We get it. When autumn rolls around, you tend to start thinking about aged spirits like whiskey, rum, tequila, and mezcal. Un-aged spirits like vodka and gin tend to find themselves on the proverbial back burner until spring. Well, we aren’t about that. We celebrate un-aged spirits all year long, especially in the chilly fall months.
And while we could write an article all about mixing with vodka to add some refreshing flavors to your fall drink rotation, today it’s gin’s turn for some fall gin cocktails. This juniper-driven, herbal, and botanical spirit is a hero during the summer but is largely forgotten when the weather begins to turn cooler and the leaves start tumbling down from the trees. This is a shame and one we are all about remedying.
Gin, with its mix of piney juniper and other ingredients like orris root, licorice, and lemon peel is a great choice for fall mixing. Don’t believe us? There are a handful of classic drinks well suited for colder temperatures.
The best fall gin cocktails
We’re talking about drinks like the Martinez with its complex, sweet, and spicy flavor profile, the effervescent and festive French 75, the timeless, boozy martini, and many more. Below, you’ll find a few of our favorite autumn gin-based drinks. Keep scrolling to see them all.
French 75
If you’ve never had a French 75, autumn (and the holidays) is a good time to start. This World War I-era cocktail was created in 1915 by famed bartender and writer Harry MacElhone at the New York Bar in Paris. It got its name because the potent combination of gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and champagne was said to be as explosive as a French 75 mm field gun.
What you need to make the French 75
- 1 ounce of gin
- 1/2 ounce of fresh lemon juice
- 2-3 dashes of simple syrup
- 2 ounces of Champagne
The French 75 recipe steps
1. Add ice to a cocktail shaker.
2. Pour in the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
3. Shake vigorously to combine.
4. Strain into a chilled Champagne flute.
5. Top with Champagne.
6. Stir gently to combine and enjoy.
Martini
Cocktails don’t get much more classic than the martini. Simple, elegant, and perfect for any season (especially fall). The traditional martini is made with gin (not vodka) and dry vermouth. It’s usually garnished with a lemon twist and/or an olive or two. There are various stories about its origin. One popular legend takes us back to the California Gold Rush city of Martinez in the late 1800s. This is where a bartender named Jerry Thomas purportedly created a drink made with sloe gin and sweet vermouth for gold miners who came into his establishment.
What you need to make the martini
- 3 ounces of London dry gin
- 1/2 ounce of dry vermouth
The martini recipe steps
1. Add ice to a mixing glass.
2. Pour in the London dry gin and dry vermouth.
3. Stir gently to combine.
4. Strain into a chilled martini glass.
5. Garnish with a lemon twist or an olive (your choice).
Bee’s Knees
The classic Bee’s Knees, which received its name from the popular Prohibition-era term used to describe something great, is believed to have been created in the 1920s at the Hotel Ritz Paris by a bartender named Frank Meier. The “bee’s” portion of the recipe is honey syrup. The rest of this iconic cocktail’s ingredients include gin and fresh-squeezed lemon juice. It’s known for its fresh, sweet, citrus-driven flavor profile that’s guaranteed to make you forget all about the dreary fall and winter days ahead.
What you need to make the Bee’s Knees
- 2 ounces of gin
- 3/4 ounce of fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 ounce of honey syrup
The Bee’s Knees recipe steps
1. Add ice to a shaker.
2. Pour in the gin, fresh lemon juice, and honey syrup.
3. Shake vigorously to combine.
4. Strain into a cocktail glass.
5. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Martinez
Fall is a great time to get acquainted with the Martinez. The drink is forever linked with the martini, but it’s quite different. Made with gin, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur, and Angostura bitters, it’s believed to have been created by the aforementioned Jerry Thomas at the Occidental Hotel in California in the late 1800s. Regardless of when it was invented and by who, it’s a complex, warming, gin-driven drink well suited for unseasonably cool evenings.
What you need to make the Martinez
- 1 1/2 ounces of gin
- 1 1/2 ounces of sweet vermouth
- 1/4 ounce of maraschino liqueur
- 2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters
The Martinez recipe steps
1. Add ice to a mixing glass.
2. Pour in the gin, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur, and Angostura bitters.
3. Stir gently to combine.
4. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
5. Garnish with an orange twist.
