Brian Nagele
It is tough to imagine the autumn season without thinking about pumpkin. Everything is pumpkin in the fall season, coffee, beers, foods and even delicious cocktail drinks.
Whether you’re looking for the perfect pumpkin cocktail to serve at Thanksgiving this year or for a boozy fall brunch, we’ve compiled a list of all the best pumpkin spice alcoholic drinks below to suit any occasion.
Sparkling Pumpkin Pie
Sparkling and pumpkin pie don’t seem to go well together, but the sparkling pumpkin pie cocktail might surprise you. It’s not a thick, creamy drink like you might expect. Instead, it consists of:
- Honey whiskey
- Lemon juice
- Pumpkin puree
- Sparkling Ice Crisp Apple
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Ice
- Whipped cream (optional)
The resulting cocktail is slightly fizzy and 100% delicious, kind of like a spiked fall soda or pumpkin-flavored seltzer. You will need to combine two parts of the whiskey with one park pumpkin puree and a half-ounce of lemon juice in a shaker until combined.
Then, pour the mixture over ice and add the Sparkling Ice Crisp Apple. Finally, polish it off with a hefty scoop of whipped cream.
Pumpkin Old Fashioned
Surprisingly, the Old Fashioned doesn’t require too much alteration to transform into a fall-flavored cocktail. To create the pumpkin Old Fashioned, all you need is the standard ingredients, including bourbon, a dash of bitters, a splash of club soda, and pumpkin syrup.
However, you might need to make it yourself unless you purchase a pre-packaged pumpkin spice syrup from somewhere. The pumpkin syrup includes:
- Hot water
- Brown sugar
- Pumpkin spice seasoning blend (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove)
- Pumpkin puree
Bring the water and brown sugar to a simmer in a saucepan before adding the other ingredients. Then, heat until the liquid becomes silky smooth and let it cool before adding it to your iced Old Fashioned.
Pumpkin Spice Margarita
As if margaritas couldn’t get better, there’s a pumpkin spice recipe. While an unexpected cocktail combination, the fall spice flavors, such as ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and pumpkin, mixed with tequila and orange liqueur create a sweet yet spicy margarita that’s ideal for the fall. The ingredients for this cocktail include:
- Tequila
- Orange liqueur
- Lime juice
- Pumpkin puree
- Pumpkin spice simple syrup (hot water, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove)
First, you’ll heat the pumpkin spice simple syrup ingredients in a saucepan until it reaches a smooth consistency. Then you’ll combine the other ingredients into a shaker. Once the simple syrup cools enough, you’ll add it to the shaker too and combine. Finally, strain the liquid into a glass filled with ice, and you have your pumpkin spice margarita.
Pumpkin Spice White Russian
Similar to a pumpkin spice mudslide, the pumpkin spice white Russian is a creamy iced drink that makes for an ideal dessert cocktail, especially during the fall. You can also dress up the glass for the cocktail to include a pumpkin and graham cracker rim for added texture and festive flavor. For the drink, you’ll need:
- Vodka
- Kahlua
- Pumpkin spice creamer
- Cinnamon stick
- Marshmallows
However, you’ll first need to prepare the glasses. To do so, gently dip the rims in some water or maple syrup for added adhesive. Then, roll the glasses in a mixture of crushed graham crackers and pumpkin pie spice.
Next, you can shake up the drink ingredients in a cocktail shaker until well-combined. Next, add some ice to your glasses and strain the liquid into them. Finally, toss in a cinnamon stick to each cup, give a little stir, and serve.
Pumpkin Martini
You might’ve heard of some of these pumpkin cocktails, but have you heard of a pumpkin martini? The cocktail is chilled and sweet with the slight zing from dark spiced rum and pumpkin spice vodka. It’s like a slice of pumpkin pie that you can drink. To make this cocktail, you’ll need:
- Dark rum
- Pumpkin spice vodka
- Half-and-half
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
Shake up the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with some ice and strain into a classic martini glass. If you want to add an extra bit of fall flair, you can rim the glass with a powdered graham cracker and cinnamon sugar accent. Of course, you’ll want to finely chop the graham cracker in a food processor first so that it will stick to the rim.
Instead of using simple syrup, you might want to dip the glass into maple syrup before rolling it in the rim’s sugar dressing to complement the martini’s sweetness and spiced flavor. Then, voila. You’ve got a cold glass of liquid fall.
Thanksgiving Sangria
You can’t have Thanksgiving without a proper pitcher of festive sangria. Well, you can, but the pumpkin spice cocktail will only make the feast that much better. Plus, it’s not difficult to create either. All you need is:
- Apple cider
- A bottle of white wine (preferably Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)
- Brandy
- Pumpkin butter
- Lemon juice
- Maple syrup
- Apples (sliced)
- Blood oranges (sliced)
- Pomegranate arils
- Ginger beer
- Cinnamon sticks
Once you’ve gathered the ingredients, dump them all into a large pitcher and stir well. Then, add ice to the pitcher or the individual glasses and pour for the optimal Thanksgiving feast beverage. You can even garnish with some star anise and extra cinnamon sticks if you want to add some extra fall flair.
