Cocktails

Chicago's Paramount Events serves the Great Pumpkin cocktail at fall events. The drink contains bourbon, pumpkin ale, spiced syrup, pureed pumpkin, an egg white, and grated nutmeg.

New Chicago restaurant Pomp & Circumstance has a cocktail list that includes the Shakedown. The drink—made with vodka, coconut water, fresh grapefruit, lime, and pineapple juices, agave syrup, ginger juice, and bitters—is served out of a pineapple-shaped copper vessel. The restaurant and its menu items are inspired by the 1960s.

In Philadelphia, Lo Spiedo has a milk punch made with spiced applejack brandy, vanilla, green tea, and clarified milk. Steve Wildy is the eatery's beverage director.

Chicago catering firm Limelight just launched its fall and winter 2015 cocktail menus. Selections include the Pomm Pomm, made with vodka, pomegranate juice, and Lucien Jacob Framboise liqueur.

In Toronto, BarChef has new menu items including Fall Essence. Owner Frankie Solarik describes the drink's innovative ingredients as: "a spherified maple and Fernet Branca granita, bitter almond and orange blossom air, [and] essence of cedar and earth. [The] cocktail, poured table-side, consists of a brandy base with balsam fir bitters, sweet vermouth, and rosemary syrup."

Earl's Kitchen & Bar is a Vancouver-based chain that's opening Chicago and Virginia outposts this fall. The venue's cocktail selection includes the cutely packaged Bee's Knees, served in a honey-bear-like glass and made with gin, Cointreau, honey, fresh lemon, and bitters.

The chain also makes a Cabin Fever cocktail. Described as a "spicy, smoky whiskey sour," the pinecone-adorned drink contains Crown Royal, port, ginger and pineapple syrups, fresh lemon juice, and bitters.

New York's Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya serves a Bloody Mariko cocktail. The spicy burnt-orange drink contains tomato juice, the Japanese grain spirit Lichikoshochu, white miso, horseradish, and Worcestershire and sriracha sauces.

Milagro Tequila brand ambassador Jaime Salas, who's based in New York, developed the Paloma Negra cocktail for Halloween or Day of the Dead celebrations. The drink contains Milagro Silver tequila, fresh grapefruit, agave nectar, fresh lime juice, club soda, and activated charcoal.

Topping off the buffet-style dinner, a Hollywood Grammy-Land dessert station will offer sweets like blue chocolate popcorn, Pop Rocks shooters, and liquid chocolate s’mores, as well as cotton candy trees, where guests can grab confections right from the branches.

Tacos are among the many dishes meant to play up quintessential California dining options.

The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market is the place for vegetarians, with vegetable dishes including caramelized rainbow cauliflower steaks (pictured). At the the Napa Wine Country station, guests will find the likes of mustard roasted free-range chicken with chardonnay-mustard jus; and red wine braised short rib grilled cheese with cave-aged gruyere.

The farmer’s market station will also offer roasted kabocha squash with Vermont maple syrup and toasted pecans and thyme.

A winter citrus salad will include blood orange, ruby star grapefruit, satsuma tangerine, cara cara orange, and Ojai cuties, dressed with citrus honey vinaigrette on butter lettuce and micro mint.

Patina Restaurant Group has also developed five Grammy-inspired cocktails, which are meant to honor the Record of the Year nominees. They include Gon’ Give It to You, inspired by the song “Uptown Funk” with a riff on the classic gin fizz, as well as She’ll Be the Death of Me as homage to the Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face,” which combines heat from chili liquor with cool, fresh mint. The drinks will be available at Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse, Ray’s & Stark Bar, Café Pinot, Pinot Grill, and Kendall’s Brasserie & Bar.