Evenings are getting cooler, guests are trading Aperol for something warmer, and suddenly your bar is stacked with pumpkins instead of limes again. Autumn is a good time to rework the menu. Federweißer, pumpkin and apple are in season now, and with a bit of planning they become more than a seasonal obligation.
Plan now, and you skip the scramble at peak season.
Federweißer: the guest who never stays long
Federweißer is young, partially fermented grape must, a German autumn classic, and it has a narrow window. Fresh Federweißer is usually around from early September to late October, in some years from mid-August. After that it’s wine, and the chance is gone. That’s exactly what makes it interesting for your menu: a drink available for only a few weeks creates urgency without you having to advertise it.
A few ideas beyond the classic onion tart pairing:
- Federweißer spritz with elderflower syrup and a splash of lemon
- Federweißer sour with egg white and a touch of vanilla
- Federweißer with ginger syrup and soda, for guests who prefer it less sweet
Our pick for the menu: Federweißer spritz with elderflower
Ingredients: 10 cl Federweißer, 4 cl elderflower syrup, soda water, ice, a slice of lemon
Method: fill a glass with ice, add the Federweißer and elderflower syrup, top with soda, stir briefly and garnish with the lemon slice.
For bright, clear drinks like this, the white NaturStrohhalm fits right in. It barely stands out in the glass and leaves the stage to the drink. In cold drinks it holds its shape for up to two hours without affecting the taste.
Pumpkin in the glass: more than a pumpkin spice latte
Pumpkin has long since moved from the coffee cup to the cocktail menu. Pumpkin purée and syrup add texture and a warm sweetness that pairs well with spices like cinnamon, clove or cardamom.
Three variations for the menu:
- Pumpkin espresso martini for the after-dinner crowd
- Pumpkin chai sour with bourbon, or alcohol-free with cold chai
- Warm pumpkin punch with apple juice and star anise
Our pick for the menu: pumpkin chai sour
Ingredients: 5 cl bourbon, 2 cl pumpkin purée, 2 cl chai syrup, 2 cl lemon juice, 1 egg white (alcohol-free: swap the bourbon for cold, concentrated chai)
Method: dry shake first so the egg white foams, then shake again with ice and double strain into a rocks glass.
This is where the yellow straw earns its place. Its colour comes from real turmeric and matches the warm tone of these drinks almost exactly. It’s a small visual extra that works just as well in the alcohol-free version.
Apple, reimagined
Apple is the autumn classic every menu already has, usually as an apple spritzer. There’s more to the ingredient than that:
- Hot apple toddy with Calvados and a cinnamon stick
- Apple-rosemary fizz, fresh with a light bitterness
- Apple-beet sour, bold in colour and flavour
Our pick for the menu: apple-beet sour
Ingredients: 5 cl whisky, 3 cl beetroot juice, 2 cl cloudy apple juice, 2 cl lemon juice, 1 cl sugar syrup, 1 egg white
Method: shake all ingredients hard without ice, then shake again with ice and double strain into a coupe glass.
For bold, dark drinks like the apple-beet sour, the red beetroot straw is the right call, because its colour matches the drink. For frozen versions with crushed ice, the wide Ø 12 × 200 mm format is the better choice, as thick drinks flow through it more easily.
The straw as part of the presentation
At the bar, people drink with their eyes first. NaturStrohhalme come in four colours made from real ingredients, with no artificial dyes:
- White (natural): clear, minimal, works for anything
- Yellow (turmeric): warm, ideal for pumpkin and chai drinks
- Red (beetroot): bold, for fruit-forward or dark autumn cocktails
- Green (pandan leaf): fresh, for the last gin long drinks before winter
The base is 57 % tapioca starch and 42 % arrowroot flour, plus 1 % natural colour. The white straw contains 57 % tapioca starch and 43 % arrowroot flour. There’s no plastic and no paper in it. How it compares in the glass is covered in our article on paper straws or vegetable straws.
What matters on the floor
For bar owners and hoteliers at a glance:
- Tested against EU food contact requirements
- Vegan, with the V-Label
- No coating, so no typical PFAS source
- Gluten-free, also suitable for guests with coeliac disease
- Shape-stable for up to 2 hours in cold drinks, flavour-neutral
- Single-use, no cleaning required
| Size | Recommended for |
|---|---|
| Ø 6 × 200 mm | Long drinks, spritz, light cocktails |
| Ø 8 × 200 mm | Sours, fruit-forward cocktails |
| Ø 8 × 150 mm | Cocktails with crushed ice, caipirinhas |
| Ø 12 × 200 mm | Frozen drinks, shakes, smoothie cocktails |
Ø 8 × 200 mm is our most-ordered size in hospitality and suits most of the cold autumn drinks on this menu.
Restocking, without having to think about it
Over 95 % of our orders come from hospitality businesses that reorder roughly every three months. Plan your autumn menu now, and you can factor in supply for the rest of the year at the same time.
A menu that moves with the season stays interesting long after the calendar has moved on.
Ready to switch your business to straws made from real vegetables? Uncoated and tested against EU food contact requirements.
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