As the Reno evenings arrive sooner and the weather cools, most of us start thinking about ways to wind down with fall drinks at home. Easing into the fall season makes us think of warming cocktails, time with friends, and slow-cooked comfort food.
“Comfort and nesting” are what Sean Stitt, owner of Chapel Tavern in Midtown, said he thinks about in fall. “Routine kicks back in and the weather changes so how can our cocktails match those?”
Stitt has been slinging drinks at Chapel time immemorial, working his way up from bartender to owner who bartends. Chapel changes menus every season to reflect the Reno climate and customer sensibilities.
In the summertime, Stitt said he makes citrusy, refreshing, low-alcohol cocktails so people will feel good drinking a few in a single sitting. Summer drinks work well at outdoor barbecues, on the porch, or during rowdy downtown events. But in the fall, Stitt switches to slightly heavier drinks that people are happier to sip slowly with friends inside.
“Inspiration normally comes from food that is often heavier and cooked for longer, like stews, for example,” he said. “The cocktails should reflect that.”
Stitt shared his tips for curating a home bar perfect for mixing up these fall drinks. Think of this list like a capsule wardrobe—a few ingredients go a long way instead of a lot of single-use ingredients. Not everyone has a dedicated room with floor-to-ceiling shelves like Chapel does, so here’s how to build out your home bar and the fall drinks to make with the ingredients.
Enjoy The Autumn Breeze With These Fall Drinks
Base Ingredients
Stitt loves to switch to brown spirits in the fall: Whiskey, rum, and brandy. Some gins work, but plan to use them in darker drinks instead of a classic gin and tonic.
Picking out those ingredients is always a matter of taste. To support our region’s local distillers, pick up a bottle of Frey Ranch whiskey. For rum and brandy, head to Craft Wine & Beer in Midtown or any Whispering Vine location where the brilliant staffs can help you find something you’ll love.
Craft’s selection of vermouths and amaros cannot be beat for the liqueurs. Head to Ferino Distillery on Fourth Street for some locally-made Italian bitters for a special treat. (Keep reading for a special recipe made with Ferino’s specialty coffee liqueur.)
For the below recipes, you’ll need some combination of the following ingredients—all the above if you want to go big.
Base (but not basic) spirits
- Whiskey/Bourbon (Frey Ranch or other)
- Or Rye Whiskey
- Or Rum
- Or Brandy
- Or Gin
Must have mixers and garnishes
- Sweet Vermouth
- Campari or equivalent red bitter
- Angostura Bitters
- An Amaro (Ferino Distillery or other)
- Brandied cherries
- Oranges
- Sugar (white or brown) and or simple syrup
View this post on Instagram
Optional liqueurs for more flavor
- Or Ferino Cannella Cinnamon Cordial
- Ferino Caffè Notte
All of these drinks will be stirred, so no need to run out and get a complicated bar set. But, if you already have one, then it’s time to pull out the cocktail pitcher, spoon, and strainer. These drinks can also be stirred in their final glass with ice, too.
Bringing the base ingredients together
Negroni done four ways
The Negroni is a versatile drink with easily interchangeable ingredients. It can be bitter as the biting evening cold but also balanced by the sweetness of the holidays. The key here is to pick a gin you like that tends toward the more botanical side—perhaps something with spruce.
Standard Negroni
- 1 ounce gin
- 1 ounce Campari or other bitter
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
- Garnish with an orange peel
Combine the three liquid ingredients in a cocktail pitcher, fill with ice, and stir until cold and diluted. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with a large peel of orange.
Alternate Negronis
If you don’t like gin, replace it with dark or Jamaican rum for a Rum Negroni or use two ounces of bourbon or rye for a Boulevardier.
And for something perfectly autumnal, here’s a Coffee Negroni twist created with Ferino Distillery’s Caffè Notte coffee liqueur. It perfectly balances the sweet vermouth and bitter Campari creating new depth.
Coffee Negroni
- 1 ounce gin/rum/bourbon/rye/Scotch
- 1 ounce Campari or other red bitter
- ½ ounce sweet vermouth
- ½ ounce Caffè Notte coffee liqueur
This drink is deliciously strong with Scotch (and probably perfect for a night in!). Gin or rum would be a tasty option as well.
Midnight Manhattan for the darkest nights
Manhattan cocktails work yearound and taste especially good when the weather gets colder. They can be sweet, spicy or botanical. This drink only has two ingredients, a splash of bitters and a garnish. They are so easy to make and have infinite variations depending on what you buy. Any rye or bourbon will do and different vermouths change the flavor. Replacing the whiskey with other spirits also opens up new flavors.
For the fall version, this recipe takes the standard Manhattan—a 2:1 ratio of whiskey and vermouth—and adds a twist.
Midnight Manhattan
- 2 ounces rye whiskey
- 1 ounce amaro (Ferino Amaro or a darker bitter amaro works here)
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
- Garnish: brandied cherry and an orange or lemon twist
Combine the three liquid ingredients in a cocktail pitcher, fill with ice, and stir until cold and diluted. Garnish with a brandied cherry. You can also add a lemon or orange peel or twist for added depth. An orange twist wrapped around the cherry makes for a nice post-drink snack.
Alternate Manhattans
For a smoother, nuttier and less spicy drink, replace the rye/bourbon whiskey with brandy. Or, replace the Amaro with traditional sweet vermouth. Now, you’ve got three recipes: Classic Manhattan, Midnight Manhattan, Brandy Manhattan. Mix and match at your next party to find your favorite.
Dickson’s favorite fall drinks
While a bit of a departure from the above recipes, here are some of our favorite one-off cocktails for the fall.
Amaro Spritz
This twist on an Aperol spritz comes from Ivan Fontana at Amari in Midtown. It’s made with Prosecco and Meletti Amaro with a sprig of rosemary and it’s caramelly flavor tastes like fall:
- 2 ounces amaro (like Meletti, Cynar or Ferino Amaro)
- 3 ounces Prosecco or other sparkling wine
- 1 ounce soda water or more to dilute
- Garnish: lemon wedge, a straw if you like
Build the drink in a large wine goblet over ice. Squeeze the lemon, stir and enjoy.
Non-Alcoholic Mulled Cider
Every Halloween in the Old Southwest is amazing with hundreds of trick or treaters and parties. At home, a batch of mulled cider on the stove is the perfect treat for adults and kids.
- 2 gallons of unfiltered apple cider
- Cinnamon sticks
- Whole cloves
- Whole nutmeg
- Whole star anise
- Orange peel
You can also find these spices pre-bagged at Salty-Savory-Sweet The Spice & Tea Shoppe next to Trader Joe’s.
Simmer everything together on the stove all night or in a slow cooker on low. People can grab a mug for a cozy non-alcoholic version or heavily spike their mugs with brandy for a sweeter flavor or bourbon for a dryer flavor.
Spanish Coffee, alcohol optional
Spanish coffee is cozy, easy and good for a crowd since it can be made with or without alcohol. First, make some fresh espresso in your Moka Pot or espresso machine. Then, add these ingredients indiscriminately.
- Rum or bourbon
- Cointreau
- Kahlua Coffee Liqueur
- Baileys Irish Cream
- Fresh whipped cream
- Cinnamon or Ferino’s Cannella Cinnamon Cordial
- Nutmeg
The best part? No measuring required, and everyone wins with this versatile drink. Want it more chocolatey? Add more Kahlua or use chocolate powder or syrup. More orange? Add Cointreau. More booze? add more rum. Just want a spicy coffee? Use spices and no booze.
