Fall Menu & Seasonal Cocktails at DRIFT | Essex CT

Fall Has Arrived at DRIFT

Fall on the Connecticut shoreline calls for crisp evenings, comfort food and a cocktail with a little more bourbon in it.

Discover the Fall 2026 menu at DRIFT Restaurant in Essex, CT, featuring new seasonal dishes alongside returning favorites. This season brings Lobster Rangoon Dip with crispy wontons, our returning Delicata Squash Doughnut Rings, Spicy Tuna Musubi Crispy Rice, the Rodeo Smash Burger, Cowboy Ribeye, Blackened Salmon Alfredo and a roasted Delicata Squash Salad.

At the bar, we’re leaning all the way into sweater weather. Our fall cocktail menu brings together apple cider, pumpkin, fig, blood orange, cinnamon and warming spices in cocktails made for autumn on the Connecticut River.

Try the smoky Campfire Old Fashioned, our returning Apple Cider Margarita, or the Autumn Leaves Red Sangria with blood orange, cinnamon and pumpkin cider. Root Down, inspired by the Beastie Boys track, combines Highclere Castle Gin with brown sugar, cardamom, carrot bitters and nutmeg. You’ll also find our Pumpkin Spice Painkiller, apple-and-pumpkin Harvest Aperol Spritz, fig-forward Getting Figgy With It, and Sweater Weather White Sangria with pumpkin, bourbon, cinnamon and pumpkin cider.

Whether you’re looking for waterfront dining in Essex, seasonal cocktails, dinner near Essex Village, or a fall restaurant on the Connecticut shoreline, pull up a seat at DRIFT.

DRIFT Restaurant
37 Pratt Street · Essex, Connecticut