Fall has finally arrived (on the calendar, anyway), and it’s time to celebrate. Pumpkin-spiced flavors have invaded seemingly every food menu and grocery store shelf you come across. But up until now, I haven’t indulged in any of the madness — though I was tempted to add pumpkin spice cream cheese to my Wawa bagel last week. Very tempted.
Perhaps the most popular item of the season is the pumpkin spice latte. There’s something about the combination of coffee, cream and pumpkin spice that results in perfect harmony. Since we’re thinking in cocktail terms, those ingredients also make for one tasty drink: a White Russian, PSL-style. It’s basically the classic cocktail you know and love, with a kiss from the fall breeze.
Lucky for us, Kahlúa makes adding the seasonal goodness to our beverage easier with its pumpkin spice liqueur. However, if you only have standard Kahlúa on hand, or don’t want to shell out the dough for another bottle, substitute that and pumpkin-spiced coffee creamer for Kahlúa’s pumpkin spice flavor. I wouldn’t incorporate an expensive vodka here, either. We’re using plenty of bold flavors to justify the cheap stuff.
Now, let’s get in on the fall-only fun.
Pumpkin Spice White Russian
Makes 1
2 parts vodka
1 part Pumpkin Spice Kahlúa
1 part heavy cream
Chocolate syrup (optional)
Vanilla wafers, crumbled (optional)
Dip one edge of a rocks glass in a small bowl with chocolate syrup, then dip it into another bowl with vanilla wafers. Fill glass with ice. Add vodka and Kahlúa. Hold a spoon just above the surface of the cocktail and gently pour heavy cream onto the spoon, allowing it to spill into the drink. Stir and serve.
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