Before you do the “pumpkin? seriously?” eye roll, just wait a second. Yes, businesses everywhere overload their offerings with pumpkin. (We would not be surprised if dentists started offering pumpkin flavored fluoride treatments.) But fall weather, or at least whatever fall weather is turning into with the whole climate change thing, does kind of turn us all into temporary gourd vampires. It’s the same collective seasonal madness that propels us toward shiny red hearts in February or rocket pops at the Fourth of July: for a few months out of every year, we collectively crave the very particular, very peculiar flavor of pumpkin, wherever we can get it.
One of the best, and generally least offensive, pumpkin delivery systems is the cocktail. We might insist on putting it in pies and lattes, but pumpkin also works beautifully in a mixed drink. Most often you’ll see it with bourbon or whiskey, and if you’re lucky you might get one of those creamy liquid-intoxicant-pumpkin-pie type of drinks, but we gathered as many different recipes as we could. You’ll find tequila, bourbon, vodka, and even cachaça mix well with pumpkin. And you’ll love it. Seriously, every time you see a jack-o’-lantern this year, you’re gonna be tempted to pour some liquor in and start drinking.
Pumpkin Pie Martini from WeAreNotMartha.com
Just because this website has the very prominent “not Martha” disclaimer doesn’t mean its not taking care to make a delicious cocktail (it’s a good thing). The most complicated part is making a pumpkin pie caramel syrup. But then you’ll have a pumpkin pie caramel syrup, so it’s pretty much a win.
Pumpkin Pie Caipirinha from PopSugar.com
We’ve lived our entire lives fairly confident we’d never see the words “pumpkin pie” and “Caipirinha” this close together, and yet here it is, a pumpkin-infused fall take on what’s arguably a strictly summer drink. Fresh ginger acts as a sort of bridge between the citrus, cachaça and pumpkin. Definitely a unique flavor profile, for pumpkin lovers looking for a new edge?
Pumpkin Spice Gin Sour from VinePair
Yeah, tooting our own horn a bit, but this is also a super simple, ultra sleek and fairly distinctive pumpkin cocktail. Instead of the canned puree, you’re gonna be using pumpkin butter. Just that, some gin, lemon, and egg white. (Don’t fear the albumen!!)
Apple Pumpkin Beer Cocktails from CookingandBeer.com
“It’s like pumpkin pie and apple pie got together and had a beautiful baby.” We couldn’t have said it better. Another easy prep recipe: just combine more bourbon, apple cider, and pumpkin beer. And seriously, stop hating on pumpkin beer.
Pumpkin Irish Cream from ArisMenu.com
What’s cool about this recipe is you can make a whole bunch of it at once. Oh, yeah, it also tastes like delicious, spicy fall creaminess in a glass — and a little bit healthier when you use almond milk. Definitely a good dessert drink option.
Spiced Pumpkin Punch from DomesticateMe.com
Pumpkin puree and bourbon work pretty well together, maybe no surprise. Here they’re mixed with honey and citrus and laced with fall spices before getting a final kick of ginger beer. It’d be tempting to figure out how to make this in mass, punch quantities (and then hog it all, clearly).
Pumpkin Spice Whiskey Cocktails from DishingUptheDirt.com
This recipe looks complicated, but you’re basically making a maple simple syrup with pumpkin puree and a bunch of spices. Then it’s just a quick dose of whiskey (she uses bourbon, though rye would be just as nice), a stir, and some soda water.
Pumpkin Beertail with Tequila from FloatingKitchen.net
Plenty of pumpkin cocktails use whiskey, generally bourbon, but in the right recipe, like this one, you can pair it with tequila, plus some spiced rum, plus, yeah, some pumpkin beer. It’s a whopper of a drink, so probably don’t knock this one back before trick-or-treating with the kids.
Pumpkin Margaritas from TheSkinnyConfidential.com
More tequila and pumpkin (hooray!). But what’s actually cool about this recipe is it doesn’t pack on as many calories as a lot of pumpkin cocktails do (though let’s face it, creamy pumpkin drinks are fantastic). But yeah, this one’s nice and fresh with a hit of pumpkin and some warming seasonal spice, so you can pretty much enjoy well before the leaves start putting on their show.
