5 Pumpkin Cocktails to Mix Right Now
By Vicki Cruz
A Pumpkin Shortage? Good Grief!
Yes, that’s right. Pumpkin crops are down by about half this year and the harvest ended much earlier than usual. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be any jack-o-lanterns decorating millions of porches this year. What it does mean is that you should not wait to purchase any canned pumpkin you may need for those Thanksgiving pies and these delicious pumpkin cocktails! It is the sugar pumpkins, not ornamental one, that are in limited supply (heavy rains in Illinois, where 90% of the sugar pumpkin crop is grown, were the culprit). So hurry up and grab some canned pumpkin for that pumpkin puree and mix up a delicious pumpkin cocktail before it’s too late! Cheers!
Jack’s Lantern
Ingredients:
- 1/4 oz. Lemon Juice
- 1/2 oz. Maple Syrup
- 1 bar spoon Pumpkin Purée
- dash Cinnamon
- 1 1/2 oz. Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum
- Top with Smutty Nose Pumpkin Beer (Draught)
- Cinnamon (for Garnish)
Preparation: In a pint glass, combine all ingredients except beer. Add ice and shake. Strain over fresh ice into mason jar. Top with pumpkin beer and garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Pumpkin Rye
Courtesy of Morgan Zuch, DATZ, Tampa
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Pumpkin-infused Rittenhouse Rye
- 1/2 oz. Brown Sugar Simple Syrup (1:1 ratio)
- 2 dashes Fee Brothers Lemon Bitters
- 2 dashes Fee Brothers Cardamom Bitters
- Bols Pumpkin Spice Foam*
- Ice
- Pumpkin Pie Spice and Cinnamon Stick (for Garnish)
Preparation: Combine rye, simple syrup, and both bitters in a mixing tin. Shake and strain into a brandy snifter. Add ice to float. Top with Bols Pumpkin Spice foam, dash of pumpkin pie spice and a cinnamon stick.
*Pumpkin Spice Foam
Ingredients:
- 4 Egg Whites
- 6 oz. Bols Pumpkin Spice
Preparation: Combine egg whites and Bols Pumpkin Spice together and stir. Pour into a whipped cream canister and charge with 2 CO2 cartridges. Allow to chill for at least 3 hours.
Pumpkin Caipirinha
Courtesy of Adrian Casbarian, Clyde’s Willow Creek Farm, Washington, D.C.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz. Leblon Cachaça
- 1 oz. Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
- 1/2 oz. Bols Pumpkin Spice
- 1 oz. Agave Nectar
- 4 Fresh Lime Wedges (Plus 1 for Garnish)
Preparation: In pint Glass, muddle limes and agave nectar. Add ice and remaining ingredients. Shake and strain into a glass. Fill with ice from shaker. Garnish with lime wedge.
Pumpkin Smash
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz. Stoli Vanilla Vodka
- 1/4 oz. Frangelico
- 1/4 oz. Half & Half
- 1 oz. Simple Syrup
- 2 oz. Pumpkin Puree
- Cinnamon Rim and Cinnamon Stick (for Garnish)
Preparation: Shake and strain. Garnish with a cinnamon rim and cinnamon stick.
L’orange Enchante
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 part Grey Goose L’Orange
- 3/4 parts Spicy Pumpkin Puree
- 3 parts Lemonade
- Pumpkin Spice and Burnt Orange (for Garnish)
Preparation: Build all the ingredients with ice in a mixing glass and shake. Strain over fresh ice and garnish with a pinch of pumpkin spice and a burnt orange.