As summer falls away and a new season arrives, one thing remains the same: the need for a great cocktail to start your shorter evenings right.

From sustainable serves and upgraded classics to recipes fit for an Indian summer party, we’ve created the perfect menu of 10 cocktails for you to make this September.

Looking for more recipe inspiration? Check out last month’s round-up of the 10 best cocktails to make at home.

If you have a recipe you would like us to consider for next month’s round-up, contact info@thespiritsbusiness.com.

Bodeo

A classic approach to a Bourbon-based cocktail with bold flavours, created by Rui Costa at Hide, as part of The London Bourbon Experience.

Ingredients:

• 40ml Rebel Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• 15ml Cocchi Dopo Teatro Vermouth Amaro
• 15ml Cynar
• 10ml Joseph Cartron Cacao Brun liqueur

Method: Pour all the ingredients into a mixing tin, add ice, and stir until the desired temperature and dilution is achieved. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass over a large ice cube and garnish with a cherry.

Kentucky Highball

A floral, zesty, light-sweet cocktail created by Alex Basile at Black Rock as part of The London Bourbon Experience.

Ingredients:

• 35ml Rebel 100 Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• 15ml House-made bee pollen infused with lavender
• 3 Dashes of grapefruit bitters
• Top up with white grape and apricot soda

Method: Mix all the ingredients in a tall glass with ice, top up with white grape and apricot soda, garnish and serve.

The Espresso Martini 2.0

The classically caffeinated Martini has levelled up with the use of Sir Edmond Gin.

Ingredients:

• 50ml Sir Edmond Gin
• 30ml Fresh-pressed espresso
• 15ml Frangelico
• 10ml Vanilla syrup
• 3 Coffee beans

Method: Pop the Martini glass in the freezer for 10 minutes. Pour the Sir Edmond Gin into a shaker and add the fresh-pressed espresso, Frangelico and vanilla syrup. Top with plenty of ice and shake until cold, then double strain into the now chilled Martini glass. Garnish with three coffee beans.

Wonky-Tini

Made with ‘wonky’ fruit rescued by Oddbox, this gin by Penrhos Spirits makes for the sustainable serve.

Ingredients: 

• 50ml Oddbox Cucumber and Apple Gin
• 50ml Cloudy apple juice
• 25ml Lemon juice
• 15ml Sugar syrup
• Mint to garnish

Method:  Add all your ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake to combine, until the shaker feels cold. Strain into a Martini glass and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Sustainable tip: freeze any leftover mint for future cocktails.

Green Negroni

The perfect cocktail to make at home to mark the return of Negroni Week (18-24 September), courtesy of Manetta’s Bar in Mayfair, London

Ingredients:

• 25ml Chase GB Gin
• 20ml Luxardo Bitter Bianco Liqueur
• 20ml Midori Liqueur (to add that pop of colour)
• 25ml Dolin de Chambery Dry Vermouth
• 10ml Drambuie liqueur
• Lime zest and a sprig of thyme to garnish

Method: Place a retro fizz serving glass into the freezer to chill half an hour beforehand. Then, put all ingredients into a mixing glass. Stir briskly for 15 seconds and then pour into the chilled glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with a twist of lime zest and a small sprig of thyme.

Milky Way Punch

Bar expert Dionusia Sakellariou teamed up with Mataroa Mediterranean Dry Gin to create the perfect summer serve for when you’re entertaining.

Ingredients (serves four):

• 200ml Mataroa Mediterranean Dry Gin
• 100ml Kernel liqueur
• 200ml Milk (lactose-free)
• 50ml Kafir lime cordial
• 1 Lemongrass stick (smashed)
• 4 Kaffir lime leaves
• 4 pieces Szechuan pepper

Method: Place all ingredients besides the gin in a vacuum bag, seal and leave it in the fridge for six hours.

When it is time to serve, fine strain in a jar, add the gin and stir. Serve in chilled glasses, filled with ice. Garnish with one Kaffir leaf in each glass. 

Laura’s Martini

We don’t know who Laura is, but what we do know is she must be pretty exotic to have this Martini, created by A is for Athens bar manager Agapi Petropoulou, named after her.

Ingredients:

• 50ml Mataroa Mediterranean Dry Gin
• 50ml Exotic mix*
• 15ml Lemon juice
• Lime zest to garnish

*For the Exotic mix: Take the juice of a kiwi (150ml) and some melon flesh (100g). Mix in a blender, with 100g of coconut sugar. Double strain, put in a bottle and keep in the fridge.

Method: Add all ingredients to a shaker and shake before and double straining into a coupette glass. Garnish with lime zest.

Maestro Dobel Ace Paloma 

These ingredients are a game, set, match made in heaven for the official Tequila sponsor of the 2023 US Open, Maestro Dobel.

Ingredients:

• 40ml Maestro Dobel Tequila Diamante Cristalino
• 55ml Owen’s Rio Red Grapefruit Soda
• Twist of Fresh Lime

Method: Build in a shaker, shake, and pour over fresh ice into glass. Top with Owen’s Rio Red Grapefruit and garnish with a rim of black lava salt and a pink grapefruit wedge placed right side up on the mouth of the glass. Your serve.

Bindi Cocktail

Found on the new menu at The Churchill Bar and Terrace in London, this lightly spiced serve has Indian summer written all over it.

Ingredients:

• 50ml Desi Daru Original Vodka
• 10ml Apricot liqueur
• 1 splash of Cedro essence
• 1 splash Vetiver essence
• 100ml Tonic water
• 5ml Simple syrup
• Half a lemongrass stick

Method: Infuse Desi Daru Original Vodka for 24 hours with Organic Masala Spice Chai. Then add all of the ingredients, except the tonic water, into a cocktail shaker and shake. Pour into a highball glass over ice and top up with tonic water.

Pomegranate Manarita

Taking a summer staple and giving it an autumnal riff is Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s Teremana Tequila, which has levelled up the classic Margarita with a bit of cinnamon spice and pomegranate. This recipe makes enough for an end of summer party.

• 355ml Teremana Blanco
• 235ml Pomegranate juice
• 180ml Cinnamon syrup*
• 120ml Lime juice
• 180ml Water
• 12 dashes orange bitters
• Pomegranate seeds, orange wheels and cinnamon sticks to garnish