cocktail?

This long-awaited season can very well have a little fizz and tang, but there's something about autumn that drives us toward comfort. Warm cinnamon, smoky bourbon, sweet maple - even a warm cocktail to combat the nip in the air. 

Unlike other years where fall just sneaks up on you, this year the season feels long-awaited. The heat has dragged on for so long, that it didn't feel right piling pumpkins onto porches in September - not when temps were in the nineties. We had to hold out for that first rainy spell. The one that brings a chill in the morning, telling us summer's beginning to give up her fight. 

Now here we are, our pumpkins runneth over. We're breaking out the cableknit sweaters and sipping on PSLs. Let's ring in autumn with some seasonal cocktails.

Spiced Pear Bellini

This recipe's ingredients consist of all things we already have at home, save for pear brandy, which you can buy, and pear nectar. But seeing as how stores are overflowing with ripe, sweet pears this time of year, just juice it.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon pear brandy
• 1 1/2 ounces pear purée or nectar
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 5 ounces sparkling wine
• Garnish: pear slice

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients, save for the sparkling wine
2. Pour into a mixing glass with a few ice cubes
3. Stir until well-chilled
4. Strain into a chilled Champagne flute
5. Top with the sparkling wine
6. Garnish with a pear slice

Cider & Maple Old Fashioned

Ingredients