The leaves are falling, the Netflix is streaming and wait—what’s that? Your taste buds are yearning for an autumnal beverage? Well the wait is over, friends! Here are five simple drinks you can make in your dorm, apartment or otherwise tiny kitchen. To make any drink virgin, just remove the alcohol before your RA sees. Or, if you’re tight with your RA, invite them in for drinks and they probably won’t write you up.
1. Apple pie-tini
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients:
– 1 1/5 tbsp applesauce (or apple butter from Apple Farm)
– 1/3 cup apple cider
– ¼ cup vanilla vodka
– 1 tbsp ginger ale
– ½ tsp cinnamon
– Pinch of nutmeg
Directions:
In a cocktail shaker*, add 3-4 ice cubes. Add all ingredients in, close the lid and shake well. Pour into martini glass and serve.
* You can use two cups for this.
2. Mulled caramel cider
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
– 2 cups apple juice
– ¼ cup caramel sauce
– 1 cinnamon stick (or 2 tsp ground cinnamon)
– Pinch of ground cloves
– Orange peel of ½ an orange
– Lemon peel from ½ a lemon
– 2 tbsp rum
Directions:
Place everything in a medium saucepan and bring to a soft boil. Reduce to lowest setting and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve in mugs.
3. Butter beer
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients:
– 12 fl. oz pale ale (or cream soda of your choice)
– 3 tbsp butterscotch sauce
– Whipped cream
Directions:
In a glass mug, place a few dollops of whipped cream. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine beer and butterscotch. Whisk occasionally until beer boils. Remove from heat and transfer a small amount to mug and mix. Pour in rest of beer mixture. Top with whipped cream. Go outside and play Quidditch.
4. Dirty Chai Toddy
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
Chai:
– 2 cups milk
– ½ cup water
– 1 cinnamon stick (or 2 tsp ground cinnamon)
– 2 cardamom pods, crushed
– ¼ tsp black pepper
– 1 ½ inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and flattened
– 2 tbsp raw sugar
– 2 sachets black tea
Dirty Toddy:
– ¼ cup espresso
– ¼ cup bourbon
Directions:
In a small saucepan, combine milk, water, spices and sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add black sachets and steep for 5 more minutes. Then remove tea bags and spices. Split chai into 2 mugs. Add 2 tbsps of espresso and 2 tbsp bourbon to each mug. Enjoy!
5. Pumpkin Mojito
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients:
– 10 mint leaves
– 1 tbsp brown sugar
– 1 tbsp pumpkin puree
– Juice of ½ a lime
– ¼ cup sparking water
– 3 tbsp rum
Directions:
Muddle mint leaves and sugar in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add pumpkin, lime juice and rum into cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake! Strain into glass and top with sparkling water.