Buttermilk Maple Gin Flip

I often find myself with a half quart or so of leftover buttermilk in my fridge from various cooking projects, like pancakes or homemade crème fraîche, and I could never really figure out what to do with it until now: a Buttermilk Gin Flip.

Blood Orange Flip

Lately one of my favorite ways to use blood orange juice is with whiskey. Both ingredients have a certain amount of sweetness, but the citrusy sourness of the blood orange helps liven up the richness of whiskey. Looking to add a little depth to the cocktail, I added a hint of honey syrup.

Fall Classic

This cocktail from Gramercy Tavern is a shout out to apple season, made more complex with the addition of thyme-infused simple syrup.

Apple Brandy Old-Fashioned

An Old-Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail is a simple mixture of whiskey, sugar, bitters and a citrus peel. It is a sublimely simple and delicious preparation for a wide range of spirits besides just whiskey—rum, tequila, brandy—and a fine apple brandy is no exception. Showcasing the earthy flavor of fermented apples with just a bit of sugar and bitters is a perfect preparation to enjoy classic holiday flavors in a new way.

Frisco

The Frisco is the product of a long evolutionary process in 20th century mixology. Originating no later than the early 1930s--that's the earliest reference I've found for it, anyway--the drink crawled out of the cocktail equivalent of the primordial soup as a short, sharp burst of rye whiskey with a slight touch of the French herbal liqueur Benedictine and a twist of lemon peel for excitement.

Northern Spy

The Northern Spy is an exceptional cocktail that I hesitate to refer to as a Thanksgiving drink, if for no other reason than I think it's a fine tipple for any time of the season.

Applejack Rabbit

At PDT, Jim Meehan uses local Deep Mountain Grade B maple syrup in this classic cocktail, but any Grade B syrup will work. It adds a deep, complex flavor to this bright, tart, and delicious drink.

The Apple Blow Fizz

Common elements of springtime drinks include the bright snap of citrus and the cooling draught of bubbles. The Apple Blow Fizz has both of these features, but rather than a base of gin or light rum—which would take the drink in a summery, shorts-and-sandals direction—it's built on apple brandy.

Fallen Leaves

This is a perfect autumn cocktail. With the color of its namesake foliage, the Fallen Leaves has a rich, delicate flavor derived from that most seasonal of spirits, aged apple brandy. It's fine to use Calvados in one of these, but I like to reach for the 8-year-old Eau de Vie de Pomme, from Oregon's Clear Creek Distillery. At a time when the autumn chill is becoming a little more apparent each night, a Fallen Leaves can be a great evening companion.

Gramercy Tavern's Goodfellow

This simple-looking cocktail from Gramercy Tavern's fall lineup boasts a surprisingly complex flavor profile. The elegantly layered drink mixes belly-warming Scotch with slightly sweet pear liqueur, plus nutty walnut liqueur and Oloroso sherry.