Pumpkin Daiquiri (Autumn Daiquiri #2)

We loved the idea of the Autumn Daiquiri that we tried from the Death & Co. book last week. It had a nice burst of apple-y rum flavor and a hint of spice. But while it was a good drink, it didn’t quite capture the spirit of autumn the way that a seasonal drink should.

This Pumpkin Daiquiri, on the other hand, really does taste like fall. It has the flavors of cinnamon and clove from our spiced simple syrup, allspice from homemade allspice dram and ginger from the Domaine de Canton. A bit of molasses from the Cruzan Black Strap Rum helps to tie all the flavors together and, with the addition of pumpkin puree, is a very convincing – liquid – version of pumpkin pie. It’s not overly sweet, in part because there is a very generous pour of Mount Gay in the drink and because there is a generous splash of fresh lemon juice. Some pumpkin desserts include orange, but that would have made this daiquiri a bit too sweet. Mount Gay Eclipse is a good rum thanks to its mellow flavor profile and hint of toasted oak. That said, a lightly aged Jamaican rum would work well, too, if you don’t have Mount Gay on hand.

In hindsight, it might have been fun to top this with a dollop of whipped cream, however that would not been very daiquiri-like. We opted for a very seasonal orange peel jack-o-lantern (tutorial here!), however a simple lemon twist and a sprinkle of cinnamon would also suffice!

Pumpkin Daiquiri (Autumn Daiquiri #2)
2 oz Mount Gay Eclipse Rum
1/2 oz Allspice Dram
1/4 oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum
1/4 oz Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
1/4 oz Spiced Simple Syrup
1/2 oz lemon juice
1 tbsp pumpkin puree

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice, then shake vigorously until very well combined. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with an orange peel cut into a jack-o-lantern if you’re serving this up before Halloween. If it is after Halloween, use a lemon peel or a lemon wedge instead.

Serves 1