So there you have it, folks. You can see it around campus and there’s nothing you can do to stop it — autumn has arrived.

This means a few things. Firstly, as if on cue, UGG boots are coming back and students are going to start wearing fluffy socks with sandals. It doesn’t matter how stylish or ugly the Birkenstocks are, that fashion sense will always reoccur. Secondly, pumpkin spice-flavored everything has arrived such as coffees, candies and brake pads.

The coming of autumn also means a change in the alcoholic scene. People all over the country are breaking out their lederhosen for one of the most cherished fall holidays: Oktoberfest.

What you need to do is get viele Freunden (it means ‘a lot of friends’ in German, you illiterate bastards) and go for a weekend road trip to the Leavenworth Oktoberfest in Leavenworth, Washington.

This event occurs every weekend for the next three weeks and tickets are $10 for Fridays and $20 for Saturdays — which doesn’t include your beer, so bring extra if you want. At Oktoberfest you have beer, schnitzel, men in short shorts and women dressed as Bavarian beer maids. There’s literally nothing not to love.

For something more close to home, Tapped in Moscow will be starting to show off its pre-winter prowess as well. Several Oktoberfest beer selections are beginning to show up on the menu. There are too many to name, so you’ll have to head down to Tapped and see for yourself.

You might be asking, “Meine Liebe, what about the cocktails?” Well, I have good news. I have been busy making some delicious stuff. You’ve heard me talk about a Rye Whiskey Old Fashioned, a cocktail with rye whiskey, Angostura bitters, sugar, orange and lemon. Now there’s a new twist of this drink which brings the sweet deliciousness of fall spiciness: a Spiced Rum Old Fashioned.

For this spin on a great drink, infuse some aged rum with oranges, cinnamon and cloves. Add four shots of aged rum (the darker the better), around two cubes of cane sugar, 10 dashes of aromatic bitters, two cloves, a cinnamon stick and some fresh orange peels to a shaker with some ice. Rock it for 30 seconds and then be sure to let it sit for another few seconds before serving it over large cubes of ice.

If you want something sparkly, go to the liquor store and grab yourself the following items: gin, Campari, Cointreau and some brut bubbly. Mix a half shot of each with fresh lemon juice, then add around 4 ounces of your sparkling wine.

This concoction is a Jasmine Smile — something light and refreshing with still a little bite of spicy crispness. It goes great with brunch and gets you tipsy much quicker than a mimosa.

With that being said, as always, please stay safe out there. With the changing of the seasons comes the snow and ice. That combined with too much liquid cheer can make for a pretty crappy drive. Take care, you drunken bastards, and bottoms up.