'good things about autumn' cocktail

It’s the second week of October, and it’s a tinier bit colder and noticeably darker, and it’s officially that much harder for me to feel happy about going through the motions of the week.

I’m super happy about crunchy apples and apple cider making an appearance in the grocery stores, totally interested in cooking with all different kinds of squash, glad for the return of mulled wine, and content wearing my chambray shirt everywhere, but waking up cold in bed because Ken’s already left, and leaving work knowing there is only 30 minutes of daylight left, is really cramping my can-do-attitude. Also, just to show how emotionally tied to warm weather my constitution is: When I think about all the errands I must run, I feel 10 times more burdened about the fact that I have to run errands wearing boots or cold weather-appropriate shoes, than I would thinking about running my errands in flip flops or sandals. It’s true. My sigh of ‘so many things to do today!’ is made heavier by the knowledge that I am going to be wearing a jacket and my toes are going to be suffocated for the entire duration of said event.

I obviously like autumn, but here is my perfect idea of the season. I’d keep fall fashion, apples, hot cider, mulled wine, pumpkins, squash, crispy weather, spices, rust-colored things, and foliage, but the weather should remain between 78 and 88 degrees, and the sun should stay on its summer schedule of coming and going. Thank you very much.

Now to get to the point. To show how much I do appreciate the positive fall-related things listed above, I hunted down some apple cider and concocted a “good-things-about-autumn” cocktail.

So delicious




First of all, I should say, I got it in my head to infuse some gin with apples and pears, and so I did! For the record, apple and pear infused gin is delicious.



How to make the cocktail:
1) Mix 1 oz apple+pear infused gin, 1 oz apple cider (or more, i am liberal with the apple cider), 1/2 oz apple or pear brandy, 1/2 of bitters, and lemon juice together. Shake it up in ice, but if you don't have a shaker, just give it all an enthusiastic stir.
2) Top the mix with ginger beer
3) Add lemon garnish, or even better, a cinnamon stick
4) Enjoy.



The gin is a nice compliment to the apple cider surprisingly, the small amount of brandy gives it a little weight, and the bitters makes the drink complex with all of its herbs. The kick of ginger adds depth and spice and the bubbles at the end is a nice touch. Best of all, it truly tastes like autumn!

It should also be noted that I cooked with spaghetti squash the first time, and made a spaghetti squash with turkey meatball dish, hoorah! I ate this with my “good-things-about-autumn” cocktail, and saw that it was good.

Last, but not least, another good thing about autumn: combining grey and gold nail polish.