Just what is pumpkin spice?
Let’s get the most important part out of the way: pumpkin spice does not have any pumpkin in it! Rather, it’s a spice blend traditionally used for pumpkin pies. It’s not restricted to pumpkin goods exclusively, though; these spices appear in all sorts of goodies as the leaves begin to change color.
Every pie baker has their own preferred blend, but pumpkin pie spice will almost always be cinnamon-dominant, supported by allspice, clove, ginger, and nutmeg. Occasionally, you may see a pinch of black or white pepper in there, too.
Every one of these spices shows up in cocktail recipes, and for good reason – they make things tasty! We’ve dug up some of our favorite drinks that utilize these classic Fall flavors.
The heavy hitter: cinnamon
Cinnamon makes up the majority of any pumpkin spice blend, and it’s no coincidence that it’s also the most popular of those spices in cocktails. It’s practically a dessert to rival pumpkin pie when used alongside cream or eggs in drinks like the Fireside or the Secret Catch. It’s also well-matched to spiced rum, like in the Barreled Cinnamon or the Cable Car.
Allspice is pretty nice
Allspice is a dried unripe berry that has a flavor kind of like other spices (hence the name). It’s most commonly used in the form of a liqueur called allspice dram (also known as pimento dram), although rarely it shows up in allspice bitters, too. You can see how well it supports other pumpkin pie spices in Coffee Grog, which also calls for cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. But it also holds its own on center stage in All Spice and Everything Nice, or Nutty Like a Fruitcake. If you’re feeling adventurous and have a well-stocked liqueur cabinet, see how powerful just a couple dashes of allspice bitters can be in the Precision Timepiece.
We love clove
Clove is a common ingredient in pumpkin space, but a fairly rare one in cocktail recipes. When it does appear, it’s typically whole, in a hot drink like the Whitecap or the Hot Buttered Whiskey.
Ginger’s a winner
Ginger is a classic cocktail ingredient, showing up in multiple forms – fresh, syrup, soda, wine, liqueur – in tons of recipes. Pumpkin pie fans will probably enjoy the butterscotch flavors in Gingerbread, which calls for ginger wine (a spirit most readily found in the UK and Germany). The Brown Diamond is a rare ginger beer recipe that manages to pull off a rich, deep, sweetness.
A pinch of nutmeg
Though nutmeg is most often found grated atop a drink, don’t think of it as some mere garnish. It’s such a potent scent, it’s a necessary part of the flavor profile in drinks like the Bombo and the Spiced Nog Flip.
Yes, pumpkin too
We didn’t forget about the pumpkin in pumpkin pie, of course! Pumpkin is a tricky ingredient to use in cocktails because it has a fairly mid flavor, but when paired with some of these spices, that classic pie flavor comes through. Have a Pumpkin Toddy with some allspice bitters, or try out the Fireside Pumpkin (the cloves and other spices in the Jägermeister are surprisingly autumnal).
