Ah, autumn – the season of colourful leaves, crisp breezes and seasonal treats like mulled cider and pumpkin pie. Since Thanksgiving is over, you’ve probably got a couple extra cans of pumpkin purée in the pantry. An easy solution to this waste-not-want-not dilemma is to mix up a pumpkin spiked latte – the drink Starbucks wishes it could serve.
Ingredients:
– 3 generous tbsp pure canned pumpkin purée
– 2 tbsp cream
– 1 tbsp maple syrup or sweetener of your choice
– ¼ tsp each of cinnamon, allspice and cloves
– 40 mL whisky or bourbon
Combine ingredients plus 3 ice cubes in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously until everything is smooth, without any lumps of pumpkin. If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, a coffee thermos works just as well. Pour the drink into a glass and enjoy while it is still frosty.
This recipe has a lot of room for variation. I used coffee cream, but other kinds of cream, or even just some extra milk, work just as well. Make it a pumpkin martini by using equal parts pumpkin, cream and vodka. Or, for a pumpkin caipirinha, use equal parts white rum and pumpkin and swap out the cream for 2 tbsp lime juice. For a fall punch, shake together equal parts bourbon, pumpkin, and lemon juice, then pour over ice and top with ginger beer.
Enjoy any of these drinks at a Halloween party or while watching a scary movie. For a more authentic Starbucks experience, misspell your name in sharpie on the side of your cocktail glass.
