I wouldn’t let the true beginning of fall come upon us without dropping some new cocktails on you – though it’s been a while since my last cocktail post, so I’d understand if you thought that No, I haven’t taken a break from cocktailing. I’ve just been hard at work!

This fall has brought about the one year anniversary of me being a freelancer. It’s been pretty exciting, I have to say. The year has definitely been a bit of a roller coaster. My workload is completely different than it was one year ago, but I think I’m in a pretty good place!

Maybe someday I’ll write more about what that freelance life has been like. It definitely means that some days I can go to a fun lunch event I wouldn’t normally have gone to, but it also means that if that fun lunch event runs long, you are going to be up late finishing anything you need to get done that day.

It also means you have to work extra hard to get your own work done – which is why I am up late on a Monday night finishing this post. But you know what? I am pretty dang excited to be a year in and doing business for myself. It’s been an adventure, and I’ve grown so much. Cheers to the next year…. maybe I will celebrate with a cocktail?

This one uses one of my favorite fall treats – unfiltered apple cider. If you live anywhere close to an apple harvest, you’ve gotta get your hands on some. It’s so fresh and sweet – and it goes *great* with rye. Check it out.

Autumn Rye Cocktail

Ingredients

• 1 oz. rye whiskey
• 2 oz. unfiltered apple cider (ideally unpasteurized!)*
• 1/4 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. grenadine
• 3-4 dashes cardamom bitters (Recommended: The Bitter Housewife)
• Star anise for garnish

Instructions

1. Add rye, apple cider, lemon juice and grenadine to a shaker full of ice and shake 10-15 seconds, until icy cold. Strain into a rocks glass with an ice cube. Garnish with a star anise (Pro tip: they are much cheaper to obtain at homebrew stores).
2. *Just a reminder that consuming unpasteurized food products may cause food borne illness. Consume at your own risk! If you are worried or uncomfortable, simply use a pasteurized cider.