It’s time to put away the rosé (see you next June) and retire those spritzy spiked seltzers you’ve been drinking all summer. Fall is here, and with it, a new set of libations to warm you up from the inside out. Think cranberry cobbler smashes, maple New York sours and pumpkin spice Kentucky mules that taste better than pie — accompanied by a spooky Halloween movie, of course. Here are the best 50 fall cocktails to make this season to sip beside a crackling fire.
50 Best Fall Cocktails That Are Cozy, Refreshing and Oh-So-Seasonal
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Published Aug 22, 2023
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
The warm spices in chai tea (think cinnamon and ginger) plus rum make this the ultimate warming cocktail for a cozy fall night.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy
It’s ideal for Thanksgiving, but tasty enough that we’re not waiting for November to make one.
3. Spiced Honey Bourbon Old Fashioned
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes
Once you’ve made a batch of the spiced rosemary and honey simple syrup, this sipper is easy to stir up.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
What makes it a New York sour? The cozy, warming red wine float on top. And the easiness of it shows some of the best fall cocktails call for minimal time and effort.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd pleaser, ready in <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
When the cocoa is spiked with bourbon and Irish cream, the kids are not invited.
6. Pumpkin Spice Kentucky Mule
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, ready in <15 minutes
It’s called a Kentucky mule because it’s made with bourbon instead of vodka. (But don’t skip the pumpkin butter or copper mugs.)
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser
Bonus points if you make your own apple cider.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes, special occasion-worthy
In the realm of best fall cocktails, this tastes like fall in a glass. Don’t forget the cinnamon sticks for stirring.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, no cook
The smoky mezcal and festive apple flavors make for the ultimate fall cocktail.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Think of this as the fall alternative to summer’s Aperol spritz.
11. Classic Eggnog
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 35 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make-ahead
We like to start ’nog season as early as possible. The booze of choice varies by region, so try it with brandy, cognac, whiskey, rum or our favorite, bourbon.
12. Slow-Cooker Cranberry Hot Toddy
- Time Commitment: 4 hours, 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, crowd-pleaser
“Big batch” and “cocktail party” go hand in hand. Instead of playing bartender, pour everything into your Crockpot (and never look back).
13. Slow-Cooker Spiked Cinnamon Lattes
- Time Commitment: 3 hours, 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, crowd-pleaser
With your handy slow cooker, you can leave this boozy brew on a low setting and it’ll stay warm for hours.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly
Wait, sangria is one of the best fall cocktails? This shows it's just as good for fall as it is for summer. (Oh, and there’s brandy in there too.)
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy
It’s as easy to make and easy to drink as the original. Swap the silver tequila for reposado, which is slightly aged, and add cider with the lime juice to fall-ify it.
- Time Commitment: 3 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
If you’re more interested in a refreshing fall drink than a warming one, this has your name written all over it. Even better, it contains only five ingredients.
17. Boozy Pumpkin White Hot Chocolate
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes
Um, they definitely don’t serve this at the coffee place down the street.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients
Fall is officially fig season, and the fruit happens to be ideal for this rum, lime and ginger beer concoction.
19. Honeycrisp and Bourbon Spiced Cider
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser
If you can’t find Honeycrisp apple cider, any kind will do (but it’s worth seeking out).
20. Apple Cranberry Moscow Mule
- Time Commitment: 3 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy
It’s tart, spritzy and just what we want on a cool fall evening. The vodka doesn’t hurt either.
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes
Switching it up from apple cider? This bubbly orange number will do the trick. (Psst: It has prosecco.)
22. Smoky Mezcal Apple Cider Margarita
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes
Mezcal is like tequila’s mysterious cousin whose favorite season is—you guessed it—fall. Paired with sweet cider, it makes a mean autumnal drink.
23. Bourbon Ginger Cider Cocktails
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes
The best way to enjoy cider? Spiked, in our humble opinion.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
This beverage is sweetened with a homemade maple-cranberry simple syrup (swoon). It looks fancy, but it’s actually really easy to make.
25. Caramel Apple Old Fashioned
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy
If you want your drink to be less sweet, just add more whiskey.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes
Persimmons are sweet, bright and just the thing to modernize this classic cocktail. (They’re also in season in late fall.)
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy
Is it really fall if you’re not adding apple cider to every single drink?
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes
Three words: pumpkin pie syrup.
- Time Commitment: 3 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes, special occasion-worthy
This is just like a regular old fashioned, but the smoky maple syrup n lieu of a sugar cube make for one of the best fall cocktails you've ever had.
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser
Careful, this stuff is potent (and it gets better the longer it sits).
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy
Find your nearest fireside and cozy up with one of these babies.
32. Pear and Cranberry Champagne Cocktails
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
You don’t need a special occasion to pop a bottle of bubbly. Add homemade pear-cranberry puree, and it’s like fall in a glass.
- Time Commitment: 3 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
It’s cozy, tasty and downright gorgeous. Don’t save it just for a cocktail party.
34. Pomegranate Orange Champagne Cocktails
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Further proof that Champagne goes with everything and every season.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy
We love a fall spin on a traditional cocktail. The homemade cinnamon simple syrup is a breeze to make, too.
36. Honeycrisp Crush
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes
Honeycrisps are the ideal mix of sweet, tart, crisp and refreshing, so it’s only natural that they make a stellar drink. This one has ginger beer and vodka for a little kick.
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser
This punch bowl is all dressed up and ready to party.
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
Grab a bottle of red wine and a few warm spices and set your timer for 20 minutes.
39. Cinnamon Maple Whiskey Sour
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, ready in <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
We think we’ll be drinking this one long after fall is over.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes, special occasion-worthy
Sure, you could skip the alcohol and make these into mocktails. But a splash of vodka would be welcome too.
41. Pumpkin Cocktail
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser
It’s only a few ingredients, so you can easily make a single cocktail or a whole batch.
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes, crowd-pleaser
Pairs well with a flannel shirt and a chunky knit throw.
43. Pumpkin Eggnog with Bourbon
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy
An eggnog lover and a pumpkin lover walk into the bar. The punchline? An unreal fall cocktail.
44. Cranberry Pear Bourbon Cocktail
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, ready in <15 minutes
You could use any kind of whiskey you like and this would still be delicious.
45. Apple Cider Prosecco Spritz
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: make-ahead, crowd-pleaser
Our motto: When in doubt, add bubbles.
46. Chocolate Pecan Cream Martini
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: ready in <15 minutes, special occasion-worthy
It’s like a cross between a Halloween candy and a Thanksgiving pie (and we’re not mad about that at all).
47. Bourbon Spiked Hot Chocolate
- Time Commitment: 7 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients
If you don’t make a bit of a mess, it means you haven’t drizzled on enough caramel sauce.
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: vegan, ready in <15 minutes
Hot toddies might not actually be healing, but they taste like a warm hug in a cup.
- Time Commitment: 4 hours, 50 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser
Wanna know a secret? You can make it entirely ahead of party time.
- Time Commitment: 2 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
This calls for fall brunch on the porch. Pecan pie scones, anyone?
