HALLOWEEN COCKTAILS

Happy Halloween my friends. Although Halloween is not my favorite holiday, I enjoy this autumn time of a year, especially making all kinds of variations on pumpkin martini. I'd like to share a recipe that has been created for Oprah's website by my mixology teacher, Illinois Master Mixologist Bridget Albert. 

R.I.P. Cocktail:

Makes 1

* 1 1/2 ounces fresh orange juice

* 1 1/2 ounces vanilla vodka

* 3/4 ounces Pumpkin liqueur

* Lemon juice from one lemon wedge

Shake all ingredients well with ice. Strain into a Halloween-themed cocktail glass. Orange twist garnish optional.


There is plenty of variations of great pumpkin pie and other holiday cocktail recipes....

                              

SAVORY BARBADOS FLIP

Created by: Charles Joly

1 1/2 oz Mount Gay Rum
1 oz Frangelico
1 oz coconut milk
1 whole egg
fresh sage sprigs
whole nutmeg
cinnamon stick

Combine coconut milk in mixing glass with 3-4 fresh sage leaves. Muddle well. Add whole egg, Mount Gay Rum, and Frangelico. Shake thoroughly with ice. Shake some more. And shake again!
Strain into a white wine glass. Use grater to dust top of drink with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Garnish with a small sage sprig.


All these variety of  pumpkin cocktails should taste like an old fashioned piece of scrumptious pumpkin pie with a modern kick.  Here is a variety of recipes, choose the one that sounds most delicious to you.

Falling Leaf Fizz: 

1 part Grey Goose La Poire (pear-flavored vodka)
1 heaping teaspoon pumpkin butter
Pinch of pumpkin pie spice
Dash of simple syrup
4 parts of sparkling wine
Garnish: dried apple chip

Chill vodka, pumpkin butter, spice and syrup in the shaker, then pour into a Champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine and garnish

The Pumpkin Caipirinha:

1-1/2 ounce Leblon Cachaça

1/2 Lime

1/2 Agave Nectar (substitute honey in a pinch)

1-1/2 ounce Pumpkin Puree

1/2 ounce Canton Ginger Liqueur

Cut lime and place in a shaker with agave nectar and muddle. Add crushed ice, Leblon Cachaça, pumpkin puree and Canton in the shaker. Shake well and garnish with nutmeg, pumpkin flesh twist and lime wheel.

Stilleto Caipirinha:

2 ounces Leblon Cachaça

2 ounces Pear Nectar

1/2 Fresh Lemon

1/2 teaspoon Simple Syrup

Small piece of Ginger

Pinch of Nutmeg

Pinch of Ground Cinnamon

Fresh squeeze the juice of ½ a lemon. Muddle ginger and lemon in a shaker. Pour simple syrup, nutmeg, ground cinnamon, and pear nectar into the shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and add Leblon Cachaça. Shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a pinch of nutmeg.

Pumpkin Martini:

The puree

Palm-sized pumpkin slice

1 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. butter

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Spread butter and sprinkle spices on top of the pumpkin slice, then bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Spoon out the seeds and set them aside. Carve off the skin, then chop up the pumpkin and place slices into a blender (if slices are not soft yet, bake for a few more minutes). Puree slices until mixture is a liquid consistency, adding a touch of lime juice if necessary. Strain into a container. Let cool.

The Pumpkin Martini 2:

2 oz. Kettle One vodka

1 oz. Cointreau

1 oz. pumpkin puree

Touch of lime juice

Touch of simple syrup

Spiced pumpkin seeds

Pour ingredients into a mixer with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Rim the glass with spiced pumpkin seeds. Serve.

PUMPKIN FRENCH 75:

1 oz. Plymouth Gin

1 oz. Pumpkin Puree

1 1/2 oz. Fresh Lemon juice

1 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup

Champagne

Directions:

Shake all ingredients (except Champagne) in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain the mixture into a Champagne flute. Top with chilled Champagne and serve.

PUMPKIN DIVINE: 

1 part Grey Goose La Poire vodka  
1 part pumpkin butter  
1/2 part triple sec  
1/2 part simple syrup 
pinch each of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and ginger  
grated nutmeg and apple chip for garnish

Preparation:

1. Pour all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
2. Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted and beaded with sweat.
3. Strain into a cocktail glass.
4. Garnish with nutmeg and an apple chip.  

David Wolowidnyk's 'Pie' Cocktail :

Infusion Ingredients and Measurements:


1 small organic sugar pumpkin (approx. 1.75kg)
1 fresh vanilla bean pod
1 cinnamon stick
20 cloves
14 – 16 cardamom pods
1 – 1.14L Vodka (pick your favorite)
1 – 2L Jar with a tight closing lid


Infusion Preparation Method:

1. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the pulp and seeds from the inside. Do not discard the pulp and seeds.

2. Slice the pumpkin into long strips, and remove the outer skin with a sharp knife, then cut the pumpkin flesh into small pieces approximately 3-4 mm thick.
The small pieces increase surface area of the pumpkin for maximum contact with the Vodka and a slightly faster infusion.

3. Place half of the sliced pumpkin into the 2L infusion jar.

4. Take the vanilla bean and make an incision down the length of the pod then insert it into the infusion jar with the pumpkin pieces, next add the cinnamon stick, cloves, and cardamom pods.

5. Separate the pulp from the seeds and put the pulp into the infusion jar.
(Roast the seeds in the oven with a little seasoning salt, they make a great snack and are loaded with zinc)

6. Add the remaining cubes of pumpkin and fill the jar with your favorite vodka.

7. Time to let it sit for approximately 2 weeks at room temperature; occasionally gently stir the mixture with a spoon. The Vodka will preserve the ingredients so refrigeration is not necessary. During the infusion time the flavor of the spices will evolve and color will be extracted. The color desired is a brownish orange.

Once time has passed and the infusion complete…

1. Line a colander with a single layer of cheesecloth and place it in a large bowl to strain the pumpkin infusion. Press the pumpkin with a muddling stick or the back of a spoon to remove some of the vodka that has absorbed into the pumpkin.

2. Re-strain the vodka through a new single layer of cheesecloth to remove some of the sediment. The resulting color of the infusion is held in the small amount sediment that is left.

3. Funnel the infused vodka back into an empty bottle and store in the refrigerator indefinitely. I always keep one bottle from the previous year so that I can start serving this cocktail as soon as the season’s first pumpkins are ripe and this years infusions are working their magic.

HALLOWEEN TOAST

2 oz Pumpkin Vodka
½ oz simple syrup
3 ginger snap cookies ground into crumbs
1 slice of orange (for moistening the rim of the martini glass)
1 nut of nutmeg and a fine grater
Freshly whipped cream

Cocktail Preparation Method:
1. Moisten the outer rim of the chilled martini glass with the slice of orange and coat the rim by placing the glass upside down into the cookie crumbs. Lifting the glass and holding it upside down still take a napkin to remove any crumbs from the inside rim to prevent them from falling into the cocktail and disrupting the appearance of the drink.
2. Fill a cocktail mixing glass with ice and add 2oz of the Pumpkin Vodka.
3. Next add ½ oz of simple syrup.
4. Shake vigorously until well chilled.
5. Taste & adjust the sweetness if necessary to balance the flavors.
6. Strain into the prepared martini glass.
7. Top with whipped cream and freshly grated nutmeg.