Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
11 Fall Cocktails To Help Us Ease Into Autumn
By
Nell Casey
Published Oct 24, 2016
Modified Oct 28, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Nell Casey
Published Oct 24, 2016
Modified Oct 28, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
What we lack in spectacular foliage—yet—we more than make up for in proximity to and volume of wonderful cocktail bars, many of which note the changing seasons by revamping their menus to fit the weather. With fall, you'll find plenty of brown liquors, apple flavors, spices and other such offerings, though there's not a wrong season to drink any of the spirits. Below, a few offerings befitting an autumn eve out on the town; we promise no decorative gourds.
The Velveteen Rabbit at Analogue (Michael Tulipan)
The Velveteen Rabbit is one of childhood's most traumatic books and in the West Village they're turning our collective childhood tears into a seasonal cocktail. At Analogue in the West Village, the Velveteen Rabbit ($18) isn't a depressing book about a child's toy but a nutty cocktail based off Remy Martin 1738 cognac. Added to that, Nux Alpina walnut liqueur, housemade toasted hazelnut orgeat, lemon, egg white and whiskey barrel aged bitters. Drink a few and forget how you left your cherished childhood stuffed animal out in the rain that one time. 19 West 8th Street, (212) 432-0200; analoguenyc.com
Park Avenue Autumn, the restaurant that changes with the seasons, is back in fall mode, with their autumn cocktail offerings that include mulled apple cider and whiskey served...from an office water cooler. Parked behind the restaurant's front bar is a rope-wrapped water cooler stocked with the boozy cider ($14), which can be poured hot or cold. If only we had this kind of water cooler in our offices. 360 Park Ave South, (212) 951-7111; parkavenyc.com
The Town & Country at The Up & Up
You were promised apples and brown spirits aplenty, so here's The Town & Country ($15) at exemplary Greenwich Village cocktail bar The Up & Up. This is a no-filler type of intoxicant, as it's just a combination of Mr. Katz's Rock & Rye with equal parts Atsby Amberthorn Vermouth and Neversink un-aged Apple Brandy. 116 Macdougal Street, (212) 260-3000; upandupnyc.com
At The Attic Rooftop, their contribution to employing the seasonal bounty means apple cider in their Orchard Chiller ($16) cocktail. Bourbon's the booze of choice here, with an assist from Angostura bitters, fresh lemon juice, mint and ginger beer. The bar even heats their outdoor space for the season, but there are views from the indoor section, too. 251 West 48th Street, (212) 956-1300; theattic-nyc.com
Pineapple Milk at BlackTail
BlackTail—the Cuban-inspired cocktail bar from the folks behind The Dead Rabbit—is following in its sibling's footsteps, offering complex and thoughtful cocktails that evolve as the seasons do. For autumn, one of those specials is the Pineapple Milk, a cream-based tropical drink with flavors of pineapple and hazelnut. The shaken drink uses a Spanish brandy in addition to an aged Bacardi rum and is garnished with a grate of fresh nutmeg. 22 Battery Place, 2nd Floor, (212) 785-0153; blacktailnyc.com
We at Gothamist cannot endorse tackling this IRL, but you can Swim the Gowanus ($13) at Williamsburg's Kings County Imperial without turning into a mutant. It's a little like a jumped up G&T, using Chief Gowanus Gin, a creation of the New York Distilling Company, and fancy Q tonic water. The twist: apricot liqueur, fresh lemon and cinnabark syrup, a sugary concoction made from steeping cinnamon sticks in water. 20 Skillman Avenue, (718) 610-2000; kingscoimperial.com
The Concord at Rouge Tomate Chelsea
The purple hue of the Concord cocktail at recently reopened Rouge Tomate comes courtesy of the grapes that bear the same name as the drink. This Aviation adjacent drink uses violet-infused gin and lemon, like its inspiration, along with pink grapefruit, amaro and egg white for that frothy texture. 126 West 18th Street, 646-395-3978; rougetomatochelsea.com
The same way that "session" beers are designed for longevity in a given span of beer-drinking time, low ABV cocktails are designed keep the drinker upright after downing a few drinks with dinner. The Wild Son, which recently began serving dinner in the Meatpacking District, designed their entire menu around low ABV cocktails, like the Smoked & Flipped ($12) whose only spirit is a hickory-smoked tawny port, which is an average of 20% ABV. This cocktail also employs egg for froth, in addition to lemon, a chipotle agave and Angostura bitters. 53 Little West 12th Street, (212) 727-7900; thewildsonnyc.com
I'm Sorry Miss Kahlo at The Eddy
A good cocktail can be like a work of art, or at the very least be inspired by it, like the I'm Sorry Miss Kahlo ($15) at The Eddy in the East Village. Like its namesake, this cocktail wears a crown of flowers (dried, in this case) concealing a tequila-based creation below, which is perfumed with Poire Williams pear brandy, magnolia, orange and nopales, a nod to Kahlo's Mexican heritage. 342 East 6th Street, (646) 895-9884; theeddynyc.com
Up in Hamilton Heights, cocktail and ramen bar ROKC has an Apple drink that's practically a meal in liquid form. They've infused bourbon with caramel popcorn and paired it with apple cider and butter for full richness and cinnamon for spice. It's then garnished with a slice of apple that's been baked with honey and more cinnamon. 3452 Broadway
Canada Cane at the Queens Kickshaw
Up until now, the Queens Kickshaw has been known as a spot for cider, but they've recently secured a full liquor license that means a brand-new cocktail list just in time for fall. On it, there's the Canada Cane ($11), using our northern neighbors' maple syrup along with rum, lemon and apple bitters. If we find ourselves tempted to move to Canada in November, this could be a good introduction to our new lives. 40-17 Broadway, Astoria, (718) 777-0913; thequeenskickshaw.com
It's Pearfectly Fall ($14) at the Upper West Side outpost of The Mermaid Inn since we're smack in the middle of pear season. A pear puree gets thinned by Greenhook Ginsmiths American dry gin, spiced with a cinnamon syrup and brightened by a splash of lime juice. The ingredients are shaken then finished with sparkling wine, a sprig of rosemary and a cinnamon stick. 570 Amsterdam Avenue, (212) 799-7400; themermaidnyc.com
Tagged
cocktails
fall cocktails
original
Nell Casey
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Sep 12, 2026
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
Is it worth the high price and ridiculous wait? Gothamist needed to find out.
By
Sonia Rao
Food
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
Is it worth the high price and ridiculous wait? Gothamist needed to find out.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Can a congressional candidate's dumpling diplomacy win over Queens’ immigrant communities?
By
Caroline Shin
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .