Today is the autumnal equinox (from the Latin for equal night), so after today the days get shorter and the nights get longer.   Earlier this month I promised to post two bourbon cocktails in honor of National Bourbon Heritage Month.  The first was the Kentucky Sunshine, and the Third Season is the second.  Celebrating fall with a Third Season, one of my original creations, is appropriate, timely, and tasty.

2.25 ounces bourbon
.75 ounces Lupo mirtillocello (blueberry liqueur)
2 dashes plum and root beer bitters from Bittered Sling
or 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine in a shaker with ice, stir with passion and grace as if you're conducting Vivaldi's Four Seasons (do I really need to tell you which one?), and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

If you don't want to bother making mirtillocello, my SWAG (sophisticated wild ass guess) is that you can substitute creme de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur, also used in cocktails such as the Bourbon Renaissance) for it.  Which bitters you use will make a difference.  While I prefer to use Bittered Sling's product for the Third Season, I recognize that it's much easier to get your hands on Angostura bitters.

Will the Third Season get you to third base with the one you love?  I make no guarantees and certainly don't want to know your answer.  Just don't have too much, as this powerful autumunal cocktail might throw off your autumnal equilibrium.