The ‘Trick or Treat Halloween Cocktail’ is a rye whiskey-based drink that makes use of an ingredient commonly associated with the American holiday.
Trick or Treat Halloween Cocktail – Photo © Cocktails & Bars
Halloween is not an Australian tradition but the holiday has been creeping into Australian culture and parts of the world for some time. When it comes to choosing what to drink on Halloween, there is a choice of black squid ink cocktails, activated charcoal cocktails, a Smoky Habanero Margarita or a cocktail using an ingredient commonly associated with American flavours: the pumpkin.
The recipe for ‘Trick or Treat Halloween Cocktail’ is inspired by one that features in All Days Cocktails by Shaun Byrne & Nick Tesar. Rye whiskey forms the base, sweetened with a spiced pumpkin syrup and lengthened with cream soda, a light brown soft drink flavoured with vanilla. The latter is not to be confused with creaming soda, which is a pink soft drink with berry flavours.
A little advance preparation is required to make the spicy pumpkin syrup. The pumpkin is roasted in an oven, blended then turned into a syrup with warm spices. Furthermore, the cocktail can be pre-batched without the cream soda and stored in the fridge until ready to serve.
The ‘Trick or Treat Halloween Cocktail’ is a sweet, spicy and lightly carbonated Halloween cocktail that is relatively low in ABV. In staying with the Halloween theme, the drink is served in a coupette with a black ice sphere made from food dye or activated charcoal powder.
Trick or Treat Halloween Cocktail Recipe
Adapted from a recipe in All Days Cocktails by Shaun Byrne & Nick Tesar
Ingredients
- 30 ml rye whiskey
- 60 ml spiced pumpkin syrup*
- 60 ml cream soda
*For Spiced Pumpkin Syrup
- 500g pumpkin, peeled and cut into small cubes, reserve some peel for garnish
- 100g brown sugar
- 200g caster sugar
- 650ml water
- 1 bar spoon ground allspice / pimento
Glassware: coupette
Garnish: black ice sphere
Method
Roast the pumpkin in an oven at 180oC for approximately 45 minutes. Once roasted, transfer to a blender and blend on high speed until smooth.
In a saucepan, make the syrup by adding water and sugars and stir until dissolved. Bring to the boil then reduce to simmer. Add the pumpkin purée and allspice, mix well and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Once it has cooled, strain into a clean bottle with a spring lid.
To make the cocktail, add the rye whiskey and spiced pumpkin syrup in a coupette and stir well to combine. Add the black ice sphere and finish with the cream soda.
