Apple Bourbon Sour
autumn in a tumbler
Place a large ice cube in an Old Fashioned glass and set it aside.
Add the bourbon, apple juice, lemon juice, maple syrup, and bitters to the shaker.
Shake for twelve seconds with plenty of ice; the cloudy apple juice will foam up slightly.
Strain the cocktail over the large ice cube.
Garnish with a paper-thin slice of apple on the ice.
What did you think of this recipe?
One click on a star is enough. If you'd like to add something, we'll read it first before it appears here.
Save this recipe
Send the recipe for the Autumn Cocktails to your own email, so you have it at hand when you're about to make it. You'll also receive a €5 discount code for orders from €50, for the glasses that go with it.
What makes a cocktail autumnal
In autumn, the flavor profile shifts from citrus and mint to wood, fruit and spices. It starts with the base: bourbon, whisky and cognac have spent years in oak barrels, bringing notes of vanilla, caramel and nuts. They pair with apples and pears, harvested in September and October, and blackberries, which remain on the bushes until the end of September. Maple syrup and honey replace ordinary sugar syrup and add more depth. Cinnamon, ginger and a few dashes of bitters finish it off. The glass changes too: you drink fewer long drinks and more short cocktails over a large ice cube, such as the Old Fashioned, which stays cold while you sip it slowly. For a truly seasonal cocktail, see what's available at the market: a ripe pear or a punnet of blackberries is the best reason to make one.
The right glass
Autumn cocktails are often short and served over ice, so a heavy old fashioned glass of 30 to 43 cl is best. The thick base holds the ice cube's chill and keeps the warmth of your hand out. A 5 cm ice cube only fits in a wide glass, so don't choose one that's too narrow. A sour without ice, such as a Whiskey Sour served straight up, goes in a coupe. View the old fashioned glasses.
Stölzle Lausitz Kyoto Tumbler 43 cl (6 pieces)
Eclat Longchamp Tumbler 32 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 61,90.
The right tools
For these autumn cocktails, besides the glassware, you use a Boston shaker, a jigger for precise measuring, a cocktail strainer, a fine strainer for double straining, and a bitters bottle. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 133,70.
What do you need to make these autumn cocktails?
For these autumn cocktails, you need bourbon and whisky. Well-known bottles include Angostura, Jim Beam Apple, and Disaronno. On each drinks page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works well in, and which glass you need.
Seven cocktails for autumn
Good to know
Apple, pear and blackberries in the shaker
Autumn fruit each calls for a different approach. Use apple as cloudy juice, because freshly grated apple turns brown within a few minutes; 3 cl of juice is enough for flavor without making the drink watery. Pear is softer and works best as a purée: purée a ripe pear with a splash of lemon juice and strain it. Muddle blackberries directly in the shaker, four or five per glass, then double-strain so the seeds are left behind. The Bramble does things differently: there, the blackberries go over the ice as a liqueur and on top as a garnish.
Cinnamon syrup and maple syrup
Simple syrup is neutral, and in autumn the sweet element can contribute a little more. To make cinnamon syrup, heat 20 cl of water with 200 grams of sugar and two cinnamon sticks, let it steep for ten minutes, then strain it. In a clean bottle, it keeps for two weeks in the refrigerator. You can use maple syrup directly, but it is sweeter than simple syrup: 1 cl of maple syrup replaces about 1.5 cl of regular syrup. Choose a dark or amber maple syrup, as it has the most flavor. Find the basics for every syrup at making simple syrup.
Which bourbon or whisky should you choose
For an apple or maple sour, bourbon is the logical choice. It is made from at least half corn and aged in new, charred oak barrels, which gives it the vanilla and caramel notes that pair with autumn fruit. Rye whiskey is drier and spicier and works well in a Manhattan or a New York Sour. Blended Scotch whisky is smoother and pairs well with honey and ginger, as in the Penicillin. Use smoky Islay whisky only as an accent, with half a centiliter floated on top. Find more recipes by type in the whiskey cocktails section.
Non-alcoholic autumn cocktails
Without bourbon, the Apple Bourbon Sour becomes a refreshing apple sour, and it works surprisingly well. Replace the 5 cl bourbon with 3 cl extra apple juice and 2 cl cold, strong black tea; the tea provides the dry, woody note you would otherwise get from the barrel. Keep the lemon juice and maple syrup amounts the same and shake for just as long. Angostura bitters does contain alcohol, although it is only a few drops per glass; leave out the bitters if you want to serve it completely alcohol-free. More recipes can be found under Mocktails.
Frequently asked questions
Which cocktails are suitable for autumn?
Short cocktails with aged spirits and seasonal fruit: an Apple Bourbon Sour, an Old Fashioned, a Bramble with blackberries or a New York Sour with red wine. They are less sour than summer cocktails and have more wood, caramel and spice. Serve them over a large ice cube in a heavy glass.
Which glass do you use for autumn cocktails?
A heavy old fashioned glass or tumbler holding 30 to 43 cl, wide enough for a 5 cm ice cube. The thick base keeps the cocktail cold longer. For sours without ice or a Manhattan, use a coupe; you can find them among the coupe glasses.
Which flavors belong to autumn?
Apple, pear, blackberries, fig and pumpkin on the fruit side, and cinnamon, ginger, cloves, maple and honey for sweetness and spice. Combine them with bourbon, whiskey, cognac or dark rum. One or two autumn flavors per cocktail is enough: apple with cinnamon works, while apple with cinnamon, ginger and fig becomes muddled.
Can you make autumn cocktails for a group?
Yes, sours can be mixed in advance. Mix the bourbon, apple juice, maple syrup and bitters in a bottle up to a day ahead and keep it chilled. Juice the lemons on the day itself and shake two glasses at a time with ice, so the proportions stay right and you get the light foam.
Everything for your table,
to one address
Glasses in hospitality quality, delivered per set. Order today, delivered quickly.
Shop the glasses →