Looking for a festive fall cocktail to serve at your Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday soiree? Look no further - This Pumpkin Martini is like pumpkin pie in a glass!
With pumpkin season just around the corner, we’ve been busy developing, updating, and shooting all kinds of recipes for Thanksgiving dinners, and the holiday season in general.
It’s our favorite time of year - the crisp air, the cozy evenings in front of a fire... the excuse to use maple syrup in all the things... you know.
Anyway, today I’m sharing my pumpkin martini recipe!
Yes, my taste in cocktails is exactly the same as it was at 18 (Note: that was legal drinking age in my hometown).
I will always prefer a sweet, fun drink over whatever boring vodka martini is supposed to be more “sophisticated” at my age, TBH. 🙂
Anyway, this decadent pumpkin pie martini fits the bill for “dessert in a glass” - it tastes like a piece of pumpkin pie!
This delicious drink is the perfect cocktail for your thanksgiving menu or holiday happy hour.
Ingredients
This pumpkin spice martini recipe uses really basic ingredients, as I wanted them to be pretty easily accessible, regardless of region or time of year.
Pumpkin liqueur and pumpkin spice liqueur can vary wildly between different brands, when you can find them at all... and the same goes for pumpkin spice syrup.
While they’re all common ingredients for various pumpkin cocktail recipes, I wanted to keep this real simple and accessible!
Anyway, I use 5 ingredients, and there’s some room to play with some of them. A few notes:
Vodka
I generally use a good quality, plain vodka for this recipe.
It’s also good with vanilla vodka or whipped cream vodka, when you have those on hand.
Pumpkin Puree
Use real pumpkin for this recipe - not pumpkin pie filling.
Puree is just pumpkin, while the pie filling has extra flavours, sweeteners, fillers, etc added.
Half and Half
Rather than using a cream liqueur, I generally use half and half when making this recipe.
When I don’t have any on hand, I’ll use either straight heavy cream, or 1 tablespoon heavy cream and 1 tablespoon almond milk or coconut milk.
Need a dairy free option? Use coconut cream!
The Remaining Ingredients
Maple Syrup - Actual maple syrup, NOT pancake syrup.
Garnishes
As-is, I generally rim the glass with maple syrup and a sugar-pumpkin spice mix, and garnish with a cinnamon stick.
The said, there are other ways to garnish the rim of your glass - and your martini in general.
As far as rims go, crushed graham crackers, Pecan Flour, or Walnut Flour are great options.
As for other garnishes, add a dollop of whipped cream, a sprinkle of nutmeg, a drizzle of caramel sauce... it’s all good!
Equipment
There’s really only 2 pieces of equipment you’ll need for this recipe:
Cocktail Shaker
Generally speaking, I use a stainless steel 2 Piece Martini Shaker Set when making these.
For some reason, I couldn’t find it when shooting the process shots... so I used a protein powder shaker. It’s all good!
Cocktail Glass
For this recipe, you’ll want a Martini Cocktail Glass, about 8 oz size.
How to Make a Pumpkin Pie Martini
The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, here is a pictorial overview.
Rim the Glass
First things first: rim your glass, if you’re going to.
Mix together a tablespoon or so of sugar with a teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, transfer to a shallow plate.
Pour about 1 tablespoon maple syrup onto a small plate.
Twirl the coated rim of the glass in the sugar and pumpkin spice mixture until well coated. Set aside.
Note: You can place the glass in the freezer for an hour or so to get a nice frost on it. Pull the chilled martini glass from the freezer right before serving.
Add a cup of ice, shake a few times, strain into a prepared glass.
Garnish with whipped cream, a sprinkle of nutmeg, and/or a cinnamon stick, if desired.
Pie Garnish Variation
If you want to really lean in on the idea of pumpkin pie - especially as a thanksgiving cocktail - change out the base recipe for the rim.
Mix the sugar and pumpkin pie spice as directed above, but add 2 tablespoon of very fine graham cracker crumbs or pecan flour.
Definitely go with the whipped cream on top, as well!
More Pumpkin Recipes
When fall is here, is there anything better than indulging in some pumpkin goodies? We’re down for all things pumpkin, whether for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or a random Tuesday!
Here are our favourite delicious recipes to use the gourd!
Baked Pumpkin Custard
Copycat Pumpkin Spice Latte
Easy Maple Pumpkin Spiced Muffins
Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
How to Carve a Pumpkin Like a Pro
How to Make Pumpkin Mead
Maple Pumpkin Spice Bagels
Maple Walnut Spiced Pumpkin Buns
Pumpkin Spice Nanaimo Bars
Quick Pumpkin Bread
Traditional Pumpkin Mousse
... and from my other blogs:
Gluten Free Maple Pumpkin Pie
Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread
Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Mini Doughnuts
Gluten-Free Sopaipillas Pasadas
Keto Pumpkin Fat Bombs
Keto Pumpkin Bars
Homemade Pumpkin Chai Latte
Pumpkin Chia Pudding
Share the Love!
Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!
Also, be sure to subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense. Well, the published nonsense, anyway!
Finally, if you love this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and/or a comment below!
Pumpkin Martini
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 oz Vodka
- 2 tablespoon Half and half
- 1-2 tablespoon Maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon Pumpkin Puree
- ¼ teaspoon Pumpkin pie spice
- Ice cubes
Instructions
- Rim your glass, if desired (see post for details!)
- Measure ingredients into a shaker.
- Add a handful of ice, shake a few times, strain into a martini cocktail glass (~8 oz size).
- Garnish with a cinnamon stick, if desired.
Nutrition
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