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Recipe Detail Page
Pumpkin Spice Margarita
Autumn 2024
Reposado tequila, which already has toasty spices from resting briefly in oak barrels, works beautifully in this recipe.
Makes 1 drink
Lime wedge for rimming glass
Black salt for rimming glass
1 1/4 oz reposado tequila
1 oz Infused Pumpkin Spice Syrup (recipe follows)
1 oz lime juice
1. Prepare a Margarita glass or tumbler by running the lime wedge around the rim then dipping in black salt.
2. In a cocktail shaker full of ice, combine tequila, syrup, lime juice and shake for 30 seconds or until very cold.
3. Serve straight up in Margarita glass or over ice in rocks glass.
Makes 1 drink
INFUSED PUMPKIN SPICE SYRUP
This syrup is richly amber-coloured and perfect for spirit-forward cocktails that are typically not opaque. Use a small, melon-size pie pumpkin— they have sweeter, tender flesh.
1 small pie pumpkin
1 cup (250 mL) cold water
1 cup (250 mL) cane or turbinado sugar
1 cinnamon stick
6 whole allspice berries, lightly crushed with back of knife
3 whole cloves
3 gratings whole nutmeg
2-inch (5-cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into coins
Pinch sea salt
Pinch white pepper
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
2. Using a sharp peeler, peel the tough orange skin and any green bits off the pumpkin. Cut off the stem end then cut in half, scooping out the stringy flesh and seeds with a spoon; discard seeds or retain (see TIP 1). Cut pumpkin into wedges, then into chunks, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) square. Place on parchment on a sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned, turning after 10 minutes.
3. While pumpkin is baking, in a small saucepan whisk cold water with sugar and heat over medium -low, until sugar is dissolved and mixture gently bubbles. Do not boil. Add spices, salt and pepper, then cook for up to 5 minutes longer, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and stir to combine.
4. Add cooked pumpkin chunks to warm syrup and cover saucepan. Infuse for at least 2 hours or overnight at room temperature.
5. Strain cooled, infused syrup through a fine-mesh strainer. Do not press on pumpkin chunks (this would make the syrup cloudy). Discard solids or retain (see TIP 2). Store syrup in a tightly closed glass bottle for up to 3 weeks and gently invert or agitate the bottle to mix before serving.
Makes 12 oz (1 1/2 cups/375 mL)
TIP 1 Make Pumpkin Spice Seeds by mixing 1/2 cup (125 mL) cleaned pumpkin seeds with 1/2 oz (15 mL) Infused Pumpkin Spice Syrup and a drizzle of melted butter. Spread them on parchment paper on a sheet pan and bake in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 30 minutes or until browned and crispy, turning every 10 minutes. Cool and store in a dry, sealed contained for up to 1 day.
TIP 2 After infusing, retain the syrup-soaked, spicy pumpkin chunks to stir into a loaf-cake or muffin batter.
