Top 10 cocktail recipes for October 2025
Autumn is in the air, which means you can expect to find pumpkin spice, chai, and more seasonal flavours in this month’s roundup of cocktail recipes.
Bold claim: October is the best month of the year for cocktails. We’re backing this up with those spice-filled autumnal ingredients, soothing hot drinks, spooky Halloween serves, and refreshing tropical-inspired cocktails, which are still okay to make while we enjoy a mild Indian summer.
You’ll find all of the above in the cocktail recipes below.
For more recipes, check out our previous roundups from August and September.
If you have any recipes that might be fit for November’s round up, get in touch at info@thespiritsbusiness.com
Bardinet Parisian Mule
Bring those charming sidewalk cafés of Paris to your own home, with this brandy-based Mule from Bardinet.
Ingredients:
- 30ml Bardinet VSOP
- 10ml Fresh lemon juice
- 20ml Coffee liqueur
- 1 dash Cocoa bitters
- Top with ginger ale
- Cocoa nibs for garnish
Method: Add the lemon juice, coffee liqueur, cocoa bitters and Bardinet into a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a glass filled with ice. Top with ginger ale. Garnish with crushed cocoa nibs.
Warm Hug
A hot autumnal cocktail from Tatratea that will feel like a warm hug on a chilly evening.
Ingredients:
- 40ml Tatratea 37% Hibiscus & Red Tea
- 20ml Fruit syrup
- 200ml Hot water
- Fresh raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries
Method: Put fresh fruit into the mug and cover with fruit syrup. Pour hot water over the fruit syrup, add Tatratea and stir.
The Elijah Craig Old Fashioned
The full-bodied richness of Elijah Craig’s Small Batch Bourbon works well to complement the sweetness and spiciness of the Old Fashioned’s other two ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 50ml Elijah Craig Small Batch
- 10ml Simple syrup
- 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
Method: In a mixing glass, add Elijah Craig Small Batch, bitters, simple syrup and ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain the cocktail over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with an optional twist of orange peel and a cocktail cherry.
Saroche Margarita
As agave spirits from around the world rise up, so to do Margaritas – with this one from Venezuela’s Cocuy Saroche.
Ingredients:
- 45ml Cocuy Saroche
- 30ml Triple sec
- 15ml Lime juice
- 15ml Agave syrup
- Salt the rim of a glass
Method: In a shaker with ice, combine Cocuy Saroche, triple sec, lime juice, and agave syrup. Shake well with ice and garnish with a lime wedge.
Cartron Cassis Crush
Unveiled by French liqueur producer Maison Cartron as a ‘star of the summer’, we don’t see why the Catron Cassis Crush can’t continue to shine in autumn, too.
Ingredients:
- 40ml of Crème de Cassis de Bourgogne Double Crème Joseph Cartron
- 40ml Lime juice
- 1 Pinch of salt
- 120ml sparkling water
Method: In a glass filled with ice, pour Crème de Cassis de Bourgogne Double Crème Joseph Cartron. Add lime juice and salt and stir gently. Top with sparkling water and stir again. Garnish with a twist of lemon.
Canaïma Smash
The name of this tropical-inspired cocktail from Canaïma gin is exactly how we’d instruct you to drink it.
Ingredients:
- 30ml Canaïma Gin
- 1 Lemon slice
- 1 Pineapple slice
- 1 dash Angostura Bitters
Method: Muddle lemon and pineapple in a shaker. Add Canaïma Gin, Angostura, and ice. Shake well, strain into a glass with ice, and garnish.
Bowsaw Bourbon Commando
Channel your inner slick New York bartender from the 1930s by giving the Commando a go – a Bourbon variation of a Sidecar.
Ingredients:
- 50ml Bowsaw Bourbon
- 2 dashes Absinthe
- 15ml Lime juice
- 25ml Cointreau
Method: Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Shake, then fine strain into a coupe or sour glass.
Chai Espresso Martini
We have a hunch that Chai Espresso Martinis will take over this autumn, so watch this space (and try this recipe from Desi Daru).
Ingredients:
- 45ml Desi Daru Original vodka
- 10ml Tia Maria coffee liqueur
- 15ml Chai jaggery syrup*
- 40ml Cold espresso coffee
Method for chai syrup: 250g jaggery; 125ml water; 5g chai spice mix. In a saucepan at medium heat, put the jaggery, water and chai spice mix, constantly stirring until the jaggery is fully dissolved. Let the syrup cool down for at least 30 minutes. Fine strain any excess spice, bottle and store in a cool, dry place.
Method for cocktail: Fill the big tin of a shaker with ice. Pour ingredients in the small tin. Shake for 10 to 15 seconds, making sure your movement is ample enough to incorporate air in the cocktail for beautiful foam. Fine strain in a coupe glass. Garnish with a sprinkle of chai spice mix.
The Pennywise
Showcase your scary-good bartending skills this Halloween with this serve from Sobieski, named after the clown from Stephen King’s It.
Ingredients:
- 50ml Sobieski lemonade
- 4-5 Raspberries
- 3 Lime wedges
- Candy floss
- Red cherry for garnish
Method: Add ingredients to a Highball glass and muddle well. Fill with crushed ice, top with lemonade and stir, bringing your spoon from the bottom of the glass to the top as you stir to mix the fruit all through the drink. Garnish with candy floss.
Pumpkin Spice Espresso Martini
Don’t fight the pumpkin spice fever this month, it’s not worth it – instead, embrace it with this seasonal Espresso Martini twist from Lucas Bols.
Ingredients:
- 45ml Vodka
- 15ml Bols Pumpkin Spice Liqueur
- 15ml Bols Coffee Liqueur
- 30ml Fresh espresso (optional)
- 10ml Simple syrup (to taste)
Method: Shake vigorously with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with three coffee beans, or a light dusting of cinnamon for extra fall flair.
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