We’ve been working with Mike’s Hard Lemonade over the past few weeks to celebrate outdoor entertaining, from backyard BBQs to watermelon and flamingo picnic parties. But now that October has arrived it’s time to celebrate the start of fall! Which means it’s time for fall cocktails! This time of year the weather can’t make up its mind – we just experienced our first cold snaps of the season followed by several warmer days. So while we might not yet be ready for hot drinks like toddies and hot buttered rum, we knew we wanted to create something that would incorporate seasonal fall flavors.

The Smash is our go-to cocktail for the summer-to-fall transition: it’s refreshing and incorporates plenty of fresh seasonal fruit. Mike’s Hard Lemonade just released a brand new limited edition flavor for fall – Hard Blood Orange – which it turns out pairs amazingly well with a smooth blended Scotch. We decided to mix up a Mike’s Hard Blood Orange and Scotch Smash with a bit of cherry liqueur and some fresh oranges that just recently arrived in our local grocery store. The result is just what we’re looking for as the weather turns from summer to fall: just a bit of sweet, just a bit of tart, light and effervescent, but with an incredibly smooth warmth thanks to the blended Scotch.

An assertive single malt Scotch whisky can be tough to mix into drinks, but a mellow blended Scotch can add a bit of oak and smokiness without overwhelming a drink. Plus, Scotch goes amazing with orange, both the fresh sweet orange we smashed up and the drier citrus notes of the Mike’s Hard Blood Orange. The Mike’s Hard Blood Orange will only be available for a limited time – you’ll have to find some before it’s gone!

Our Hard Blood Orange and Scotch Smash can be enjoyed in any weather or social conditions – from a casual gathering in the backyard to watching a game on TV with friends to an indoor dinner party (especially if the Smash is served in beautiful vintage glasses). I want to make a bunch of these Smashes to serve while roasting s’mores over our backyard fire pit. Now that’s the way to take advantage of cooler weather and celebrate the start of fall!

Hard Blood Orange and Scotch Smash

2 oz Blended Scotch
1/2 oz Cherry Liqueur
1/2 a Sweet Orange, Quartered
Mike’s Hard Blood Orange

Combine the Scotch, the cherry liqueur, and the quartered orange in a cocktail shaker. Add a few pieces of ice, the bigger the better, and shake hard to smash up the orange pieces. Strain into a highball glass filled with fresh crushed ice and top with a generous pour of Mike’s Hard Blood Orange. Garnish with an orange wheel and enjoy!

This post was created in partnership with Mike’s Hard Lemonade. All content and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Oh So Beautiful Paper possible!

Photos by Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper