Pumpkin Martini

This Pumpkin Martini is like pumpkin pie in a glass! Heavy cream, real pumpkin puree and fall spices combine to make this vodka and bourbon cocktail super rich and delicious. With a cookie crumb rim and whipped cream topping, this drink is the perfect fall treat.

This drink would fit right in at a Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving!) dinner. It uses real pumpkin puree, so it has a thick and satisfying texture, kind of like a boozy pumpkin pie milkshake.

Try out this Apple Cinnamon Bourbon cocktail for another fall favorite, or the beautiful layered Candy Corn Martini cocktail. Or, go for a Warm Whiskey and Caramel cocktail for a super comforting drink!

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make the drink portion of this cocktail:

• Vodka - you don't have to use a premium vodka for this, just whatever you have on hand.
• Bourbon - the bourbon brings a little bit of oaky flavor to the drink, but it is subtle. Feel free to just use vodka if you want to save the bourbon for something that showcases its flavor more!
• Heavy cream
• Pumpkin puree
• Maple syrup - try to use a good maple syrup if you can. Grade B maple syrup is more flavorful than Grade A.
• Ginger bitters - I used hella brand Ginger Bitters, which has baking spice flavors like cinnamon, clove and allspice. You can switch this out for any pumpkin pie spice mix if you don't have it. The benefit to using the bitters is that there will be less ground spices sinking to the bottom of the drink.
• Ground cinnamon and/or nutmeg (optional - for extra flavor)
• Vanilla extract (optional)

The garnishes are all optional, but definitely make it more of a dessert experience! You'll need:

• Ginger cookies or graham crackers - for the cookie crumb rim
• Maple syrup or honey - to stick the cookie crumbs onto the glass rim
• Whipped cream - store bought whipped cream is great. If you're making your own from scratch, you'll need heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract
• Whole cinnamon stick - this gives a cinnamon aroma (and you can also use it like a mini spoon to eat the whipped cream... my fave)
• Ground cinnamon and/or nutmeg - to sprinkle on top

Substitutions

Here are some ways you can substitute ingredients, but still make a similar drink.

• Vodka and/or Bourbon - you can use all vodka or all bourbon for this drink. Or, you can also substitute in rum if you don't have either.
• Heavy cream - substitute in whole milk if you want to reduce the fat content of this drink. It will end up being a little less thick and creamy. You can also use coconut cream instead if you are trying to make it dairy free.
• Syrup - if you already have a pumpkin pie flavored syrup, you can absolutely use that in this drink. Just substitute it for the maple syrup, and you might want to omit or reduce the bitters. If you have a mix that already contains pumpkin puree, like Pumpkin Reàl pumpkin puree syrup, you can just use that in place of both the pumpkin puree and the syrup.
• Reduced sugar - instead of the maple syrup, try using a sugar free pumpkin spice syrup to reduce the sugar content. Jordan's Skinny Mixes pumpkin spice sugar-free syrup is a good keto-friendly option.
• Spices - Use a pumpkin pie spice mix if you don't have the ginger bitters on hand. You can easily make your own pumpkin spice mix by combining ground spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves.

Equipment

To make this drink, you'll need a few basic cocktail supplies. A cocktail shaker, a strainer, and a jigger are all big helps for this drink. You'll also want to serve it in a martini glass, since that will give you the most room to add cookie crumbs to the rim!

If you're making your own whipped cream, a whipped cream dispenser is a big help. Of course, you can also just add the whipped cream ingredients to a bowl and whip it using a whisk or an electric mixer.

I really love the bar tools from A Bar Above (and they make great gifts)! You can get 10% off using my discount code, LKDrinks. Their bar tools are really durable, and also can be thrown in the dishwasher when you're done mixing!

Instructions

Start out by adding cookie crumbs to the rim of the serving glass. Stick them on by dipping the rim into maple syrup or honey first to create a sticky area. Then, dip the rim again into the cookie crumbs.

Try to keep the syrup and crumbs on the outside of the glass for a cleaner look.

Set the serving glass aside and begin making the drink. Add the vodka and bourbon into a cocktail shaker.

Then, add in the heavy cream and the pumpkin puree.

Next, add the maple syrup, and then the ginger bitters.

Fill the shaker with ice, and then give the cocktail about 15 to 20 good shakes. This will allow the ice to melt a little, both chilling and diluting the drink.

Strain the drink into your prepared serving glass.

If you are making your own whipped cream, combine and add your ingredients to your dispenser, or whip them in a bowl.

Dispense the whipped cream onto the top of the drink. Try to make a pretty swirl if you can! Then, sprinkle ground cinnamon and/or nutmeg on top, and add a cinnamon stick as a final garnish before serving.

Hint: Any dried spices you used in the mixed drink will slowly fall to the bottom of the drink. Don't worry about it! Their flavors will still be mixed into the drink. Also, you can always use the cinnamon stick to stir the spices back into the drink.

Frequently Asked Questions

Top tip

This is a great drink to serve to a crowd, because you can make it the night before. Once you know the number of servings you want to make, measure everything and add it to a mixer or blender, along with ½ ounce of water per drink. Pulse the mixer or blender just until it comes together, and store it in the fridge until you're ready to serve.

You can add the cookie crumbs to the rim of all of the serving glasses beforehand. Then, when you're ready to serve, stir or pulse-blend the drink again to incorporate anything that may have settled to the bottom. Fill up the serving glasses, add the whipped cream and cinnamon, and you're ready to serve!