As the nights draw in, the days shorten and the chill in the air gets ever colder, we turn to comfort foods - and drinks! - to keep the winter blues at bay. Here are a few of our favourite gin cocktails to help keep your ‘spirits’ up as the autumn weather sets in! And we know that a top cosy night in always starts with gin…

Whether you love a creamy gin cocktail, or a twist on a classic negroni (wait until you try our Sloe gin version!) you’ll adore these easy autumn cocktail recipes.

- Love gin? Join the club!

6 of the best Autumn gin cocktails:

Autumn Apple Ginarita

50ml gin
25ml Cointreau
30ml lime juice
30ml apple cider or cloudy apple juice
Demerara sugar, to rim the glass
Ice
Cinnamon sticks to garnish, optional

To rim your glass, first scatter some demerara sugar onto a shallow dish, then wet the rim of your glass with the fresh lime juice and dip it in the sugar.

Add the gin, Cointreau, and lime juice to a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour into your glass and top with cider or cloudy apple juice to taste. Cheers!

Blackberry Champagne Punch

24 fresh blackberries
240ml Whitby Gin The Demeter Edition
60ml crème de cassis liqueur
60ml blackcurrant juice
120ml lemon juice
50g sugar
300ml Champagne or other sparkling white wine, to top up

Add all the ingredients to a punch bowl over ice and give them a stir to dissolve the sugar. Serve alongside highball glasses, additional ice and more fresh blackberries, to garnish.

Spiced Pumpkin Pie Cocktail

It’s officially pumpkin spice season, so try this creamy and super simple autumn cocktail. All you need to do is infuse your gin with the teabag to soak up all that pumpkin spice flavour. It’s like a grown-up version of a Pumpkin Spice Latte!

Toffee Apple Cocktail

Forget a Starbuck's Pumpkin Spiced Latte, one of our favourite tipples to sip this season is this delicious Toffee Apple cocktail. Flavoured with toffee and hazelnut, it's the perfect fall cocktail. (And it’s easier than you think to make!)

Sloe Gin Negroni

20ml Anno Sloe Gin
20ml Campari
30ml Londinio Dry Vermouth
Orange peel, to garnish

Stir with ice until fully chilled. Serve over ice. Garnish with a twist of orange peel and enjoy!

- SHOP SLOE GIN HERE

Spiced Pear Gin Cocktail

30ml dry gin (or to taste)
20ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
20ml Spiced Pear Sugar Syrup*
50ml pear juice
Soda water, to top up
Sprig of thyme, cinnamon stick or star anise to garnish

*For the Spiced Pear Sugar Syrup:
235ml water
200g caster sugar
1 pear, cored and cut into pieces
3 star anise
2 cardamom pods

* If you want to make your own spiced pear syrup, simply add the water, sugar, pear, star anise and cardamom pods to a small saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium heat and gently stir for about five minutes or until the sugar and pears have dissolved and you have a syrup. Strain the liquid into a jar and allow to cool completely before using.

To prepare your cocktail, fill a shaker with ice. Add your gin, lemon juice, pear juice** and spiced pear syrup. Replace the lid and shake for 15 seconds or until shaker becomes frosty. Strain into your cocktail glass. Top up with soda water. Garnish with a sprig of thyme and/or a star anise, and serve.

**If you don’t have pear juice at home, you can make some by blitzing a few fresh pears with half a cup of water and straining. You could also use apple and pear juice, which is readily available in UK supermarkets.