The Happiest Hour

We scoured the best bars across the country to find fall cocktails that capture the spirit of the season.

- by NOAH ROTHBAUM

LET TEQUILA, GIN, AND VODKA have the summer. Fall is all about leaning into whiskey's inherent vanilla, baking spice, and oak notes. To help get you started, we asked some of our favorite bartenders around the U.S. for their signature fall cocktail recipes that call for bourbon, rye, single malt, and everything in between.

Some are traditional through and through, others reinvent classics, and some are wholly original. They're the kind of cocktails that make you relish the ritual. Whether you're mixing them up for a slow afternoon, to accompany a holiday feast, or as a nightcap to whet a late-night craving, these recipes are just the ticket.

AN UPDATED CLASSIC

IRISH COFFEE

One of the all-time great whiskey cocktails is the historic Irish coffee. While you can no doubt guess the drink's main ingredients—Irish whiskey and coffee—it's their proportions and quality that make or break this drink. We tapped Jack McGarry, managing director of award-winning The Dead Rabbit bars [New York, NY; Austin, TX; and soon Washington, D.C.), to share the establishment's signature Irish coffee recipe. Some nonnegotiables: Make a fresh pot of coffee, measure your ingredients, and make a quick whipped cream from scratch.

1 oz Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey

.625 oz (between .5 and .75 oz) Demerara syrup

3.5 oz hot coffee (enough to fill glass ¾ of the way)

1 oz freshly whipped cold, unsweetened heavy cream

Fresh grated nutmeg, for garnish

For the cream float

.6 oz heavy cream

Grating of fresh cinnamon