From a bonfire themed cocktail to one that uses seasonally foraged berries, Pritesh Mody tells us how to make our autumn nights multi-sensory moments to remember.

With the mercury falling and the nights closing in, the nation is preparing to stay in and cook up a feast – with 39% of adults saying that eating a delicious home-cooked meal is a vital ingredient of a perfect autumn evening.

According to research from Merrydown Cider, 26% of Brits claim they prefer the colder months as they take refuge in front of the fire, whack on their favourite movies (48%) and tuck into their favourite comfort food – with a stew (42%), roast dinner (36%) and a piping hot soup (30%) among the most popular dishes as we look to keep warm and cosy.

To celebrate what Brits love most about Autumn, expert Mixologist and Sunday Brunch presenter Pritesh Mody has partnered with Merrydown Cider to create a range of cocktails that capture and hero the flavours and feelings that made this time of year so special.

“Autumn is a time for celebrating and using seasonal produce is a perfect way to bring the outdoors, in. Ingredients at this time of year are fantastic for heightening those cosy, warm feelings associated with Autumn; from berries hand-picked on Autumnal walks, to apples freshly fallen from trees and packing a punch with spices.

I particularly enjoy using cider at this time of year to add depth to cocktails; by using a cider with high juice content, golden hues or extra effervescence, you can bring cocktails to life and really capture the flavours and colours that make this time of year so popular” explains Pritesh.

54% of us associate the changing colours of leaves with Autumn, so Pritesh has come up with the perfect cocktail to capture those rusty, golden tones – the Merry Fashioned, a warming Autumnal take on the traditional cocktail, using foraged sloe berries and cider.

And for those of us who love to cosy up in front of the fire, Pritesh has invented the perfect cocktail-based solution. The Bonfire Mulled Cider uses gunpowder tea to mimic that bonfire night aroma, creating a multi-sensory experience to make your November 5th one to remember.

The Merry Fashioned Cocktail

What makes a perfect Autumnal evening? According to research, an Autumnal walk and home-cooking are two of our essential ingredients. So, here’s a cocktail to warm taste buds made from cooking seasonal ingredients.

Ingredients

• 50ml Scotch Whisky – a Classic Speyside Style Such as Aberfeldy 12 or With a Gentle Smoke Such as Johnnie Walker Black Label
• 15ml Sloe Cider Syrup
• 150ml Merry Down Dry
• 150g Scottish Heather Honey
• Peel From ½ a Lemon
• 2 Dashes of Angostura Bitters

Method

• Gently simmer down until reduced by 50% (this will take around 20minutes)
• Build in the glass over one ice cube and stir
• Garnish with a lemon peel and apple slice

The Bonfire Mulled Cider Cocktail

Brewed using 12 different eating and culinary apple varietals, Merrydown Cider has been hand-picked to create a base for the home-cooked syrup due to its exceptionally high 74% juice content; stewing down to a delicious aromatic syrup with clean appley notes. The Merrydown Fashioned uses award-winning Merrydown Cider, made in Scotland, making it a perfect Burns Night celebratory cocktail that pays homage to its Scottish links.

Ingredients

• 50ml Scotch Whisky – a classic Speyside style such as Aberfeldy 12 or with a gentle smoke such as Johnnie Walker Black Label
• 15ml Sloe cider syrup
• 150ml Merry Down dry
• 150g Scottish heather honey
• Peel from ½ a lemon
• 2 dashes of Angostura bitters

Method

• Gently simmer down until reduced by 50% (this will take around 20minutes)
• Build in the glass over one ice cube and stir
• Garnish with a lemon peel and apple slice

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