How To Transform A Whiskey Sour Into The Coziest Fall Cocktail

When you hear the words fall cocktail, what comes to mind? Maybe it's a warm and cozy hot toddy, or a maple-infused old fashioned. No matter what your liquor and cocktail of choice may be, there's almost always a way to add some fall-inspired infusions to it for peak seasonal flavor. One of our all-time favorite cocktails is the whiskey sour. Traditionally made with bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, and an egg white foam, if you've never had a whiskey sour, we're begging you to give it a try. The 3-2-1 ratio of sugar, citrus, and liquor makes this a perfectly balanced drink that's both accessible and sophisticated. If you like the base cocktail, your next step is giving it a fall twist. Derek Crow, lead bartender at Bar Zazu in Resorts World Las Vegas, shared the best ways to incorporate some warming spice for the ultimate fall-themed whiskey sour.

"A whisky sour with a fall twist means you play with the sugar in this cocktail. Substitute the sugar for a cinnamon syrup," Crow said. The original whiskey sour features simple syrup, which is just a 1:1 mixture of sugar and water. To add a bit of spiced fall flavor to the drink, Crow recommends using a cinnamon-tinged simple syrup instead. You can buy one online, like this DaVinci Gourmet Naturals cinnamon syrup, but it's just as easy to whip up at home, though it does take some extra time. Add four cinnamon sticks to a sugar-water mixture, let it steep for about six hours, and voila: You have your very own homemade cinnamon syrup. 

To take things one step further, Crow recommends also using allspice dram in your cocktail. "This is to add a bit more of an astringent fall kick," he said. Allspice dram is the perfect addition to fall and winter cocktails. It's a liqueur made with allspice berries, light rum, cinnamon, water, and brown sugar, with a bittersweet flavor, and hints of anise and clove. It is often paired with lemon juice, making it an optimal addition to your whiskey sour. You can make allspice dram yourself, but it's a lot easier to purchase some from a liquor store or online. Just be aware that it's sometimes called pimento dram.

A typical whiskey sour features an egg white foam on top, which helps accentuate your cocktail's flavor, and adds a nice visual and textural appeal, too. "A flavored foam to complement the seasonings would work really well and make this a fall comfort cocktail," Crow suggested. To make sure your cocktail maintains a level of sophistication and isn't too loaded with different flavors, you could add a little ground cinnamon to your foam. This is a simple way to keep that flavor consistent while adding spice and garnish. If foam isn't your thing, you could always add a sugar rim. This is easy to do: Rim the glass with lemon, and then dip it into turbinado sugar to add crunch and extra sweetness to the cocktail.