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Cocktail History
The Smashed Pumpkin is an autumn cocktail that was created by Jassy Davis and was first published in her book Winter Warmers: 60 Cosy Cocktails for Autumn & Winter. It’s essentially a pumpkin-flavored variation of the classic Whiskey Sour that is made with bourbon, lemon, a homemade pumpkin spice syrup, citrus, and egg.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Bourbon: This is a type of whiskey made in the United States with at least 51% corn, grains, malted barley, and water. We used Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon because it has a fresh and bright whiskey flavor that mixes well in cocktails. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Spiritless Kentucky 74 Non-Alcoholic Bourbon Whiskey in place of the whiskey.
Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. We used freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Pumpkin Spice Syrup: This is a sweetener made with pumpkin purée, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, brown sugar, white sugar, and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s sous vide recipe.
Orange Bitters: This is a food product made with oranges, botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. We used Angostura Orange Bitters. For a mocktail version of this drink, try All The Bitter Non-Alcoholic Orange Bitters in place of the orange bitters.
Egg White: This is the clear liquid in an egg. We used fresh egg whites because they add a rich, silky smooth texture.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Tasting Notes
The Smashed Pumpkin features delightful aromas of pumpkin and orange bitters, and the frothiness of the egg white is followed by a tingly finish from the bourbon, resulting in a well-balanced cocktail.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: Even though Kendall isn’t big on drinking bourbon or using egg white in cocktails, we both really enjoyed this recipe. It’s a great autumn drink for the more serious imbibers, and it’s easier to make than some of the other pumpkin-flavored cocktails we’ve tried.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Winter Warmers: 60 Cosy Cocktails for Autumn & Winter by Jassy Davis.
Add bourbon, lemon juice, pumpkin spice syrup, two dashes orange bitters, egg white, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Remove ice from shaker.
Dry shake for 5-10 more seconds to emulsify egg.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with three dashes orange bitters.
Ingredients
Directions
Add bourbon, lemon juice, pumpkin spice syrup, two dashes orange bitters, egg white, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Remove ice from shaker.
Dry shake for 5-10 more seconds to emulsify egg.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with three dashes orange bitters.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Spiritless Kentucky 74 Non-Alcoholic Bourbon Whiskey in place of the whiskey and All The Bitter Non-Alcoholic Orange Bitters in place of the orange bitters to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Pumpkin Cocktails
If you like this pumpkin-flavored cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Pumpkin Cider: An apply brandy and dark rum cocktail made with apple cider, pumpkin cubes, butter, sugar, whole cloves, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and grated nutmeg
Pumpkin Spiced Espresso Martini: A vanilla vodka cocktail made with espresso, coffee liqueur, pumpkin spice syrup, and grated nutmeg
Thanksgiving Nog: A dark rum cocktail made with water, heavy cream, pumpkin purée, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground allspice, ground nutmeg, ground mace, whipped cream, and a cinnamon stick
Spiced Pumpkin Punch: A gin cocktail made with apple cider, pumpkin purée, honey syrup, lemon juice, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon sticks
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