We'll go right ahead and say it:  we’re just as excited about fall cocktails as we are all about fall dishes.  

As the days begin to get shorter and cooler, we’ll begin to swap white wines for reds.  We’ll add shots of pumpkin spice to our lattes, and pour peppermint schnapps into our mugs of hot cocoa.  But there’s nothing quite like hand-crafted fall cocktails—boozy concoctions that warm the belly and taste like the holidays itself.

This week we got the inside scoop on Black Market Liquor Bar’s fall cocktail, the Sicilian Buck, which will soon be on the beverage menu at the Studio City eatery and bar.  Created by Black Market mixologist, Jason Hubert, the libation is a creative twist on a traditional Apple Brandy Buck (part apple brandy meets ginger ale and lemon). 

The Sicilian Buck combines bonded apple brandy and amaro with lime, ginger, and soda water, yielding an aromatic and herbaceous swill.  Hubert uses Averna Amaro, from, you guessed it—Sicily—and his creation was born out of his desire to use Italian Amaro to bring a warm spice element to an Apple Brandy Buck. 

We challenge you to experience this without conjuring images of fireplaces and thanksgiving feasts, but don’t blame us when you’re going to want more than one.    

Even here in The Valley it’s getting cold outside, and we think that’s a good enough reason to order a second cocktail. 

Black Market Liquor Bar, 11915 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604.  (818) 446-2533.