Just in time for autumn, here are 11 drinks from metro Atlanta bartenders to help you embrace the season and warm your toes.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Cretan owl at Aziza
Aziza’s David Chapman created a riff on a jungle bird that Beverage Director Demario Wallace named after an extinct owl that played a role in Greek mythology. The mixture is complex and intriguing. Mezcal and rum add sweetness, a little heat and smoke to the tropical potion, while suze lends an herbal punch. It’s then shaken and topped with fire-roasted pineapple.
1170 Howell Mill Road NW, Atlanta. 404-968-9437, aziza-restaurant.com
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Charcoal sour at Palo Santo
This drink at the new Palo Santo on the Westside mixes palo santo-infused mezcal with nixta corn liqueur, mandarin and yuzu juices, orange blossom water and activated charcoal. Beverage Director Antonio Morales described the sweet, smoky, citrusy and floral drink as “Dia de los Muertos in a glass.”
955 W. Marietta St. NW, Atlanta. 678-492-9211, botanicohospitality.com
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Thru-hiker at Third Door
This drink at Marietta Square’s Third Door is bright and captivating, with infusions of fall herbs. It features fennel-infused gin, lime and hickory-smoked thyme, topped with an unexpected garnish of pickled radish and a thyme sprig.
131 Church St., Marietta. 470-361-0370, thethirddoor.net
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Easy rider at Westside Motor Lounge
Beverage Director Kelsey Kenny said this drink is a perfect example of Westside Motor Lounge’s focus on agave spirits. Enjoy the blend of tequila, hibiscus, raspberry bitters, citrus and a rim of sumac salt while sitting in the large courtyard by the fire pit.
725 Echo St. NW, Atlanta. westsidemotorlounge.com
Credit: Angela Hansberger
Credit: Angela Hansberger
Old-Fashioned at Deer and the Dove
An Old-Fashioned already is a cozy drink, but Matt Watkins at Deer and the Dove makes a version that encapsulates the spirit of fall. His fall version has a split bourbon-rye base, with blood orange aperitif, a spiced apple syrup made from Georgia apples and figgy bitters made in-house with dehydrated fig, cinnamon, clove, orange peel, coriander and quassia chips.
155 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-748-4617, deerdove.com
Credit: Tomas Espinoza
Credit: Tomas Espinoza
Rosemary & autumn at Atlas
This drink shakes together English gin, Lillet, apple cider vinegar and fall spices into a chilly froth, and is presented with a glass cloche filled with rosemary smoke adding flavor, aroma and wow factor.
88 W. Paces Ferry Road NW, Atlanta. 404-600-6471, atlasrestaurant.com
Credit: Courtesy of Kevin Bragg
Credit: Courtesy of Kevin Bragg
Far from the tree at Southern Belle
Southern Belle’s cocktail menu pairs well with its food menu, which is driven by the seasons. Lead bartender Tessa Kleck crafted a stunner of a spice show with this drink, in which rye, Averna amaro, apple-turmeric shrub, lemon, fino sherry and bitters intermingle.
1043 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-698-3961, southernbelleatl.com
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Can’t stop here at Willow Bar
It may look delicate and pink, but this drink is a multifaceted autumnal treat, with a surprise ingredient that rounds out its flavors. A backbone of Ancho verde liqueur provides light char, heat and smoke, while basil, lime and melon brighten, and chareau aloe liqueur adds sweetness and body.
374 E. Paces Ferry Road NE, Atlanta. 470-531-8904, willowbarbuckhead.com
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Persephone at the Iberian Pig Buckhead
Named for the goddess of the seasons and the queen of the underworld, this drink mixes bourbon, pomegranate, cranberry, cinnamon, lemon and angostura bitters for a seasonally spiced variation on an Old-Fashioned.
3150 Roswell Road NW, Atlanta. 404-994-4990, theiberianpig.com
La rosa at Tortuga y Chango
Like a fall variation on the classic aviation, this drink — made with tequila, gin, vermouth, Ancho Reyes, St. Germain, citrus, raspberry and cinnamon — is elegant and sophisticated. “It embodies the essence of the rose, soft and delicate, but with a thorny punch,” Beverage Director Orestes Cruz said.
910 W. College Ave., Decatur. 404-257-6232, tortugaychango.com
Smoked apple whiskey sour at Community Burger
What’s cozier in fall than apple cider? Canton’s Community Burger adds to the fall flavor by smoking the cider. Also added are bourbon, lemon juice, orange juice and simple syrup, for a version of a whiskey sour that is batched and poured from a tap.
225 Reformation Parkway, Canton. 770-224-9584, yourcommunityburger.com
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