What’s The Deal With The Pumpkin Spice Latte? And A Boozy Version

I have friends in the culinary world whose food I love and whose taste I respect.  And, they love the seasonal pumpkin latte. I’m not judging, I am stating a fact.

And, if that sounds like I am dubious about pumpkin lattes, you would be right.  Don’t get me wrong, I love pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, just about pumpkin anything—but to me, the combination of coffee and pumpkin sounds weird.  

But you can’t argue with success, and clearly I am in the minority. Or should I say, I was in the minority!?

While I was researching what it is that people like about pumpkin spice coffee, I came across an article in “Food & Wine” that cited stats from a survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. The poll of 2,000 Americans were asked lots of questions about their love or hate of pumpkin spice…and “41 percent of those surveyed said they would give up alcohol before they would give up pumpkin spice coffee…”

That got me to thinking.  What if you didn’t have to give up one to get the other?  This seemed like the perfect situation to create a mash-up.  A boozy pumpkin spice latte!

I had my mission, how was I going to make it a crave-able cocktail even for skeptics like myself? My objection to most flavored coffee drinks is the artificially flavored syrups that are used to make the drink. They almost always have an artificial taste, are too sweet and overwhelm the coffee.

So, I decided on making a boozy pumpkin spice latte with cold-brew spirits and homemade pumpkin spice syrup. Turns out, the syrup is so easy to make that there is no excuse not to do it.  And, if you want to use it in your morning brew, I wouldn’t blame you!

I opened a can of pure pumpkin puree, steeped it with filtered water, light brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, real vanilla paste and a pinch of salt.  I let it sit for a few hours to absorb all the pumpkin flavor and strained it with cheesecloth to remove the pumpkin solids.  The resulting syrup was more than I could have hoped for.  It is one of the most delicious things to come from my kitchen this year.  I will be using it in my afternoon chai tea as well as this boozy latte all winter long.  And, you are left with sweet spiced pumpkin puree that can be spread on toast or pancakes like pumpkin butter or used to make your favorite pumpkin recipe. Make sure to reduce the sugar and spices in the recipe as the pumpkin puree is already sweet and spiced.

Back to the boozy pumpkin-spice latte.  I chose the strong cold-brew Hue-Hue Coffee Rum because I wanted to use an American-made spirit, but you can use your favorite cold-brew spirit.  I sweetened the cold brew with my homemade pumpkin-spice syrup and fortified it with an extra shot of espresso.  I steamed and foamed whole milk and added it to the mix.  This was all I needed, but you could also top it with whipped cream and garnish it with a cinnamon stick if you are going all out.

With this warm cocktail in hand, I must change my vote and join the PSL lovers out there—it might just usurp my traditional holiday eggnog. 

Boozy Pumpkin Spice Latte

2 ounces cold-brew spirit, such as Hue-Hue Coffee Rum

1 shot of espresso

1 ounce of Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup (see below)

4 ounces of whole milk, steamed and foamed

In a heat proof glass, pour cold brew spirit, espresso and pumpkin spice syrup. Stir gently to combine. Top with steamed whole milk and spoon the foam on top. I like it just like this but feel free to garnish with whipped cream and a cinnamon stick or fresh grated nutmeg, if desired.

Makes 1 drink.

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup:

Keep this syrup on hand to make straight or boozy PSLs at home. It’s also great on ice cream, yogurt, pancakes, waffles and French Toast.

1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree

2 cups filtered water

1 16-0unce box light brown sugar, or four cups

1 generous tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

½teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

1 teaspoon real vanilla paste

Add pumpkin, water, sugar, spices and salt to a four-quart heavy duty pot.  Carefully whisk well.  It will take a few turns around the pot to incorporate the pumpkin and spices. Bring everything to a low boil and stir. At this point, add the vanilla paste and whisk well. Do not let it continue to boil. Turn off the heat and cover.

Let sit for several hours.  When cool, strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth.  Using a funnel, transfer syrup into clean glass jars. Refrigerate to keep the syrup fresh.  I use about an ounce of simple syrup for each drink, but you can add a little more or less to suit your taste.

Makes about 2 cups.