Pumpkin Spice Mudslide
The pumpkin spice mudslide is like an adult’s version of a milkshake. And while any mudslide version makes for a great dessert cocktail, none hit quite as well in fall as the pumpkin spice version. You’ll make this pumpkin spice cocktail with the typical mudslide ingredients:
- Bailey’s Irish Cream
- Vodka
- Kahlua
Then, you’ll add a dash or two of some pumpkin pie spice. Add the ingredients along with ice into your cocktail shaker and whip that thing around until well-combined. Pour the contents out through the filter into your glass of choice and top it off with some whipped cream.
For even more pumpkin flavor, you can sprinkle extra pumpkin pie spice into the whipped cream topping. You can also drizzle caramel sauce, or syrup of your choosing, on top to make the cocktail even more like a tasty alcoholic sundae.
Warm & Toasty
Warm and toasty, exactly how you might picture yourself curled up next to a bonfire on a chilly autumn night. Well, that’s what the warm and toasty drink embodies. You serve the drink hot, hence the word warm in the title, but the heft splash of bourbon might warm you up too. The ingredients include:
- Bourbon
- Lemon juice
- Hot water
- Grenadine
- Cinnamon stick and orange slice (for garnish)
The woodiness of the bourbon, paired with the cinnamon stick and citrus flavors from the lemon and orange slice garnish, makes this drink taste like an older, more sophisticated apple cider.
Boozy Pumpkin Pie Hot Chocolate
One whiff of the boozy pumpkin pie hot chocolate, and you’ll want to put on your coziest flannel and curl up by the fire. It’s the ultimate boozy treat for a cold night, and you can easily swap ingredients for a non-alcoholic version.
While you can make hot chocolate from nifty hot cocoa powder packages, it would be best if you made this recipe from scratch to get the full, rich, and creamy flavor. To get started, you’ll need:
- Water
- Cocoa powder
- Whole milk
- A chocolate bar (chopped)
- Pumpkin puree
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Kahlua
- Cinnamon sticks (for garnish)
On your stovetop, you’ll bring the water to a boil, add in the cocoa powder, and whisk until smooth. Then, you’ll add in the other ingredients and simmer while whisking until everything’s melted together to a silky consistency.
The whole process only takes a few minutes. Once finished on the stovetop, gently pour the chocolatey liquid into a glass, spike it with a splash of Kahlua, and garnish with a cinnamon stick.
Pumpkin Pie Bourbon Smash
The pumpkin pie bourbon smash is filled with bubbly bourbon goodness that complements the autumn weather nicely. It’s a simple cocktail to create and will surely appease any guests at the fall festivities you plan to host this year. The pumpkin spice’s flavor and sweetness complement the bourbon’s oaky flavor, perfect for a surprisingly refreshing pumpkin spice cocktail.
To get started, you’ll need to gather the following ingredients:
- Pumpkin spice syrup
- Bourbon
- Lemon juice
- Soda water
- Cinnamon sticks (for garnish)
If you don’t have a premade pumpkin syrup, you can make some with water, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, and pumpkin pie spice heated in a saucepan. If you already have some, you can go ahead and add the syrup, bourbon, and lemon juice into a glass and stir to combine. Next, you’ll add some ice and pour in the soda water.
Pumpkin Horchata
A festive fall twist on a traditional iced Mexican beverage, Pumpkin Horchata is precisely what you need to get into the autumnal spirit. It’s somehow refreshing yet creamy and involves fundamental ingredients, including:
- Rice
- Almonds
- Cinnamon
- Water
- Milk (or coconut milk)
- Sugar
- Vanilla
- Pumpkin puree
You’ll add the rice, almonds, and cinnamon together in a bowl filled with water and let soak overnight for the best results. Then drain the ingredients from the water.
Then, you’ll add the strained mixture into a blender with a bit more water and blend until smooth. Next, take the blended mixture and strain it over a pitcher. Meanwhile, heat the pumpkin puree and vanilla in a saucepan until it liquifies some. Once the puree is finished, whisk it with the milk into the pitcher.
Kick this horchata up a notch with a splash of spiced or vanilla rum to create a spiked pumpkin horchata instead. The rum’s flavor will complement the other spices well and packs a little punch of heat, perfect for a chilly fall night.
Spiked Pumpkin Spice Latte
As if the pumpkin spice latte couldn’t get any better, there’s a recipe out there for a spiked cocktail version. Sure, you can dump some pumpkin spice creamer into your mug and add a splash of Bailey’s Irish Cream.
Or, you could add dark rum and coffee liqueur to a perfectly creamy pumpkin spice latte recipe for the optimal results that will leave your taste buds pleading for more. First, gather the following ingredients:
- Milk
- Canned pumpkin
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Coffee
- Dark rum
- Coffee liqueur
Make your coffee first, then add in the rest of the ingredients and stir until you get a smooth consistency. Then, polish the beverage off with some whipped cream or milky foam.
Is your mouth watering yet? These best pumpkin alcoholic drinks are sure to impress at any fall festivities you have planned this year. Not to mention, if you have some underage guests around or want a pumpkin spice drink that’s alcohol-free, you can effortlessly swap out the alcoholic ingredients in any of these pumpkin cocktail recipes to create a fall mocktail instead.
Are you more into beet? Check out our ranking of the best pumpkin beers to try this season by clicking here.