Crack open the liquor cabinet and choose your favourite from this handsome collection of cool weather cocktails that celebrate the darker side of spirits.
Drink trends come and go, and dark spirit cocktails are on the up and up as we head into the cooler months. There’s no better time to tuck into whisk(e)y cocktails and dark rum cocktails layered with richer flavours than when autumn sets in with its cooler temperatures and cosy nights. Here, we’ve drawn together 5 of the best cocktails for you to set the scene for a cosy night in.
Nothing screams tradition quite like the king of bourbon cocktails, the Old Fashioned. Rich, warming, and surprisingly simple to make, this drink is just the meeting of bourbon, sugar syrup and a dash of bitters (not forgetting the orange peel garnish of course). A smooth spirit like Makers Mark Bourbon with its caramel and vanilla notes should give you the silky flavour you want in this cocktail. Try it in our Old Fashioned recipe.
Take a trip to the Big Apple with the ever-polished New York Sour. The drink was dreamt up in the late 1880s, from an old school combo of whiskey, egg white, sugar syrup and lemon juice, with a splash of red wine for extra oomph. When it comes to ingredients, we like to lean on the equally American Jack Daniels Gentleman Jack for the whiskey quota. Give it a go in our New York sour recipe.
Autumn and rum cocktails go hand-in-hand. The Dark & Stormy is one of the most popular rum cocktails, sweet and spicy all at once thanks to its mingling of dark rum, ginger beer and lime. Baron Samedi Dark Spiced Rum helps to amp up the spice factor thanks to its notes of vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa and herbs. Enjoy it in our Dark & Stormy recipe.
Dive deeper into the world of whiskey cocktails with the historic Gold Rush. A sweet-cheeked cousin to the whiskey sour, this drink is based around bourbon, lemon and ice, with a golden dribble of honey syrup (hence its name). Enhance the Gold Rush’s sweetness with a bourbon whiskey that’s sweet and spicy – like Basil Hayden Bourbon, a high-rye Kentucky bourbon which can be enjoyed mixed or simply straight up. Make it shine in our Gold Rush recipe.
You may be no stranger to the Negroni, but how about the Boulevardier? If you’re a fan of bitter flavours you’re sure to fall for this autumn-friendly cocktail that’s essentially a Negroni made with whiskey instead of gin, which is then mingled with sweet vermouth and Campari. Complement the drink’s combo of bitter and sweet by using a whiskey with a vanilla base note – we like the super smooth Wild Turkey Longbranch Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey. Swap it for the gin to turn our Negroni recipe into a Boulevardier.
Keen to try more bourbon cocktails? Muddle yourself up a refreshing Whisky Smash or a decadent Liquid Bourbon Ball cocktail. Prefer Scotch? You’ll find Rob Roy and Hot Toddy recipes among our cool drinks for cool evenings. Plus, go exploring among the array of dark rums at Liquorland.