Take in the flavors of fall with these seasonal cocktail recipes.
Salut! I’m Kendall, the cocktail historian and geeky drinks enthusiast behind Novel Nightcaps.
Over the years, I’ve been taste-testing my way through an ever-growing library of cocktail books—exploring everything from timeless classics to modern riffs and seasonal creations. Somewhere along the way, I found my niche in geeky drinks: the ones inspired by fandoms, literature, and pop culture that invite a bit of whimsy into the glass. Whether I’m recreating a fictional favorite or unearthing an old bartender’s oddball experiment, I enjoy diving into the history, ingredients, and stories that make these recipes worth revisiting.
Here on my website, you’ll find hundreds of cocktails I’ve tried (and some originals of my own), complete with notes, methods, and honest reviews—all aimed at making the craft cocktail world a little more fun and approachable for everyone.
Cheers,
Check out a few of my highest-rated cocktail recipes.
The Mocha Spiked Horchata is a tequila-based cocktail recipe that was created by Kendall of Novel Nightcaps and Alex formerly of Sips From Scripts. This
The Water Lily is a gin-based cocktail recipe that was created by Richard Boccato in 2007 at Little Branch in New York City, New York.
The Deep Cleanse is a gin-based cocktail recipe that was created at FIG in Santa Monica, California. This variation was adapted from an issue of
A mezcal-based cocktail recipe created in 2015 by Mike Shain and Nicholas Bennett at Porchlight in New York City, New York
A liqueur-based cocktail recipe created by Michael McIlroy at Attaboy in New York City, New York
The Rosemary Gin & Tonic is a gin-based cocktail recipe that was created by the editors of PUNCH. This variation was adapted from their book
Get geeky with these cocktail recipes inspired by fictional worlds.
Learn how to make homemade simple syrups, shrubs, and spreads to use in cocktails.
Find out what I thought of different cocktail recipe books as I tasted my way through them.
