A Sweet Step into Fall

A Sweet Step into Fall

With its comfortable holidays and yummy seasonal food and drinks, fall is my favorite time of year.

I have lived in many different climates, but Florida seems to be one that takes a little longer to get into fall. For those of us who are looking forward to steaming apple cider, peppermint mochas and pumpkin-spiced anything, we have to wait a little longer for it to cool down enough to want a hot beverage.

I’ll be the first to admit (and my husband will agree) that I am lacking in the patience category, so instead of waiting until it’s chilly to drink a hot fall drink, I have created my own cool spin on some great fall beverages.

The first is Cool Caramel Cider, my new fall favorite. The taste of apple is what fall is all about, and blending it with caramel vodka really takes it to the next level. The drink is on the sweeter side, but the cold, hard cider is absolutely refreshing.

After falling in love with the caramel vodka, I wanted to blend it with another one of my favorite beverages — coffee. The combination of coffee and caramel is a classic and can really be enjoyed all year long.

The Karamel Macchiato martini is perfect for after dinner when there’s just no more room for dessert. It satisfies that sweet tooth and gives you a little caffeine kick to keep the fun going.

I made it with almond milk because I like the different flavor, it’s nondairy, and its thickness layers well.

Cool Caramel Cider

2 ounces Stolichnaya Salted Karamel Vodka
8 ounces hard apple cider

Fill a pint glass with ice and pour in the vodka. Top it off with hard apple cider and give it a light stir.

Karamel Macchiato Martini

2 ounces Stolichnaya Salted Karamel Vodka
1 ounce Van Gogh Espresso Vodka
1 shot espresso (or 2, if you need it)
1½ ounces almond milk
Caramel sauce, for garnish

Fill a shaker tin with some ice, both vodkas and the espresso. Shake to cool and combine. Strain into a martini glass and layer the almond milk on top. Garnish with a spiral swirl of caramel sauce. Or you can just combine everything together, shake and strain.

Bottoms up!