Pumpkin Spice Irish Coffee (Original Recipe)

 

Pumpkin spice is really a kitchen sink approach to spicing deserts: it includes ginger, cloves, cardamon, allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon. You can buy this mix of spices or you can assemble them from your spice rack if you have one that is well stocked. The other way you can get spice in your coffee cocktail is to use flavored liqueurs. 

Cinnamon whiskey, while it is not a new item anymore, is a relatively recent way to add spice with your booze. It's not just for shots, that is. By comparison, allspice dram is an old way of preserving tropical spice in liquid form; it is basically rum cooked with sugar and allspice. Together these two liquors make up most of the flavors found in pumpkin spice. 

The rest you can sprinkle on top or work into whipped cream. This is a quick and dirty pumpkin spice recipe. Get creative, get inspired, get... Well, with whiskey in your coffee, quick and dirty is just an easy way of deciding Friday morning is part of the weekend. 

• 1 oz. cinnamon whiskey (MurLarkey cinnamon used)
• 1 oz. allspice dram
• 5 oz. of hot black coffee
• cream and sugar to taste
• pinch of ground and dried ginger
• pinch of ground nutmeg

Build the drink with liquors in a coffee mug. Fill with black coffee, add cream and sugar to taste and stir. Sprinkle additional spices on top.

Dutch Harvest Sour (Original Recipe)

 

There's no pumpkin in this cocktail--the harvest notes are suggested by a sprinkle of pumpkin spice on top of the Sour and the painting that I was working on in the background. 

But the fun thing about this cocktail is that it is a Genever Sour. It's hard to say what this drink is like because Jenever isn't whiskey and it isn't gin. It is a malty spirit that is aged in oak and flavored with juniper. That makes genever something between the two: perfect for making into a Sour, but rich enough that you can play around with fall flavors. 

I'm tempted to try it again on the rocks or up, but for now this is a traditional Sour glass. Stay tuned for cider versions and other fun creations using Genever for the fall season. 

• 1 1/2 oz. Bols barrel aged genever 
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. brown sugar syrup or to taste
• cherry and orange slice for garnish
• pinch of pumpkin spice
  

Combine genever, juice and sugar in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled sour glass and garnish with fruit.  Sprinkle pumpkin spice over the glass.