Last updated: September 2026
Labor Day ends, the ATV dust settles, and the bar changes. The patio empties out by dark, the weekend crowd shrinks, and the people who show up are the ones who know your name. That is when we rebuild the menu Trail conditions, maps, and staging areas are in the Price County ATV trail guide..
Every bartender in the northwoods will tell you the same thing: fall is when a bar’s real identity shows up. Summer drinks sell on refreshment. Fall drinks sell on weight, warmth, and the fact that somebody is heading into the woods for nine days straight.
Quick Answer: Ripsaw Saloon at 1117 Railroad Avenue in Prentice pours a fall menu built around what we actually sell after the tourists leave — a $4.50 rail Old Fashioned, a $7.50 double, and a $5 Bloody Mary that carries the football weekends. Wisconsin’s 2026 archery season opened September 12, gun season runs November 21–29, and our Friday fish fry ($9 for two pieces, $11 for three) anchors the post-hunt crowd. We’re open Mon and Thu–Sun from 2PM to close, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Why Does the Ripsaw Menu Change When the Leaves Turn?
Because the customer changes. Summer is ATV riders rolling off the trail at 3 PM with dust on their boots and an hour left of daylight. Fall is hunters, farmers, and working locals who have been up since 4 AM and want something that actually lands.
We built the old seasonal guide around citrus and soda water. This one runs darker. The bourbon stays, but the grapefruit shifts to apple. The tequila stays, but the splash goes from cranberry to a warm syrup. Nothing on here is hard to make at home.
What Signals Fall at the Bar (And What the Regulars Actually Order)
Watch the counter through September. Old Fashioned sales climb the week archery opens, and they do not come back down until the snow does. The brandy sweet version, the Korbel one with the orange and cherry, dominates all year, but whisky Old Fashioneds start showing up once the frost bites.
Beer shifts too. The lemonade-heavy shandys vanish. Spotted Cow and Leinie’s stay in the cooler, but the fall pint is a darker lager or an amber. People stop asking for something cold and start asking for something satisfying.
And coffee. It does not make the cocktail list, but it is the thing we sell more of on a 40-degree Thursday than we do all of July. A bar that ignores the coffee after Labor Day is a bar that has never watched a hunter drink three cups before heading to the stand.
What Is the Rail Old Fashioned, and What Does It Cost at Ripsaw?
A rail Old Fashioned is the house pour. It uses the well whiskey, not the top shelf, and it is the price we can stand behind every single night of the year. At Ripsaw, a rail Old Fashioned runs $4.50, a double goes for $7.50, and neither one takes a back seat to the brandy version.
People assume the higher-priced pour is automatically better. It is not always. The rail pour in a Wisconsin Old Fashioned is built to be muddled with orange, cherry, and a splash of 7UP or Squirt, and the mix does a lot of the work.
Rail Whiskey Old Fashioned (Sweet)
- 2 oz rail whiskey
- 2–3 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 sugar cube or ½ oz simple syrup
- 2–3 orange slices, 2–3 maraschino cherries
- Splash of 7UP or Squirt
Muddle the orange, cherry, and sugar in a rocks glass. Add whiskey and bitters, fill with ice, top with the soda. Stir gently. Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry. We have served thousands of these, and fall is when they hit hardest.
Which Fall Cocktails Does Ripsaw Actually Serve?
Not every drink we list is on the printed card. Some are pour-to-order favorites that our bartenders know by heart. Here are the ones that show up most between September and Thanksgiving, with measurements you can replicate at home.
The Northwoods Apple Cider Bourbon
- 2 oz bourbon (we pour Maker’s Mark)
- 3 oz apple cider
- ¼ oz fresh lemon juice
- 1 cinnamon stick or a light cinnamon-sugar rim
Shake the bourbon, cider, and lemon with ice, strain into a rocks glass or a mug. Whisper of cinnamon on top. It is the closest thing we make to a campfire in a glass, and it sells out every Friday from October through the end of deer season.
The Fall Paloma
- 1.5 oz blanco tequila
- 2 oz grapefruit soda or fresh grapefruit juice
- ¼ oz apple simple syrup (or maple syrup in a pinch)
- Lime wheel
Build tall over ice. Stir once. The fall swap is the drop of maple or apple syrup, which turns a summer patio drink into something that belongs next to a plaid shirt.
What Goes With a Fall Drink at Ripsaw?
Food, and a specific kind of it. Our beef tallow wings are the fall bar food, full stop, and they pair with bourbon better than any fried food we have ever run.
Friday fish fry is the anchor, $9 for the two-piece and $11 for the three-piece, and it is the reason a hunting party will finish at the bar instead of driving home. When the gun season opens November 21, the fish fry line starts at 5 PM and does not stop until the batter does.
What Are Ripsaw’s Hours, Address, and Drink Prices?
Where We Are
Ripsaw Saloon, 1117 Railroad Avenue, Prentice, WI 54556. Phone (715) 428-2042. We are open Monday and Thursday through Sunday, 2 PM to close, and closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Fall-Relevant Prices
- Rail Old Fashioned: $4.50
- Double Old Fashioned: $7.50
- Bloody Mary: $5.00
- Friday fish fry: $9 (2-piece), $11 (3-piece)
These are the numbers we print and the numbers we stand behind. If a menu card says otherwise, the card is wrong — this is the list Joe locked in for 2026.
When Should You Time Your Deer Camp Trip Around the Bar?
Archery opened September 12. The nine-day gun season runs November 21 through 29. If your camp is anywhere near Prentice, put the Friday night fish fry on the calendar before you head into the woods. Nobody plans dinner around a bar menu by accident.
Why Ripsaw Pours These Drinks Instead of What Big-City Bars Do
Chicago and Milwaukee bars push craft cocktail menus with $16 drinks and egg whites. We push a $4.50 rail Old Fashioned and a $5 Bloody Mary. Neither is wrong — they are just different jobs. Ours is to make a working person happy on a Tuesday in a town of about 525 people.
Price County has fewer bars per person than most of Wisconsin, which means the ones here carry weight. We do not hide behind a cocktail list. We pour what the room wants and we price it like we mean it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular fall drink at Ripsaw Saloon?
The Old Fashioned, in both brandy and whiskey form. Sales climb the week archery season opens in September, and the rail version at $4.50 is the one locals order most.
How much is an Old Fashioned at Ripsaw Saloon in fall 2026?
A rail Old Fashioned is $4.50 and a double is $7.50. The Bloody Mary on fall football weekends runs $5.00.
Is Ripsaw Saloon open during deer season?
Yes. We are open Monday and Thursday through Sunday from 2 PM to close, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The Friday fish fry runs through the whole 2026 gun season, which runs November 21–29.
Can I make these fall cocktails at home?
Every drink listed above uses standard bar measures and common ingredients — bourbon, tequila, apple cider, citrus, bitters. We included the measurements so a home bartender can replicate the pour without special gear.
Does Ripsaw Saloon take reservations for deer camp groups?
Best to call ahead at (715) 428-2042 for large hunting groups, especially on fish fry Fridays when the line starts early. We are a small bar and we like a heads-up.
See also: why we fry in beef tallow
See also: our signature Wisconsin Old Fashioned
See also: our Bloody Mary that stands out in Wisconsin