A well-made Old Fashioned will never get old: we could drink it year-round. But as fall rolls in, our mixologist, Ivy Mix, adds a couple twists to tailor this classic cocktail for those brisker nights.

First, she simmers a cinnamon bark syrup. A traditional Old Fashioned calls for granulated sugar, but infusing simple syrup with warm spice makes this cocktail fitting for fall. It’s up to you how sweet you like your Cinnamon Old Fashioned. Start with a half-teaspoon and add more according to your taste.

You could stick with whiskey to keep this drink classic, but Mix likes to split her bases. Equal parts of bourbon and dark rum make it more interesting, and the spicy, rich rum picks up the cinnamon in the syrup. Two dashes of bitters amplify the spice even more. Any aromatic bitters will do, but Angostura is Mix’s go-to for this recipe.

Ice: mixologists will tell you this is a crucial, often overlooked element. As you stir the cocktail the alcohol will melt the ice. Some dilution is good, but too much and you’ll have a watered-down drink. Mix recommends freezing ice in silicone molds, which create denser cubes that melt slowly and evenly (and taste fresher than what's been hanging out in your ice machine or grocery store).

After chilling the drink, strain it into a rocks or Old Fashioned glass over a large ice cube. An orange twist is optional, but that sweet rind, expressed into the cocktail and rubbed around the rim, does wonderful things. Make this drink with our full recipe and guided video tutorial, and you’ll agree: this amber beauty is like sweater weather in a glass.