Best Fall "Happy Hour" Drinks

How to make a cocktail like a pro, plus master mixologist Dale DeGroff’s fall drink pick.

Bartenders don’t come more qualified than Dale DeGroff. The creator of the modern cosmopolitan and author of The Essential Cocktail: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks(Clarkson Potter, 2008) has tended bar for nearly 30 years and has rightfully earned the name “King Cock­tail.” A wealth of historical drink know­ledge, DeGroff also has the goods on the hottest drinks—for fall, it’s “anything Latin.” So naturally, his drink choice for 2—the Caipirissima de Uva—is from Brazil. “The making of the drink—the cutting and mashing of fruit—would just be a fun couple’s thing to do,” he says. DeGroff’s tips for making a great drink: Follow a good recipe, use good glassware and a quality shaker and strain­er, (not wet) ice, premium spirits and fresh juices. And how do you know if it’s any good? “It tastes good. It’s sexy. Has a great name. And people drink it.”

Caipirissima de Uva
4 wedges lime
4 seedless red grapes
1 tsp. Demerara sugar
2 oz. 8-year-old Bacardi rum
Dash of Velvet Falernum
Cracked ice

Mash lime, grapes and sugar together. Add shot of rum, Velvet Falernum and cracked ice. Shake in cocktail shaker. Pour all contents into a rock glass.

The Modern Mama also recommends…
Strawberry Mojito
3 parts RémyRed Strawberry Kiwi Infusion
1 part rum
2 wedges lime
1 sprig fresh mint

Crush lime wedges and mint. Add ice and combine remaining ingredients.

Hpnotiq Blue Martini
2 oz. Hpnotiq
1 oz. Super premium vodka
Splash of lemon

Shake over ice.

Labatt Sterling (light beer)
Open can.

Credits: Naomi Kim, 2forcouples.com, Adam Fish (photography)