Fall for Seasonal Cocktail Specialties at Top NYC Restaurants

You may be looking for that exquisite cocktail before or after the show.  Check out these house specialties that are being served at NYC restaurants and bars.  They are created by the top bartenders and mixologists in the city and use flavors that are ideal for the fall season.  We have go-to spots in many of your favorite neighborhoods.  Check them out!

Harriet’s (1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge) Cacao Old Fashioned is a wonderful seasonal specialty at Harriet's made with Whistlepig Piggyback Rye, Amaro Montenegro, All Spice Dram, Agave Syrup, and Xocolat Mole Bitters.  Savor your drink as you enjoy the stunning sweeping views.

The Mark Bar at The Mark Hotel(Madison Avenue at 77th Street) Devil’s Blood Margarita is a blend of Yola Mezcal, Cointreau, Lime Juice, Ancho Reyes, Blood Orange Syrup and a Red Wine Float.  It’s the ideal cocktail for kicking back with your group and enjoying the spooky season in the city!

INDN (30 West 30th Street) Clarified Chai & Biscuit layers the cozy warmth of masala chai spices (cardamom, clove, cinnamon) with subtle Parle-G malted biscuit notes. Through clarification, the flavors are combined into a smooth, translucent cocktail that looks elegant served in crystal glassware.

Ten11 (19 West 31st Street) The Black Widow has been added to their cocktail menu for the fall season.  It features Empress 1908 Gin, Chambord, agave and blackberries delivered to the table inside of a birdcage adorned with bats that makes as statement and captures the attention of everyone in the room. Ten11 is accessible through an unassuming, dimly lit staircase and upon entry, a subtle glow from lightboxes within its custom onyx bar drawing guests in like with artfully presented cocktails.

Bella Luna NYC (574 Columbus Avenue @88th Street) Autumn Bliss rings in the season with a cozy take on the espresso martini. Blending vodka with pumpkin purée, espresso, liquid chai, and cream, the Autumn Bliss is finished with Luxardo espresso liqueur–a perfect marriage of everyone’s two favorite fall flavors: pumpkin spice and rich espresso. 

ATIK  (555 City Island) Fig Sour is made with American bourbon whiskey, amaretto, lemon juice, and an aromatic fig essence, the Fig Sour is finished with the a silky foam and a caramelized fig for garnish, making it a warm and rich cocktail for autumn evenings

Nothing Really Matters (210 West 50th Street) Maple Harvest is a  bold and moody fall-forward cocktail, the Maple Harvest brings together rich, warming flavors with a signature smoky twist. Made with bourbon, a touch of peaty Islay scotch, pure maple syrup, Cyllan Hicks’ house-made spicy bitters, and chocolate bitters, this spirit-forward cocktail is stirred and served over ice in a rocks glass. It’s finished with an expressed orange peel to balance its depth with a bright citrus lift. The result is a drink that’s both comfortingly classic and intriguingly complex—ideal for sipping slowly as the seasons shift.

The Bronze Owl  (52 West 33rd Street)  Escape to Milan will transport  your senses.  This sophisticated autumn cocktail that blends Gardener Gin, Amaro Montenegro, Cocchi Rosé, quince, and grapefruit bitters. This globally inspired libation offers a vibrant balance of bitter, floral, and fruit-forward notes--perfect for crisp fall evenings.

Pulpería Latin Mediterranean Kitchen (338 West 46th Street) Fig Old Fashioned is a take on the classic old fashioned swaps whiskey for fig-infused Zapaca Rum. Combined with a dash of orange bitters, honey, and fresh lime juice, the Fig Old Fashioned embraces the arrival of fall with a fruity, velvety warmth and a subtle hint of spice–a perfect fall cocktail for cool pre-theatre nights. 

Bar Lumière  (117 Columbia St.) Piper’s Paw is made with with tequila, pawpaw, blood orange and lime juices, and nutmeg. Native to eastern North America, pawpaw is a fruit of a small tree.  With custard-like texture, it has tropical flavors like banana but when very ripe, they can develop richer caramel and butterscotch notes.  At Bar Lumiere, they use pawpaw foraged in Pennsylvania.  The pawpaw is pureed and combined with tequila, blood orange and lime juices.  The drink is finished with grated nutmeg, the quintessential fall spice that’s warm and nutty, and goes perfectly with the pawpaw.

Bar Lumiere also presents Evil Gemini, rye, apple, bay leaf simple syrup, lemon juice, bay leaf garnish. Combining rye whiskey and apple, Evil Gemini is perfect for the fall – smooth, rich without being overpowering, and delicious. Light enough for the warmer side of autumn, the cocktail is great any time of the season with spicy rye and apple flavors.

Park Ave Kitchen by David Burke (514 Lexington Avenue) Smoked Old Fashioned is a marvelous, warming blend of Harlem Standard Straight Bourbon, St. Elder Espresso Liqueur, Chocolate Bitters, Smoke, Orange Essence.  Raise a glass to the fall season in NYC and enjoy a delectable meal while you are at Park Ave Kitchen.

Peck Slip Social  (36 Peck Slip in Seaport), has plenty of cocktails perfect for autumn! The cocktails, friendly priced from $16 to $18, riff on the classics – and each is named for a friend or family member of the owners, Alex Davis and Learan Kahanov, except for Fred, which is named after their dog.  Morgan is a fall sour crafted with Woodinville 100% Rye, lemon juice, honey, egg white, cherry cacao bitters and brandied cherries.  

Also at Peck Slip Social, Fred is made with Great Jones Rye, sweet vermouth, angostura bitters, amaro cherries. Fred is the perfect traditional old-school Manhattan – it doesn’t get better than rye from the first distillery in Manhattan since Prohibition! A wonderful way to toast the season.

Hudson Local (653 11th Avenue) Espresso Marteesi is named after its creator Hudson Local Head Bartender Martese Street.  It is made with Maker’s Mark bourbon, espresso, cocoa and caramel bitters, plus vanilla bean. The bourbon gives the drink more body and richness that the typical espresso martini made with vodka, a great fall and winter option.

Hudson Local also presents The Old-Fashioned Old Fashioned crafted with Maker’s Mark bourbon, angostura and orange bitters.  This cocktail is a real old-school Old Fashioned that uses sugar cube versus the more common these days simple syrup.

The Stand NYC (116 East 16th Street) 3rd Avenue is a spin on the whisky sour perfectly engineered for falls cooler temperatures with Glenrothes 12-year, rye, ginger, apple, lemon and smoked cinnamon.  This bi-level Comedy Club and Restaurant pairs top comedic talents with Northern Italian taverna food prepared with a woodfired oven with signature bites that pair beautifully with its craft cocktail program, which pairs premium spirts with fresh ingredients and juices to create its artfully delicious spins on craft cocktails.

Photo Credit:  Brigitte Schambon-Kiser (@fruitofdreamsphoto)