As the cooler autumn weather gets into full swing, customers look to restaurants to provide cocktails that warm them up and that they can cosy up to. Think of ingredients such as pumpkin, coffee liqueur, apple and pear infused with hints of cinnamon and other spices, and you’ll be on your way to creating great-tasting winter warmers. We scoured the web to bring you a few cocktail recipes that can serve as inspiration when creating your restaurant’s own signature autumn cocktail.
Pumpkin Spice Martini
Pumpkins are almost synonymous with autumn, so any decent autumn drinks menu has to have at least one pumpkin-based cocktail. This take on the classic martini mixes together pumpkin liqueur and whiskey.
Simple Hot Spiced Wine
Red wine and spices such as cinnamon sticks go into this winter warmer. The wine and spice combination is simmered over medium heat and can be made either spicy or sweet, depending on the mood you want to create.
Flaming Lamborghini
What better way to warm your menu up than with an actual burning cocktail? The classic Flaming Lamborghini combines coffee liqueur and Irish cream with a kick of Sambuca, set ablaze to heat up the cold autumn weather.
Hot Buttered Rum
As the name suggests, this warm cocktail is a mix of melted butter and rum. Best served in a mug, it will provide a welcome reprieve from the cold.
Toffee Apple
The mention of melted toffee is enough to give the impression of cosiness and warmth, which this cocktail provides. The toffee combines with vodka and apple juice to give a refreshing taste.
Once you have decided which cocktails you are adding to your menu, make sure you let your customers know. Use the space available in your restaurant such as the walls and windows to advertise your new drinks.
Additionally, all your digital media channels should carry your new cocktail menu. Get a professional photographer to take mouthwatering shots of your cocktails and post the pictures on all the media channels that you use.
If you have added your own twist to existing cocktails you can run a competition where customers get to come into the restaurant, taste the cocktail and guess the mystery ingredients. Not only will this serve as publicity, but it will also encourage more people to come into the restaurant resulting in increased sales.
The key to creating memorable cocktails is to take classic recipes and throw in your own ingredients. In this way, your restaurant can carry drinks that no one else has and this may make customers come back for more.
Malebogo Tshosa
Brand and communication expert,
Copywriter for Napkin
