Autumn is here, and what better way to celebrate than by pairing your favorite seasonal reads with the perfect cocktail?

Hard Truth Distilling Co. has teamed up with the owner of Naughty Dog Books, an independently owned bookstore in our hometown of Nashville, Indiana, to create a guide that pairs fall-inspired cocktails with must-read books.

From spooky mysteries to magical adventures, each pairing is designed to enhance the story and draw you deeper into the world of the book while savoring a handcrafted cocktail. Whether you’re curled up by the fire solo or hosting an autumn book club, these book-and-cocktail pairings are your ultimate recipe for autumn indulgence.

What To Read: Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

What To Drink: The Owens’ Charm

Cozy up with Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic — the book upon which the fall-favorite film is based — while enjoying another kind of magic: The Owens’ Charm.

This sweet, simple cocktail offers a delicate homage to the story’s central Owens sisters — Hard Truth Cinnamon Vodka for Gillian’s warmth and spice, honey simple syrup for Sally’s

deep, natural power, and a touch of bright lemon to bring balance to the pair’s relationship.

Finished with a cinnamon stick, the Owens’ Charm offers a spellbinding companion as you journey through Hoffman’s seamless blend of magic and realism, themes of love and loss, and a captivating, witchy world shaped through the lens of generations of Owens women and the curse that impacts all of their lives.

Sip with intention as the nights grow cooler, let each taste feel like a whispered incantation as you savor the story, and lose yourself in the magic, if only for a little while.

What To Read: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 

What To Drink: The Illusionist’s Fig Old Fashioned 

 Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus is a labyrinth of magic, longing, and illusions, where every corner of Le Cirque des Rêves hides secrets and wonders. 

As you follow the two rival magicians, drawn together by fate yet bound by competition, the story unfolds like a slow, tantalizing trick — beautiful, dangerous, and impossible to look away from. 

The Illusionist’s Fig Old Fashioned complements this world without stealing focus: its warm bourbon and subtle fig sweetness echo the story’s richness, while the bitters hint at the shadows lurking beneath the circus’s enchantment. 

With each sip, you can almost hear the soft hum of the circus tents and feel the thrill of walking between wonder and peril, letting the magic of Morgenstern’s world seep into your senses. 

What To Read: How to Survive Camping: The Man with No Shadow by Bonnie Quinn 

What To Drink: The Shadowed Flame 

There’s no better companion to Bonnie Quinn’s How to Survive Camping: The Man with No Shadow than The Shadowed Flame — a cocktail that burns with campfire nostalgia while carrying just enough darkness to echo Goat Valley’s secrets. 

Deep in Goat Valley Campground, the shadows don’t just linger — they follow. 

Kate, the campground’s manager, knows her family’s land is haunted, and it’s her duty to protect visitors from the strange forces that dwell there. But when campers start turning up dead, Kate realizes that something far darker may be at play. 

Chilling, atmospheric, and utterly addictive, this campfire tale is best paired with The Shadowed Flame, a Hard Truth smoked old fashioned that evokes the crackle of firewood and the whisper of smoke in the autumn air. 

Sip slowly, savor the smoke and sweetness, and let this drink keep you company as you venture deeper into Goat Valley’s chilling mysteries. 

What To Read: Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier 

What To Drink: Manderley Mist 

 Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca is a gothic classic that begins with romance but quickly unravels into something far darker. A shy young woman, swept off her feet by the enigmatic widower Maxim de Winter, believes she’s entering a fairy tale when she marries him and moves to his grand estate, Manderley. But there, she finds herself living in the long shadow of Rebecca — Maxim’s late wife, whose beauty and charm still dominate the house. The sinister Mrs. Danvers ensures the new Mrs. de Winter never forgets her rival, and what follows is a tale of jealousy, obsession, and secrets hidden beneath Manderley’s polished surface. 

The Manderley Mist is the perfect companion: cinnamon spice for courage, creamy coconut and dark coffee for decadence and shadow, and a dusting of nutmeg to finish with elegance. Sip slowly as the suspense winds tighter and the truth about Rebecca comes to light. 

What To Read: Departure 37 by Scott Carson 

What To Drink: The Ground Stop 

Scott Carson’s Departure 37 is a ride straight into eerie, Twilight Zone-style tension where the ordinary world is quietly unraveling around sixteen-year-old Charlie. 

A sudden, nationwide ground stop on air travel is just the first of a series of uncanny events, and the story’s dual timelines — modern day and 1962 — twist together like a carefully coiled mystery, keeping you on edge with every page. 

The Ground Stop smoked cocktail enhances the reader’s journey: its absinthe rinse adds a whisper of the surreal, the rye’s warmth keeps you grounded in reality, and the lemon peel sharpens your senses, just each step on the path through the story sharpens your anticipation. 

Sip slowly, let the smoke curl around your glass, and feel as though you’re sitting on the threshold of a world where nothing is quite as it seems. 

What To Read: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury 

What To Drink: The Autumn Carnival 

Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes is a nostalgic plunge into the shadowy magic of childhood fears — the thrill of the carnival, the chill of the unknown, and the tug-of-war between light and darkness. 

As Will and Jim navigate Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Magic Show, the line between wonder and terror blurs, and every corner of Green Town seems alive with possibility and menace. 

The Autumn Carnival cocktail mirrors that duality: warm, spiced, and comforting, yet with a bite that keeps you alert, much like the creeping sense of dread beneath the story’s nostalgic surface. 

Savor as you let the citrus and cinnamon unfold and feel the haunting, delicious thrill of Bradbury’s carnival swirl around you. 

What To Read: Mockingbird Court, a Shady Hollow Mystery by Juneau Black* 

What To Drink: The Harvest Mystery 

In Juneau Black’s Mockingbird Court, Autumn settles over Shady Hollow like a soft, golden blanket, but this year’s harvest festival brings more than falling leaves and pumpkin treats. 

When a famous author arrives and news of a dead body spreads, vulpine investigator Vera Vixen must navigate secrets, suspicion, and small-town intrigue to uncover the truth. 

The Harvest Mystery  is the perfect companion for this cozy read: sweet, spiced, and comforting, it reflects the warmth of fall in Shady Hollow while hinting at the unexpected twists that lie beneath the surface. 

Sip thoughtfully, let the flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, and maple mingle, and settle in for a story where charm and suspense are stirred in equal measure. 

*Preorder Mockingbird Court, the latest installment of Juneau Black’s Shady Hollow Mystery series, before it hits shelves Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025.