As the summers seem to get hotter and hotter, the cooler weather of early fall always comes as a relief. It’ s still hard to say goodbye to summer, but the change in seasons— especially autumn— brings new opportunities for food and beverages.
After reaching for chilled wines, cold beers and iced readyto-drink cocktails— whatever is cooling and easy— during the summer, fall gets us hankering for some more inspired libations. Occasions such as football tailgates, leaf-peeping strolls, apple picking and Halloween parties can set the theme for drinks.
Or you can simply embrace the fall flavor profiles and lean into pumpkin, apple, maple, ginger and so on, and get creative behind your home bar. Need some ideas?
Start with our roundup of fall drink recipes on page 6. While a few may seem ambitious, with infused spirits and flavored syrups, most are fairly straightforward. You’ ll find plenty of pumpkin, but also, fig, pear and pomegranate, among other autumnal flavors.
We’ re also intrigued with what mixologist Natasha Stanton is drinking right now: Her Far & Away rum cocktail incorporates the Indian spice garam masala. It’ s also passed through a mesh sieve with a coffee filter a few times to create a clarified cocktail; see page 5 for more.
And if you’ re having a Halloween party or just looking to make the night at home more festive, check out the holiday drink recipes on page 15.( Note: Halloween is on a Friday this year!)
If beer is your beverage of choice, Jess Slayer, wine director at Asheville, NC-based restaurant Cúrate, has some excellent pairing tips on page 14. The tapas bar has even partnered with a local brewery to create its own beers specifically designed for pairing with the Spanish cuisine.
This issue also includes ideas for stocking your home bar, an intro to Austrian wines, bourbon reviews, and much more. There’ s so much to love about fall, and we hope this edition gives you plenty of inspiration to make the most of the season.
Cheers!
Melissa Dowling Editor
BACK TO COOL
BRAND ACCELERATION
Fall 2025 Vol. 5 No. 2
EDITOR Melissa Dowling
763-383-4442 mdowling @ epgacceleration. com
MANAGING EDITOR Kyle Swartz 763-383-4447 kswartz @ epgacceleration. com
ASSOCIATE MANAGING ART DIRECTOR Nicole Siewert nsiewert @ epgacceleration. com
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Marnie Old
NATIONAL ACCOUNTS DIRECTOR Debbie Rittenberg
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LIST RENTAL Joanne Juda-Prainito jjuda-prainito @ epgacceleration. com 763-383-4401
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