Pumpkin Apple Cider Cocktail

Happy Friday everyone!  With Halloween coming up, and the start of the holiday season after that, I thought it would be appropriate to share a seasonal cocktail recipe today that you can serve at any of your holiday parties  (which reminds me, I saw my first Christmas commercial of the season last night, courtesy of Target)!

I'm not usually one to mix my own drinks using different liquors - my drink of choice is most often wine, and the occasional beer or premixed cocktail.  But when I saw this recipe for a pumpkin apple cider cocktail on Serious Eats, I was intrigued because I love anything made with pumpkin!

The original recipe was a mix of pumpkin puree, vanilla vodka, apple cider, and gingerale to add some fizz.  For my version, I wanted to incorporate this honey-flavoured whiskey that I had just purchased on a whim, thinking that it would be nice to add to my tea on a cold Fall night! I loved the sweetness that the honey adds, but if you can't find this particular brand of whiskey, you can use any whiskey and add a bit of honey to your drink instead.

Along with the whiskey, I added a sparkling apple cider beverage that I picked up from my local farmer's market.  By using a carbonated apple cider, I didn't need to add the gingerale, but if you want to use regular apple cider, you might want to add a splash of gingerale or club soda for those extra bubbles in your drink!

I was a bit skeptical of using pumpkin puree in a drink recipe, but it actually works by shaking all the components together in a cocktail shaker and then straining the mixture into your glass, so that the pumpkin puree dissolves and adds a thicker texture.  I also thought it added just the right amount of pumpkin flavour, and a dash of pumpkin pie spice helps to bring out that  flavour even more!

Overall, this was a pretty sweet drink that made it taste almost like dessert, and I loved the combination of Fall flavours with the pumpkin, apple, and honey.  I enjoyed this as a treat for myself, but I think it would make a unique addition to a Fall party menu!

Pumpkin Apple Cider Cocktail
Inspired by Serious Eats

1 shot honey flavoured whiskey

2 shots sparkling apple cider

1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp pumpkin puree

dash of pumpkin pie spice

a few ice cubes

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with the ice and shake.  Strain into a martini glass or other glass. Garnish with an apple slice if desired.

Serves 1.