Pumpkin Eggnog
Overview
Pumpkin spice has become so popular it’s practically part of the American Zeitgeist. Not only is it delicious, it manages to evoke the warm cozy feeling of autumn, winter and the holidays all rolled into one. So adding it to Eggnog - which also evokes those things - was a no-brainer.
What’s nice about this recipe is it actually contains, and tastes like, real pumpkin. Most pumpkin spice-flavor things are just the baking spices associated with pumpkin pie: cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. So of all the pumpkin-y things out there, this is probably one of the pumpkin-y-est.
The spicy earthiness that ginger syrup adds is well worth the extra effort it takes to make it, and you can use any leftover for Moscow Mules or Harvest Sours. That said, you can substitute for it with more cinnamon syrup or plain sugar with ground spices in a pinch.
Recipe - makes 14-18 servings.
-
1¼ cup bourbon
-
1 cup aged rum
-
1 cup cream
-
1 cup whole milk
-
8 egg yolks (or 6 whole eggs)
-
1 cup pumpkin pureé (not pumpkin pie mix) - just over half of a 15 oz can.
-
1 cup cinnamon syrup
-
½ cup ginger syrup
-
grated nutmeg
-
Combine the cream, milk, eggs, pumpkin pureé and syrups in a mixing bowl and blend with an immersion blender, or blend in a blender, until completely smooth.
-
Add spirits and stir them in. Great fresh nutmeg on top, stir that in as well.
-
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally longer. Even days, weeks.
-
To serve, pour into small wine glasses or punch cups and grate nutmeg on top, and maybe add a few shakes of pumpkin spice blend.
Sugar Substitutions:
In place of one or both of the sweeteners, you can use simple syrup or ⅔ cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon ground spices such as cinnamon, ginger, or pumpkin spice blend.
Commentary
Spirits
As with all Eggnogs, the base spirit is flexible. I thought bourbon would be appropriate here because of it’s American roots. You could use all bourbon, though I like to split it with rum to smooth things out. Side note: rum was America’s first spirit of choice in the 18th and early 19th centuries before we started making bourbon (for more on that story check out Wayne Curtis’ amazing book And a bottle of Rum… He just released an updated version, would make for a great gift!)
If you make a batch of Pumpkin Eggnog, let me see! Tag a photo with @socialhourcocktails on Instagram.