Perfectly Pumpkin Cocktails

When it comes to be the month of October, it can only mean one thing. It’s pumpkin season! From pumpkin picking to Pumpkin Spice Lattes to pumpkin seeds, we love this cooler season that brings us this fun flavor! In honor of the season of the pumpkin, along with Halloween and Thanksgiving, we are bringing you the best DIY pumpkin cocktails around. Bottoms up!

Basil Hayden’s Spiced Pumpkin Sour (Courtesy of Joaquín Simó)
2 parts Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
½ part Fresh Orange Juice
½ part Lemon Juice
½ part Maple Syrup
1 heaping bar spoon Canned Pumpkin Puree
3 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 part Allspice Dram
3-4 pieces Candy Corn

Combine all ingredients into a mixing tin, add ice & shake vigorously. Strain into rocks glass over ice. Garnish with skewered candy corn.

EFFEN Vodka Spiced Pumpkin (Courtesy of David Nepove)
1½ parts EFFEN Vodka
2 parts Pumpkin Mix (see recipe below)
¾ parts Pasteurized Egg White
*Pumpkin Mix
8 parts Canned Pumpkin
8 parts Freshly Pressed Apple Juice
4 tablespoons of Pumpkin Spice
8 parts Spiced Syrup (recipe below)
*Spiced Syrup
8 parts Water
8 parts White Sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Vanilla Extract
4 Whole Cloves
1 Star Anise
1/8 tsp Ground Allspice or 5 Whole Allspice Pods

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker over ice and shake thoroughly. Strain and pour into a cocktail glass. Garnish with floating cream with grated vanilla and nutmeg. *To make Spiced syrup: Combine all ingredients, except sugar, in stove-top pan and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, add sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Let cool. Strain all particles and refrigerate. Spiced Syrup will last up to two weeks.

Partida Pumpkin Margarita (Courtesy of Crema Restaurante)
2 oz. Partida Reposado Tequila
1 oz. Fresh lime/lemon juice mix
Splash of pumpkin puree
Sesame seeds
Lime wedge

Rim a cocktail glass with lime juice and sesame seeds. Mix ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Smokey Pear and Pumpkin Sour (Courtesy of Bombay Sapphire)
2 parts BOMBAY SAPPHIRE East Gin
¾ part Pumpkin Puree
½ part Xante Pear Brandy
½ part Simple Syrup
¾ part Lemon Juice
½ part Egg White

Shake hard and serve up or down in a Dewars 12 rinsed glass.

Pumpkin-tini (Courtesy of Porton)
3 parts pumpkin-infused Portón Pisco* (instructions below)
Apple Slice
*2-750mL bottles of Portón Pisco
*½ of a whole Nutmeg
*1 cinnamon stick
*20 whole cloves
*½ of a whole vanilla bean
*1 medium sized Sugar Pumpkin (also known as a cooking / baking pumpkin)

Shake pumpkin-infused Portón over ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with apple slice. *Pumpkin-Infused Portón: Cut off all outer skin of pumpkin and the cut the pumpkin into cubes and separate seeds** and non-usable pieces. Take vanilla bean and cut in half horizontally. Place all ingredients into a large glass jar, and store warm. After 2 days, remove the cinnamon stick (as it will overpower infusion). After 4 days, remove ingredients, strain through a cheese cloth, and return to empty bottles or clean glass container.

Pumpkin King (Courtesy of Bernie Waters, Rose Bar)
1 ½ oz. Auchentoshan Scotch
¾ oz. Pumpkin Liquor (housemade with reduced pumpkin beer, sugar, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and Congac)
½ oz. Lime Juice
Top with 2 oz. Ginger Beer

Add scotch, pumpkin liquor and lime juice into a mixing glass, add ice and shake for 10 seconds, strain into a Collins Glass. Top with 2 oz. Ginger Beer. Garnish with Lime Spiral.

The Spicy Pumpkin (Courtesy of Tavern 29)
1 ½ oz. Spiced Rum
¾ oz. House Infused Vanilla Vodka
1 oz. Pumpkin Puree
Splash Heavy Cream

Serve shaken and served up with a crushed almond rim.

Pumpkin-tini (Courtesy of Casa Noble Reposado Tequila)
1 ½ oz. Casa Noble Reposado Tequila
3 oz. half-and-half
½ oz. Pumpkin Spice Syrup
Cinnamon for garnish

Add ice to a cocktail shaker, followed by ingredients. Shake well and strain into a martini or short glass. Garnish with cinnamon.

Pumpkin Spice Margarita (Courtesy of Cruz Tequila)
2 parts Cruz Reposado Tequila
1 part Pumpkin Spice Liqueur
2 parts Half and Half
Cinnamon Sugar

Combine Cruz Reposado, pumpkin spice liqueur and half and half in shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a glass over ice cinnamon sugar rim.

Sauza Hot Pumpkin Spice Tequila (Courtesy of Sauza Tequila)
¼ cup Sauza Blue Silver 100% Agave Tequila
1 ½ cups Freshly Brewed Hot Coffee
¾ cup Cream
2 tbsp. Torani Pumpkin Spice Syrup
¼ cup Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
½ tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

In a saucepan, combine cream with pumpkin syrup, sugar, vanilla, spices and coffee until hot. Divide it between two mugs. Add half of the Sauza Blue Silver and stir. Top with whipped cream and cinnamon. Enjoy! (Serves 2)

Pumpkin Spice (Courtesy of Skinnygirl)
1 ½ parts Skinnygirl Bare Naked Vodka
1 part canned unsweetened pumpkin
¾ part fat free sweetened condensed milk
¾ part unsweetened almond milk
½ Tbs. pumpkin pie spice

Shake ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.

Pumpkin Pie Martini (Courtesy of Andrea Correale)
1 oz. Malibu Rum
1 oz. Kahlua
6 oz. Milk
⅓ tsp. cinnamon
½ to 1 tsp. pumpkin pie filling (depending on desired taste)
Candy corn to garnish

Blend all ingredients together in a blender with a few cubes of ice. Serve in a martini glass with candy corn garnish and sprinkle of cinnamon.

Pumpkin Martini (Courtesy of Ken & Cook)
½ oz. cream liquor
2 oz. vanila vodka
½ oz. pumpkin spiced syrup
cinnamon stick and anise for garnish

Pumpkin Patch Cocktail (Courtesy of Hotel Vermont)
2 oz pumpkin bourbon
2 oz apple cider
splash of lemon juice
splash of bitters