3 fall cocktails I tried this week
The bartender was a recent Miami transplant and self-proclaimed “fall hater." Fortunately, her cocktails painted a different picture.
The Inverno Antiquado, Pink Lady, and Falls Cocktail at OKBP. (India Kea)
After a week of gloomy weather, the sun finally made a guest appearance. It seemed that this year’s fall still had her sandals on in October, and so did I, as I headed back to my old stomping grounds for a few cocktails at OKBP—a speakeasy discreetly tucked beneath a dentist’s office in Mount Pleasant. I indulged in three bartender’s choice drinks: the Inverno Antiquado, Pink Lady, and Falls Cocktail, all priced at $16 each.
The intimate bar, seating 23 with room for a few standing patrons, boasts cozy brick interiors, dim lighting, and shelves lined with spirits and quirky tools like champagne sabers hanging above.
The bartender, a recent Miami transplant and self-proclaimed “fall hater,” described autumn as “the long walk to winter, and the perpetual feeling of Sunday,” but her cocktails painted a different picture. The Inverno Antiquado beautifully blended Miami's vibrant energy with D.C.'s impending fall. Its spicy, verdant mix of allspice, falernum, and cachaça—a nod to Latin America’s sugarcane-rich rum—brought a lively heat, while its deep spice perfectly suited the transition to autumn.
The Pink Lady, a frothy and nostalgic cocktail, transported me to school trips to the apple orchards— a day full of picking apples, running through corn mazes, and bouncing along on hayrides. Made with gin, egg whites, housemade grenadine, and apple brandy—America’s oldest spirit—it balanced tangy and sweet notes like candy in a glass, offering a taste of summer’s last sweetness before autumn settles in.
The final cocktail, aptly named Falls Cocktail, began with a sharp clap of mint between the hands of a different bartender. This spicy, warm, and boozy drink—featuring bourbon, ginger, and bitters—was the perfect antidote to autumn's forthcoming chill.
Each cocktail, despite the first bartender’s autumn gripes, transformed fall flavors into a memorable experience, even for someone longing for Miami’s warmth.
