LIQUOR

LIQUOR Pumpkin spice syrup isn’t just for your coffee by Mike Usinger

Spend any amount of time trying to craft a perfect pumpkin-spice syrup and you’ll eventually come to one conclusion: there’s a good reason Howard Schultz is sitting on the recipe for Starbucks’ most perfect creation. Ever nailed something that’s almost impossible to get right? If so, you know there’s no upside to sharing your secret with the rest of the world. Which is why—assuming the green apron isn’t part of your daily wardrobe—there’s zero chance of getting your hands on a bottle, jug, or vat of official Starbucks Pumpkin Spice syrup.

So, until the coffee giant starts selling bottles of its carefully guarded pumpkin-spice syrup, you’ll keep paying the local Starbucks barista six dollars a pop for each daily fall fix. And even though all previous attempts have been futile, you’ll continue on your quest to crack the Starbucks code at home, scouring everything from the Food Network website to artisanal-hipster blogs for that perfect pumpkin-spice recipe. Because it also seems like it would be great for drinks.

When the leaves start to fall, and the Halloween season begins to ramp up, the quest begins for the perfect pumpkin cocktail. Before we get going, let’s start with a fact

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The fall-friendly Pumpkin Spice Sipper starts with Diplomático rum, pumpkin syrup, and chai. that escapes many: pumpkins actually don’t have a lot of taste. Pumpkins are part of the squash family, and if you’ve ever cooked squash you know it’s the seasonings—salt, pepper, curry, or Mayan chocolate—that elevate things. Given the subtlety of pumpkin flesh, the spices are what make a bold pumpkin-spice syrup.

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As you might be aware, those basketballsized things you turn into jack-o-lanterns aren’t really meant for eating. They’ve been bred to be watery and hollow, not tasty. So if you’re going the pumpkin-syrup-fromscratch route, start by buying sugar pumpkins, which are smaller, tastier, and less fibrous than their larger cousins. You can also cheat a little and substitute in a Kabocha squash, which is a kissing-cousin of the pumpkin.

Step one is softening the flesh. After removing the seeds and cutting your squash of choice into eight slices, place in a baking dish, cover with foil, and then roast at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour. Once things are fork-tender, remove the skins and mash in a sauce pan with one-and-ahalf cups each water and brown sugar, boil, then reduce to simmer for an hour.

Add one tablespoon of pumpkin spice (which you can do DIY-style by combining 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and a quarter teaspoon each of nutmeg, ginger, and ground cloves), stir, reduce the whole mixture by a third, and then strain into a bowl.

If all that roasting seems like too much work, mix three-quarters of a 14-ounce can of store-bought pumpkin puree with one cup each of sugar and water, and then follow steps above without the reduction.

That out of the way, think about what mixes well with pumpkin. Even though some will argue that Pumpkin Spice Margs are not only a thing but delicious, save the drinks built with fresh lemons and limes for summer.

Instead, embrace the fall with a Pumpkin Spice Martini, which you can make by mixing your DIY syrup, heavy cream, vodka, and a darker, nuanced rum like Diplomático from Venezuela. Add a kick with a half-shot of espresso, and an extra layer of flavour with a splash of Amaretto or Frangelico.

Pumpkin also plays well with bourbon. Riff on an Old Fashioned by combining Maker’s Mark (or Jack Daniel’s if you’re hanging on ’til payday), orange curaçao, pumpkin syrup, and bitters).

Getting the idea? From White Russians to Bourbon Smashes, sub in pumpkin pie syrup for simple syrup, and you’re ready for sweater season. Not to mention that goddamn time of year where you have to pony up six bucks a day at Starbucks because Howard Schultz won’t put his pumpkin spice syrup in a bottle that you can enjoy at home.

Speaking of home, here’s a pumpkin-spice cocktail courtesy of Diplomático Canadian brand ambassador Gavin Miller.

PUMPKIN SPICE SIPPER 1.5 oz Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva 4 oz pumpkin cordial* Cold chai tea

Add 1.5 oz Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva and 4 oz pumpkin cordial to a tall glass with crushed ice. Top with cold chai tea to taste and serve with a straw.

*To make pumpkin cordial combine five ounces of oat milk with five ounces pumpkin purée and two ounces pumpkin-spice syrup. Put in a blender to flash mix ingredients. g