Autumn Leaves

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This recipe is part two of my New Orleans Mixology Monday post. For the complete story behind this drink, please click here.


And here’s a short video of the Autumn Leaves shot by Philip Beech:

 

Autumn Leaves Print Me

  • ¾ oz/22.5 ml Wild Turkey rye
  • ¾ oz/22.5 ml Clear Creek apple brandy
  • ¾ oz/22.5 ml Carpano Antica Formula vermouth
  • ¼ oz/7.5 ml Strega
  • 2 dashes cinnamon tincture*
  • 1 large strip orange peel
  1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass.
  2. Stir with ice until chilled.
  3. Strain into an ice-filled old fashioned glass and garnish with orange peel.

*To make cinnamon tincture, soak 4 ounces whole cinnamon sticks in 16 oz grain alcohol for three weeks. Strain solids and bottle.

Recipe printed courtesy of jeffreymorgenthaler.com

23 Replies to “Autumn Leaves”

  • Kate says:

    Cocktail Virgin just featured the recipe today. It may not have been evident when created, but given NOLA barman Chris Hannah’s apparent one-man crusade for the glory of Strega, that aspect of Autumn Leaves could also be considered NOLA-esque in addition to the Vieux Carré structure.

    P.S. I know what I’m drinking tonight!

  • Fiona says:

    This is the first drink that drew me to your blog, and it remains one of my favorites. Now that autumn has rolled around again I pulled it back out and it’s just as tasty as I remember. Thanks so much for sharing!

  • Kostas Alexiou says:

    Hey Jeffrey!
    I am making some cinnamon tincture. In this recipe you call for three weeks and in the video for six. Should I go three and see if I want more maturation?
    And I used vodka because here in Greece it’s not that easy to find grain alcohol. Is it a lot different in the final product?

    Cheers from Greece!

  • John Claude says:

    Oh great, thanks! When I move back from Rhode Island in February, hopefully wherever I end up working again will do their ordering from someplace decent. Otherwise I’m not above trekking to a particular store (which I have in the past) and bringing a receipt to work to get reimbursed. My last job I was the head bartender so I had the say on what we brought in. I have a feeling I’ll be starting off low-man this time and I’ll have to work my way up to talking the owners into carrying the more esoteric stuff.

    Also, the iPhone CocktailDB app? Amazing. And only $4.99 until August 31st (when after it shoots back up to $9.99)

  • eas says:

    John Claude – The Creme de Violette is now legal in Oregon. I was shocked and delighted to find Lemon Hart Demerara at the Pearl Specialty Shop – you won’t find that much of anywhere on the east coast.

  • Jeff Frane says:

    John Claude, the Broadway liquor store is god awful. You will want to explore Uptown Liquor in NW Portland; 11th Avenue Liquor on Hawthorne; and the new Pearl Specialty store (just over the Broadway Bridge). That store has some bizarre deal going with the OLCC and can sell beer & wine as well as liquor. Plus, they’re open until 10 and they’re open on Sundays. They’ve been good at getting higher-end specialty booze, although both of the other stores have larger selections. Uptown has whatever rye is available in the state, same for bourbon and great single malt selection.

  • John Claude says:

    Almost forgot. I know about the two lists on the OLCC website. There’s the Price List and the Current Product List. One being incomplete (Price) and the other just being a clusterfuck and a nightmare to find anything in (Product List). I was hoping for something more concise and organized.

  • John Claude says:

    Thanks Belinda! Does that store carry some of the more esoteric stuff? When I was living in Portland (I’ll be moving back in February) I could barely find rye whiskeys at my local (the one near the Safeway off of NE Broadway. The store we ordered from for work (Wonder Ballroom/Cafe Wonder) had a little better selection. Is there anywhere to see or print a list of the liquors that are ok to have in Oregon?

  • Belinda says:

    Yes, Stega is available in Oregon. For Oregon retail liquor stores, it is on special order, which means they have to buy a case at a time and wait 3 months to get it. Uptown Liquor on NW 23rd Place has it.

    Here is a drink recipe using Stega that Chris Hannah of Arnaud’s French 75 bar in New Orleans made up using a touch of the local Saffron vodka.

    Saffron Tea
    1 1/2 oz Sub Rosa Saffron vodka
    2 oz green tea
    1/2 oz Strega
    3/4 oz limoncello
    1/2 oz honey

    Shaken,strained over ice in a Collins glass.

  • Tiare says:

    Excellent cocktail and pic! and that ice rocks! Thanks for recipe.

  • John Claude says:

    As in you’re finding them at the liquor store? That’s good to know. Stupid OLCC. : P I still need to find out if my bottle of Creme De Violette is legal.

  • The bartenders at the Carousel did an amazing job dealing with all of us. I think people just wished that they’d staffed a little more appropriately for the mountain of drink nerds that descended upon them every day and night.

    Erik – thanks, that rock kept me nice and cool as I sipped on that thing for an hour and a half.

    John Claude – It doesn’t look like Strega is listed by the state, but I haven’t had any problems yet finding bottles here in Eugene. Someone must be doing some special orders and keeping us in The Witch.

  • John Claude says:

    Hey, Jeffery. Is Strega on the list of Oregon approved liquors? I’d love to get some for whatever bar I end up working at when I move back, but I’m wary of the OLCC. Also, do you know if Herbsaint is on there as well? I’d prefer using that over Ricard in my Sazeracs.

  • Wow, nice rock. Cocktail sounds good, too.

  • NW says:

    Ever been the last man standing in a dodgeball match? Now imagine being that guy, then having all your old teammates grabbing balls and throwing at you from behind. That’s pretty much what it is like to work a circle bar. Not many people are up to it. Even fewer experienced bartenders I suspect.

    Marvin is great guy and very capable. However, he has got a serious Sisyphus syndrome going on down there.

  • Tokyo Tea says:

    Unfortunately I, like many others, couldn’t attend T.O.C. but I keep hearing about how the Carousel “butchered” their signature drink. Extremely confused as to how even a not-so-experienced tender could screw this up given a jigger, the appropriate recipe and a little time. Any ideas?

  • Thanks, everyone! And Rick, thanks for the photo compliment. Coming from you, that does indeed mean a lot.

  • Lance J. Mayhew says:

    Nice work my friend! And even better, the Strega idea is PERFECT for an upcoming OBG class that I have to make a cocktail with some farmers market ingredients.

  • Rick says:

    Beautiful shot Jeffrey.

  • The Vieux Carré at the Hotel Monteleone was just “okay.” I’ve been eyeing a bottle of Strega at Astor for far too long. Today is the day I finally pick one up. Thanks for the recipe!

  • Stevi Deter says:

    Given that they’ve apparently decided that we only need B&B in Washington, and not just straight Benedictine, I may have to try subbing Strega when my carefully guarded stash finally disappears.

  • Thanks, Neyah. I’m a big fan of The Witch as well and wish that more people tried substituting it for Benedictine and Chartreuse, if only for curiosity’s sake.

  • NW says:

    Nice job bud. ‘The Witch’ is totally underutilized in my opinion.

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