Get ready for the cold months with these seasonal rum cocktails

Coffee, rum, and pumpkin are the flavors of the moment

By Georgina Torbet Published November 26, 2024 11:00 AM

CafeSantaTeresa(2)(1) — Santa Teresa

The Espresso Martini continues its reign as one of the most popular drinks in bars all across the world, but I’ve said before that I don’t think the best Espresso Martinis are made with vodka. Vodka doesn’t have a lot to add, flavor-wise, to the combination of fresh espresso and coffee liqueur, so all it’s really doing is upping the alcohol level. Which is fine and important to give the drink some kick, but is an area for experimentation when it comes to introducing new flavors.

I love to use rum in an Espresso Martini as the rich, chocolatey flavors are a natural fit for coffee, giving the drink more depth and interest. The rum brand Santa Teresa agrees, especially with the launch of its Coffee Cask Finish expression which uses barrels that previously held cold brew for finishing its Solera rum, creating a coffee-rum hybrid that is just itching to be mixed into cocktails.

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As well as a coffee themed recipe, the brand also has a pumpkin-themed recipe for those who are lovers of all things pumpkin spice.

Café Santa Teresa

CafeSantaTeresa(2)(1) — Santa Teresa

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Santa Teresa 1796 Arabica Coffee Cask Finish
0.5 oz Coffee Liqueur
1 oz Espresso
0.25 oz Simple Syrup
2 Dashes of Orange Bitters

Method:

Shake with ice, then strain into chilled glass. Garnish with three coffee beans.

Pumpkin Smash

Santa Teresa

Ingredients:

2 oz Santa Teresa 1796
1 oz Pumpkin Puree
0.5 oz Cinnamon Syrup
0.5 oz Lemon Juice

Method:

Add all ingredients into mixing tin, add ice, and shake vigorously. Strain into collins glass, top with soda water, or apple cider. Garnish with dehydrated apple slice, and sugar rim.

Georgina Torbet

Georgina Torbet is a cocktail enthusiast based in Berlin, with an ever-growing gin collection and a love for trying out new…

Food & Drink

The secrets to hosting a great cocktail party

Aside from the drinks, a few details will help your cocktail party go with a bang

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If you love making your own cocktails, there are few things more fun than inviting some friends or family round for a cocktail party. Hosting is a great way to share your enthusiasm with your guests, and to try out some new and interesting drinks on a willing audience.

But drinks aside, there are some key tips to hosting a successful cocktail party that will help make your life easier and ensure your guests have a good time -- and don't forget the ice!
1. Snacks
If you're focused on your drinks, you might not give much thought to food. And most people won't expect to be served a full meal at a cocktail party. However, you do need to make sure there is something to eat, both to give your guests something to nibble on and to help soak up all the alcohol. Nuts, chips, and other small snacks are easy to throw in a bowl and put out between drinks.
2. Non alcoholic options
With increasing numbers of people opting to avoid alcohol or preferring to drink only occasionally, it's good form to have a range of non-alcoholic drinks options available too. If you're feeling ambitious you can try some non-alcoholic cocktails, but at the least have some soft drinks available in the fridge.
3. Offer a greeting drink
It's nice to provide a simple drink to guests as soon as they arrive, before you get to the harder cocktails. I like to offer a simple Prosecco drink like a Hugo or a Mimosa to people when they arrive, as it's quick and easy to make.
4. Provide water
Even for those who are drinking alcohol, it's important to have plenty of water on hand. This will help keep everyone feeling good as well as clearing the palate between drinks. Put out a large jug of ice water and a stack of glasses somewhere close by so people can help themselves.
5. Mix multiple drinks
Depending on how many guests you have coming, you may choose to pre-batch your cocktails to save on time. But if you have a smaller guest list, another option is to mix rounds of drinks together. You can easily take a cocktail recipe and double or triple it, then mix the ingredients all in one go to make multiple drinks faster. You don't want to fill your cocktail shaker too full or it can get messy, and you'll need to shake a bit longer and harder than usual to make sure your ingredients are sufficiently diluted, but this is a great way to make drinks for 4-5 people in one go.
6. Help with washing up
If you have kind friends, you might find that people offer to help out while you're making rounds of drinks. Take them up on the offer! There's no need to do everything yourself. One task which always needs to be done at a cocktail party is washing up the glasses, as you'll very quickly build up a huge pile of glasses even at a small gathering. Washing these as you go will help keep your bar space relatively clean and tidy, so set your friends to the washing up if they offer.
7. Finishing up the evening
At some point you'll begin to tire out, and that's a great time to switch to something simple to finish off the night. A round of neat whiskey for leisurely sipping is a great choice, or I also like to serve simple amaros over ice. These make a fine way to toast out an evening well spent.

Food & Drink

Get cozy with these pumpkin spice and apple cider tequila cocktails

Embrace the flavors of the season with these tequila cocktails

pumpkin spice tequila cocktail dobel holidays bumpkin lumpkin reposado holiday 0126

Autumn weather means just one thing, flavor-wise: it's pumpkin spice season. The combination of spices is as popular in cocktails as it is in foods or in coffees, and there are plenty of ways to add a pumpkin spice note to your drinks. One spirit you might not consider mixing with pumpkin spice though is tequila -- but its agave notes can go with the spice combo if you lean into the fruity flavors. A recipe from Maestro Dobel Tequila calls for orange and lime juice as well as reposado tequila and pumpkin spice, with a cinnamon salt rim to bring the flavors together.

And if you're after another style of cozy tequila cocktail for fall, then there's also a recipe for a tequila mulled apple cider which has warm, spicy seasonal flavors and uses a glug of heavy cream as a float to add creaminess and texture to the drink. You can even spike the cream with your favorite flavor to add some extra kick.
Maestro Dobel Pumpkin Spice Reposado
Ingredients:

Food & Drink

Whip up these easy whiskey cocktails for your Thanksgiving celebration

These simple whiskey cocktails are a great choice for a busy day

easy whiskey cocktails thanksgiving mapleoldfashioned 1

If you haven't made plans for your Thanksgiving celebrations yet and you're hoping to host family or friends, now is the time to think about what you'll be serving in terms of both food and drink. If you don't want to fuss, then we've previously recommend batch cocktails as an easy way to make drinks for a celebration. But if you want to do individual drinks for each person, you can still do so without too much difficulty if you stick to more simple cocktails.

That's the recommendation we have for you today, with easy to make cocktails that embrace the festive spirit. These are based on offerings from Redemption Whiskey, makers of a rye whiskey which is one of our favorites thanks to its spicy-sweet flavors and peppery, citrusy notes. Whether you prefer rye whiskey or bourbon, there are simple but delicious cocktails which take advantage of the complex flavors profiles of the whiskey to taste intriguing even in cocktails with just a few ingredients.