Attention London students: Here are four autumn cocktails to impress your flatmates

There comes a time in the year when you and your flatmates get tired of sipping lukewarm beers in the kitchen and you all fancy something different to spice it up.

Leave the Peroni in the fridge, splash out on some spirits and “borrow” a cocktail shaker.

Here are four simple, autumn-themed cocktails to impress your flatmates.

Maple Old Fashioned

A Maple Old Fashioned is a fun riff of one of the most iconic cocktails ever to grace a Happy Hour menu.

To make this drink all you need is 50ml of bourbon whiskey, 12.5ml of maple syrup and three to five dashes of orange bitters, Add this to a short glass with ice and stir for 15 to 20 seconds.

Garnish with a slice of orange or an orange peel and you’ve got yourself a Maple Old Fashioned.

Replacing the sugar and aromatic bitters in a standard Old Fashioned with maple syrup and orange bitters brings more emphasis on the subtle toffee notes you would usually get while also adding a spiced finish.

Cinnamon Espresso Martini

Also known as a bougie vodka with Red Bull, the Espresso Martini is a staple in every cocktail menu.

With an addition as simple as cinnamon, this drink is transformed into an autumnal energy booster.

To make this drink you’ll need something to shake the drink in. A cocktail shaker is best but if you don’t have one, a jar or even a gym shaker can get the job done.

Most Read

A Love Is Blind deleted scene with Marissa and Ramses has released and it’s just sad

Revealed: The number of MAFS UK 2024 couples still together has apparently leaked

Netflix has finally revealed who pays for the Love Is Blind weddings

In your shaker add 50ml of your preferred vodka, 25ml of coffee liqueur, a double shot of espresso (instant coffee can work too as long as it’s a bit stronger than your morning coffee) and finally a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Add ice and shake for eight to twelve seconds and once finished strain into a coupe/martini glass and add three coffee beans in the middle.

Without cinnamon, the Espresso Martini with its fusion of coffee and alcohol will have your head spinning in all the right ways but a simple sprinkle of cinnamon will bring complexity and a sweet/wooden flavour which only enhances the drink.

Blackberry Mojito

The Mojito generally speaking doesn’t really fit the autumn theme but blackberries are in season in autumn and everyone loves a Mojito.

In a tall glass add eight mint leaves, three blackberries (frozen ones work well too), half of a lime that has been cut into quarters (or 25ml of lime juice) and 20ml of sugar syrup/cube of sugar.

Muddle them together whilst making sure not to rip the mint or otherwise chlorophyll (the thing that makes leaves green) will release into the drink and add a bitter flavour.

Once you have a paste at the bottom, top it with ice and soda water and stir it all together.

A Blackberry Mojito is the perfect way of reminiscing the week’s worth of summer we had over a tart and earthy-tasting cocktail.

New York Sour

Ironically thought to have been created in Chicago, the New York Sour is a variation of the Whiskey Sour, where the difference lies is with the addition of red wine floated on top.

In a shaker add 50ml of your chosen whiskey, 25ml of sugar syrup and 25ml of juice from a lemon, an egg white can add a thick layer of foam on top, however if you’re a bit squeamish, you can ignore this and the drink will still taste just as good.

Shake and then strain into a short glass with ice.

Placing a spoon on the rim of your glass, pour 25ml of red wine on top, if done correctly, the red wine should be floating on top of the sour.

Whilst the idea of red wine and whiskey in the same drink may bring back PTSD from the last time you played Ring of Fire, the sour notes from the lemon blend well with the dark berries from the red wine, the end result is similar to a boozy fruit tart.

That’s not all, folks

All of the cocktails featured are variations from classic recipes, meaning that you can change one or more ingredients and still end up with something great.

Fancy replacing the vodka in the Cinnamon Espresso Martini with a rum? No problem, that works well too.

Want to switch the blackberries in the Blackberry Mojito to raspberries? Go for it.

Feel like swapping the whiskey in the Maple Old Fashioned? It’ll taste awful.

Experimentation with home bartending is the name of the game and at the end of the day, even if your drink tastes terrible, the result will always be a good buzz and a mild headache in the morning.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Erm, James Charles was in London’s Heaven nightclub handing out makeup samples to students

• Here are the seven moments every London student has to experience to know they’re an adult

• ‘So unexpected’: Ed Sheeran serenades UCL grad from canal boat whilst she was running