This Thanksgiving, serve up a pumpkin spice…martini?

You'll probably need a stiff drink come Thanksgiving. It's best to be prepared with pumpkin spice

By Lindsay Parrill November 15, 2022

Look, no one wants to admit it, but the truth is, come Thanksgiving, we’re all in dire need of a stiff drink. Whether it’s your Aunt Barbara in from Mississippi, chattering like a monkey about taxes, or your mom breathing down your neck about when you’re finally going to get married and make her a (cue the obnoxious squeals here) grandma!!, we all need a little vodka on Turkey Day. And this recipe for a pumpkin spice martini will have even Bible-thumpin’ Barbara reaching for a glass, thank god. It’s the perfect crime.

Pumpkin Spice martini recipe

The Kitchen is my Playground

(From The Kitchen is my Playground)

Martinis are generally made one at a time, in a cocktail shaker, providing those lovely little ice flakes bobbing on the surface of the drink. It’s the ideal way to mix a martini, but if you’re serving up a big batch, making one at a time can be more than a little annoying. One way to avoid the chaos of greedily awaiting and thirsty family members is to make a large batch ahead of time and chill before serving. Just don’t add the ice. Bonus points for chilling the martini glasses, too.

Another option, of course, is to create a fun “Pumpkin Spice Martini Station” where people can mix their own drinks, ideally somewhere outside of the kitchen. Because if you get in the way of the person cooking Thanksgiving dinner, you’re going to need more than a drink to save you.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons 100% pure pumpkin puree
3/4 ounce simple syrup
2 ounces vanilla vodka
2 ounces Bailey’s Irish Cream liquor
1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Method:

Fill a cocktail shaker with all of the ingredients and a scoop of ice, shake for 30 seconds.
Pour through a strainer into a martini glass, serve garnished with additional pumpkin pie spice and a cinnamon stick, if desired.

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Lindsay Parrill

Contributor

Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in…

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