These fall cocktails will delight you

The seasons have begun to change, so why not add some fall cocktails?

The leaves are changing, the air is a little fresher and sweaters and jackets are being taken out of the closet. Summer is over and fall is here, and with it comes the desire for full-bodied, refreshing drinks with a richer, deeper flavor. You'll opt for these fall cocktails that will help brighten up the evenings.

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Pumpkin pie martini

Canadians and Americans spend over half a billion dollars on pumpkin spice products annually, and Starbucks alone sells over 20 million pumpkin spice lattes each year. So why not take it up a notch and make a cocktail out of it?

Ingredients

• 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• Lemon slice
• 4 ounces of vodka
• 3 tbsp half and half
• 3 tbsp pumpkin puree
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• Whipped cream for garnish
• Cinnamon sticks for garnish

Create

1. Mix sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a shallow bowl
2. Moisten the rim of the martini glasses with a lemon wedge, then dip the glasses in pumpkin spice sugar to coat the rim
3. Fill the cocktail shaker with ice and add half the vodka, pumpkin puree and maple syrup
4. Shake vigorously until well chilled
5. Strain into glasses
6. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with remaining pumpkin spice sugar

Black Russian cocktails

The Black Russian Cocktail was invented in 1949 by Belgian bartender Gustave Tops at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels. He created the drink in honor of Perle Mesta, the then US ambassador to Luxembourg. Mesta was a socialite known for her lavish parties and was a regular at the hotel bar. It's the perfect starter drink or late night cocktail.

• Ice
• 2 ounces of vodka
• 1 ounce Kahlúa or coffee liqueur
• Orange slice or maraschino cherry for garnish

Create

1. Fill a large measuring glass with ice
2. Add vodka and Kahlúa and stir with a bar spoon or other long-handled spoon until mixture is cool, about 30 seconds
3. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice
4. Garnish with an orange slice or cherry

Autumn old-fashioned

The Old Fashioned is an OG drink because it was first created in the 19th century. First known as a whiskey cocktail, it followed the basic cocktail formula of a spirit, sugar, water and bitters. Because it was quick and easy to prepare with only a few standard ingredients available, it was originally enjoyed first thing in the morning as a hangover cure. Over the years, bartenders have continued to tweak the drink. So why not add an autumnal touch to your drink?

• 1/2 ounce apple cider
• 1 tsp dark brown sugar
• 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
• 1 1/2 ounces bourbon
• 1 thin apple slice for garnish
• 1 cinnamon stick for garnish

Create

1. In a mixing glass, combine apple cider, brown sugar and bitters
2. Stir until the sugar has dissolved
3. Fill the mixing glass with ice and add the bourbon.
4. Stir until cool, about 15 seconds.
5. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice
6. Garnish with apple slice and cinnamon stick

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Pear ginger bush

Shrubs are the hot new thing and a great option. These mocktails have the full flavor without the alcohol. They're an ancient way of preserving fruit in vinegar that has found new life in the cocktail world. The result is a sweet-tart syrup that can be added to cocktails or served neat with a splash of lemonade or seltzer.

Ingredients

• 2 pound ripe Pears (approx. 4 medium)
• 1 1/2 cups (300G) Sugar
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger with skin, grated
• 1 1/2 cups Apple cider vinegarraw or pasteurized
• 3 to 4 ounces Club sodachilled, for serving

Create

Cut pears with peel into 1/2-inch cubes

Combine the pears with the sugar in a non-reactive container (glass or plastic), toss to coat the pears evenly, and mash them lightly.

Add the ginger and cover the pear-ginger mixture with a tea towel

Leave it in a cool, dark place for 48 hours, stirring the mixture twice during this time

After the resting time, strain through a fine sieve into a glass or bottle that can hold an additional 1 1/2 cups of liquid

Add the apple cider vinegar and stir

Seal the jar and place it in the refrigerator for 10 days. It is then ready for use (the shrub can be stored refrigerated for up to 6 months).

Combine 1 ounce of pear ginger shrub with 3-4 ounces of chilled lemonade. Stir gently to combine.

I hope you fall in love with these fall cocktails.