Using Tequila and Gin in Fall Drinks

by Geoffrey Kleinman

Just because the leaves are changing colors and beginning to fall doesn't mean that you need to abandon the spirits that are typically associated with warmer months. Tequila and gin lovers can happily continue sipping on these great spirits long into the winter.

One of my favorite fall drinks is actually a tequila drink called Autumn Flip. It was created by Portland Bartender Tommy Klus from Kask. The drink mixes reposado tequila with egg, lemon, mezcal, honey, sweet vermouth, and a little cinnamon and nutmeg to make a rich and delicious fall treat.

Autumn Flip

• 1 1/4 oz of El Tesoro Reposado Tequila
• 3/4 Carpano Antica
• 1/4 oz Del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal
• 3/4 oz lemon juice
• 3/4 oz fall spiced honey
• 1 whole egg

Dry shake ingredients, and then add ice and shake again. Strain with a fine strainer into a chilled coupe. Top with ground cinnamon and nutmeg.

The Autumn Flip is just one way to bring tequila and mezcal into the fall. Bartender Misty Kalkaufen recently featured a delicious fall mezcal drink at Portland Cocktail Week that combined mezcal with a number of amari and ground coffee beans. It was stirred into a beautifully thick and wonderful fall sipper.

Beneficio De Cafe

• 1 1/2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
• 1 oz Averna
• 1/4 oz Dark Muscovado Syrup
• 1/4 oz Benedictine Liqueur
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with freshly grated dark roast coffee bean.

Tequila isn't the only spirit usually associated with warmer months that can be seamlessly brought into the fall. While I'm a fan of the Red Snapper (which is the equivalent of a Bloody Mary with gin), one of my favorite brunch drinks is the English Breakfast. By infusing Beefeater 24 with English Breakfast tea, you create a fantastic base to build this delicious drink from. Adding orange marmalade transforms this into a fantastic, rich but balanced drink, and egg white pulls it all together.

The English Breakfast Cocktail

• 2 oz Beefeater 24 infused with English Breakfast tea
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• 1 egg white
• 1 barspoon orange marmalade

Shake all ingredients hard and strain into tea cup. Garnish with orange zest.

I drink gin martinis year round, but Erick Castro's variation, The Statesman, with Beefeater 24 and Green Chartreuse, spices up this elegantly stirred drink and makes it the perfect aperitif to any big holiday meal.

The Statesman

• 2 oz Beefeater 24
• 1/2 oz Rothman & Winter Pear
• 1/3 oz Green Chartreuse
• 1 Dash Regan's Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.

For fall drinks, tequila and gin are often overlooked, but they shouldn't be. Since they tend to be less common in fall drinks, they will make more of an impact when you serve them at your holiday get togethers.