Finding a cocktail you like and sticking with it is an easy habit to fall into. If the only time you change your happy hour routine is to transition from gin and tonic in the summer to Old Fashioneds in the fall, it’s time to consider mixing things up, and a shift in seasons is the perfect time to do it.
When the air turns crisp, taste buds crave cozy, comforting flavors like cinnamon, chocolate and toasted walnuts, or herbal notes of rosemary and thyme. All those flavors and more can be found among some of the seasonal libations available around town. Here are a few of our favorites.
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Agave-based liquors, like tequila, are typically associated with summery cocktails like margaritas and tequila sunrises, but its smoky-flavored sister, mezcal, is more complex and lends itself to a drink that bridges the seasons, like the Slick Ricky ($11) at Cardinal. Opened in January by Holli Medley and Kathryn DiMenichi, former bartenders at Leon's Full Service in Decatur, Cardinal is a dark, moody bar with deep green walls, red banquettes, vintage light fixtures and a mahogany horseshoe bar located inside Third Street Goods at The Beacon in Grant Park.
Inspired by bouquet garni, that bundle of fresh herbs chefs use to season stock, DiMenichi created the Slick Ricky when she still worked at Leon’s. It combines Fidencio mezcal, the smokiest mezcal around, with a syrup made primarily from bay leaf, but a little thyme, too, plus fresh lime juice and a shake of salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, DiMenichi is developing a new fall drink that will be added to the menu soon, the Common Tiger, made with tequila, orange bitters, salt, Compari-like bitters, walnut liqueur and Bianco vermouth. It’s served in a rocks glass with no ice.
In addition to cocktails, the folks at Cardinal are known for their offerings of sherry and vermouth served by the glass or bottle. DiMenichi said Alessio’s Vino Chinato vermouth is especially well suited for fall.
“It’s a sweet vermouth, but it finishes really beautifully and dry. Its flavor notes are mulling spices and dark chocolate.”
Cardinal. 6 p.m.-midnight Tuesday-Thursday, 6 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday-Saturday. Inside Third Street Goods at The Beacon, 1039 Grant St., Grant Park. 470-419-5839, thirdstreetgoods.com/cardinal.
For a smooth, rich cocktail that feels like a warm hug, look no further than the Goldfinger ($9) at The Consulate, the art- and-antique-filled Midtown restaurant serving a global menu that changes every few months to reflect a different country.
Bartender Giovanni Ramirez created the cocktail for the restaurant’s seasonal happy hour menu. You can only order it between 5-7 p.m., Monday-Thursday.
Ramirez starts with Brugal 1888 dark rum and adds Rivulet pecan liqueur, chocolate bitters and a light dusting of chocolate. It’s served over a single large cube of ice with an orange peel.
As for The Consulate’s regular menu of cocktails, beverage manager Jackson Carter is the creator. This fall he debuts the Tinaquillo Toddy ($13), a hot toddy made with Santa Teresa 1796, a Venezuelan solera rum, which is in keeping with the restaurant’s current focus on Venezuelan dishes. The drink also includes brandy-based orange curaçao liqueur from Copper & Kings, a house-made falernum, lime juice and peach ginger black tea.
“Falernum is spice driven,” said Carter. “You have a ginger component, allspice, cinnamon and clove with the zest of limes, which gives you a seasonal oriented baking spice profile.”
The Consulate. 5-11 p.m. Monday-Saturday. 10 10th St., Midtown. 404-254-5760, theconsulateatlanta.com.
Considering the tiki drink’s West Coast origins rooted in Polynesian culture, it might seem like an unlikely candidate for a fall cocktail, but the Pearl Diver at Night ($12) at Tiki Tango may change your mind.
Adapted from the Pearl Diver, a classic cocktail invented by tiki originator Don the Beachcomber that contains butter to make it creamy, bar manager Stephen Steininger wanted to replicate the drink without using dairy products. He spent a month perfecting his concoction, which begins with three types of dark rums, one from Bermuda and two from Jamaica, and includes fresh pressed orange and lime juice. Next come the ingredients that conjure images of holiday baking: cinnamon syrup, Pimento Dram liqueur made from allspice, and Boylan’s cream soda made from cane sugar. The drink is whirred into a frothy blend and served over pebble ice in a traditional Pearl Diver glass, featuring a narrow base and wide mouth, and is garnished with a Luxardo maraschino cherry skewered with a pineapple frond.
“It’s a super dark, rich, very flavorful cocktail,” said Steininger. “Between the dark rums and cream soda, it has a deep rich flavor profile.”
For those who prefer actual butter in their rum, Tiki Tango, which opened in February, will host a Tiki Tango Holiday Oasis pop-up featuring specialty holiday cocktails including hot-buttered rum. The event runs from Black Friday to early January.
Tiki Tango. 5 p.m.-late Tuesday-Thursday, 4 p.m.-late. Friday. 5 p.m.-late Saturday. 57 13th St., Midtown. 404-873-6189, tikitangoatl.com.
It’s been on the menu since Golden Eagle opened in 2017, probably because it’s as comforting as its name suggests. The Flannel Blazer ($11.95) is made with Old Forester bourbon, honey, lemon juice and Suze liqueur, a French aperitif made from a root that has an herbal quality. The drink is served on the rocks and is garnished with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a sprig of fresh rosemary.
“It’s one of our most popular drinks,” said bartender Aly Griffith.
If you’re looking for something bold and different, consider the Night Tripper ($11.95). It combines Hayman’s Sloe Gin with pineapple and lime juice, grappa, Angostura bitters and Clement Creole Shrubb orange liqueur. Served straight up, the glass gets a mezcal rinse and is garnished with a dried lime wheel. The flavor combination may not scream fall, but the deep burgundy color portends the holiday season right around the corner.
Golden Eagle. 5 p.m.-midnight Sunday-Thursday, 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday-Sunday. 904 Memorial Drive, Reynoldstown. 404-963-1703, goldeneagleatl.com.
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