Cocktail Wizard Jim Meehan Shares His Favorite Drinks For Fall

Just as the beginning of autumn signals the transition from swimsuits and flip-flops to cozy sweaters and socks, it’s also the time of year when our cravings shift from refreshing spritzes and icy tropical drinks to more sophisticated cocktails highlighting the flavors of fall.

And there’s no one better to help home mixologists make the seasonal shift than renowned bartender Jim Meehan, former owner of famed Manhattan cocktail den PDT. Now the beverage director at Takibi, a Japanese-influenced bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon, Meehan has literally written the book (make that two) on refined seasonal cocktails: he’s the author of The PDT Cocktail Book and Meehan’s Bartender Manual.

For those who can’t visit Takibi in person, Meehan and his bar team share their recipes for four creative autumnal cocktails made with fall-friednly ingredients like pear brandy, rye, quince and apricot liqueurs, and even a homemade blueberry-miso syrup.

We Will, We Will Roku (pictured above)

Meehan created this mashup of Negroni and Old Fashioned classic cocktails using Roku Gin, a Japanese spirit made with the usual juniper – plus botanicals of sakura flower, sakura leaf, yuzu peel, green tea, gyokuro tea, and sanaho pepper.

Ingredients

1 oz. Wild Turkey 101 Rye

1 oz. Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth

.5 oz. Suntory Roku Gin

.5 oz. Campari

.5 oz. Aperol

.25 oz. Stone Barn Apricot Liqueur

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Directions

Stir and strain into chilled rocks glass over a large cube.

Quinceidence

Fresh quince is hard to find – even in fall, when it’s in season. But this recipe from Takibi bartender Alex Anderson uses the fruit in two forms that are always available. Quince-infused liqueur lends an earthy fruitiness that unites the botanicals in the aperitivo with the aromatic sake and savory tequila. A cube of membrillo (AKA quince paste, which can be found at gourmet shops and Spanish markets) speared on a cocktail pick makes a striking, modern garnish.

Ingredients

1 oz. Tedorigawa Kinka Daiginjo Nama Sake

.75 oz. Cocchi Americano

.5 oz. Siete Leguas Reposado Tequila

.25 oz. Stone Barn Brandyworks Quince Liqueur

1 bar spoon simple syrup (made with a 1-to-1 ratio of water and granulated sugar)

Membrillo (quince paste), for garnish

Directions

Stir with ice, strain into chilled Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with cube of membrillo.

Pear Mail

Takibi’s bar manager, Lydia McLuen, amplifies the bold rum base of the classic Air Mail with Bartlett pear brandy and briny plum vinegar. Argyle’s superb traditional method sparkling wine adds an effervescent elegance.

Ingredients

1 oz Bacardi 8 Rum

.5 oz lime juice

.5 oz honey syrup (2:1)

.25 oz Clear Creek Pear Brandy

1/8 tsp Umeboshi Plum Vinegar

1.5 oz Argyle Brut Sparkling Wine

Directions

Shake all ingredients together except wine. Add wine to shaker. Fine strain into a large coupe.

Clever Club

Bartender Christie Jucha substituted Unger Farms blueberries for raspberries in her clever Clover Club variation, where miso lends a hint of umami that’s brushed back by the bracing botanicals in the gin and vermouth.

Ingredients

1.5 oz. Aviation gin

.5 oz. Macchia Dry Vermouth Marino

.75 oz. lemon juice

.75 oz. Blueberry-Miso Syrup (recipe follows)

Egg White

Blueberry-Miso Syrup recipe

Yield: about 1 quart

500g fresh blueberries

12oz water

375g sugar

40g light sweet miso

Directions

To make the Blueberry-Miso Syrup, simmer blueberries and water for 5-10 minutes. Once the juice has leached into the water and is the same color as the berries, strain through a fine strainer and coffee filter. Add sugar and miso while hot. Stir until dissolved. Store for up to 3 weeks.

To make cocktail, dry shake all ingredients, then shake with ice. Fine strain into a chilled egg coupe. Twist a lemon coin over the surface and discard.

Takibi is located at 2275 NW Flanders St, Portland, OR. For more information, visit takibipdx.com or @takibi_pdx.