I know. It seems we just overhauled our beverage menu to align with the summer season. Now, with fall in full swing and winter on its heels, it’s time to gather our team together and discuss what seasonal flavors will call in the customers.
Warming and sweet, some of these beverages come out of the liquor closet every year, so attuned to the changing season that guests ask for them as soon as the weather starts to change. Others are just making headway, entering the fray in new and exciting ways.
Here, we’ll explore a few of the most popular beverages that many restaurants embrace this time of year, as well as the new ones that are gaining traction.
Halloween
Halloween is fast approaching, a holiday that restaurants tend to either embrace wholeheartedly or totally ignore. A middle-of-the-line approach would be to add a beverage and appetizer aligned with the Day of the Dead. What could be more perfect than the Zombie? If your guests like rum, tropical flavors, and fire, it’s hard to imagine a more fitting drink.
The Zombie
1 ½ oz. golden rum
1 oz. dark rum
½ oz. white rum
½ oz. 151-proof rum
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. papaya juice
1 tsp. pineapple juice
1 tsp. fine sugar
Mix ingredients together, except for the 151, and pour over ice. Hallow out the squeezed lime half, place it on top of the cocktail, fill it with 151, and light. For an extra touch, shaking cinnamon over the flames causes sparks.
Cognac
With the growing appreciation of true craftsmanship and all things older, coming back into the fold is cognac-based drinks. Its complex flavor and amber color make it perfect for the season. VSOP stands for “Very Superior Old Pale” and requires a minimum age of four years.
Some of the best cognacs for autumn nights include Camus Cognac VSOP, a drink that offers subtle tastes of vanilla, orange zest, and cinnamon. Martell VSOP is aged in oak barrels, with plum and apricot providing the undertones. The award-winning Cognac Park VSOP is known for its vanilla and honey flavor and is served on the rocks or in negroni variations.
Keep in mind that many suppliers and brand ambassadors work with restaurants to develop tastings that highlight their brand. For instance, Uproxx reported that Alexis Brown, Hennessy’s National Brand Ambassador, helped Maple & Ash in Chicago pair white and black truffles with cognacs. At Stetson’s Steakhouse, they did a five-course meal that incorporated various cognacs.
The following date-infused cognac is a perfect accompaniment to fall.
Date Night
2 oz. date-infused VS cognac
½ oz. pressed coconut water
½ oz. pineapple coconut sugar syrup (1 to 1 blend of coconut sugar and pineapple juice)
Stir and serve over ice.
Warming Beverages
Fall and winter wouldn’t be the same without the beverages that warm us from the inside out.
Oaxacan Coffee
Mezcal, whipped cream, and coffee are the basis of this flavorful, warm concoction.
- 3 oz. hot coffee
- 1 ½ oz. mezcal, such as Koch El Ancestral Espadin Mezcal de Sola de Vega
- ½ oz. piloncillo syrup (simmer 1 cone of piloncillo in 1 cup water in small saucepan)
- Sweetened whipped cream
Other popular warming beverages include Café Cubano, Frenched Hot Chocolate, and Apple Brandy Hot Toddy.
Timeless Classics
You know it’s fall when Starbucks whips out the Pumpkin Spice Latte, and the lines begin to form. Just as this drink is the brand’s most popular seasonal beverage, you can create a program that people look forward to as the seasons change. Some of the classics that can call in the crowds include:
- Spiced Pear Martini: A combination of pear liquor, vodka, and a dash of cinnamon, this beverage is definitely a fall classic. At the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Florida, you may find a cognac cocktail incorporating this fall fruit. The Perfect Pair blends St. George Spiced Pear Liqueur with cinnamon, demerara sugar, lemon juice, and cardamom bitters.
- Pumpkin Spice White Russian: This simple rendition of a white Russian takes this well-known beverage to a fall favorite. Simply add cinnamon and pumpkin spice cream.
- Smoky Maple Old Fashioned: Yes, the old-fashioned is still popular, in part due to its timeless nature and easy adaptations. In this one, you mix together a combination of smoky tequila, maple syrup, sugar, bitters, and whiskey, creating an ideal beverage for fall evenings as the weather starts to cool.
