For a cozy taste of fall with every sip, you’ll love this spiced pumpkin old fashioned! With that warming bourbon, citrusy orange bitters and a homemade pumpkin spice simple syrup, this is the perfect fall cocktail for enjoying by a roaring fire or after a satisfying Thanksgiving dinner. This pumpkin spice old fashioned comes together in just minutes, and you don’t have to be an expert bartender to craft this favorite fall bourbon cocktail.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Makes for the perfect fall cocktail for bourbon lovers.
- Comes with a make-ahead option for stress-free hosting.
- Serve for so many occasions — from a fall dinner party, Halloween night and Thanksgiving.
- Gives you yet another use for your favorite homemade pumpkin pie syrup.
Related: If you can’t get enough pumpkin cocktails, you’ll also love this pumpkin spice margarita and pumpkin espresso martini.
Ingredients
Bourbon: While you could also use a rye whiskey for its spicy touch, I just love bourbon in this drink. Bourbon is sweeter, and the oak barrel aging adds nice vanilla and caramel notes that pair perfectly with the pumpkin spice. If you’d like some recommendations, check out this list of best bourbons for an old fashioned.
Pumpkin spice simple syrup: For this, we need water, brown sugar, real pumpkin purée, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice, which includes cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice.
Bitters: I love orange bitters with the warm spices, but you’re welcome to substitute it for classic angostura bitters or another flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prepare the Pumpkin Syrup
Step 1: Before we can make our drink, we need to prepare our pumpkin spice simple syrup. For this step, we bring water, brown sugar, pumpkin purée and spices to a boil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan (photo 1). As it heats, we want to stir the mixture occasionally to ensure the sugar dissolves.
Step 2: Once the pumpkin mixture starts to boil, we turn off the heat, stir in vanilla extract and let it steep (photos 2 and 3). This gives those pumpkin pie spices time to meld.
Step 3: After steeping, we strain the syrup over a fine-mesh sieve. Just like that, our pumpkin syrup is ready for mixing (photo 4). I recommend taking care of this step ahead of time to give the syrup time to chill.
Mix the Pumpkin Old Fashioned
Step 1: To make our drink, we add the bourbon, pumpkin spice syrup and bitters to an old fashioned glass (photo 5).
Step 2: We add ice and stir to chill the mixture for about 15 seconds (photo 2).
Step 3: For the final touch, we garnish the old fashioned with a Luxardo cherry and cinnamon stick like so (photo 3). An orange peel also makes a lovely garnish if you’d like to add one, and it nicely complements the citrusy bitters.
All that’s left is to raise a glass and enjoy a classic cocktail infused with the perfect touch of fall flavor.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely, you have two options. One is to make a batch of several old fashioned cocktails at a time in a large mixing glass.
The other is to prepare the old fashioned in a pitcher, cover and refrigerate. When you’re ready to serve, simply pour the drink into an old fashioned glass with ice and give it a stir. You can find more detailed instructions and proportions in the recipe card.
Whiskey is traditional, but if you or your guests aren’t whiskey fans, a dark rum or brandy would work nicely with the pumpkin spice.
As long as you store the syrup in a sterile, airtight container, it should last for two to three weeks.
Expert Tips
Use one large ice cube: One large ice cube melts slower, so you get less dilution than using standard ice cubes. Plus, it makes for a more professional, impressive presentation.
Stir, don’t shake the drink: An old fashioned is always stirred, not shaken. Save your cocktail shaker for making this bourbon cranberry sour.
But do shake the syrup before using: That said, this is a thicker syrup with real spices, so we want to shake it to help everything come together after it’s settled in the refrigerator.
Freeze any leftover syrup: If you can’t finish the pumpkin syrup in two to three weeks, you can freeze the leftovers in ice cube trays for future use.
Put that syrup to other uses: Don’t feel like you only have to make a pumpkin spice cocktail. You can use this to make a pumpkin spice latte, stir into oatmeal, top on ice cream — you name it.
Perfect Pairing
For me, an old fashioned is perfect as an appetizer or after-dinner drink, but it also works great with your main course with the right meal. Fortunately for you, I have options for each category, so you can design your perfect pairings.
Appetizers: For some complementary fall flavors, try this pumpkin old fashioned with my spicy pumpkin hummus or fig baked Brie.
Main course: We want a bold, rich meat that stands up to the bourbon. My roast duck or apple cider pot roast are perfect. Of course, it’d be great with your Thanksgiving meal, so try this spatchcock smoked turkey or maple-braised turkey.
Dessert: If you prefer this as an after-dinner drink, pair it with my bourbon pumpkin pie, bourbon caramel-filled pumpkin cupcakes or pumpkin pound cake. We're taking full advantage of pumpkin spice season here.
Enjoy fall in a rocks glass with this spiced pumpkin old fashioned. Those chilly autumn nights are much more comforting with this bourbon sipper in hand.
Cheers!
Enjoy More Old Fashioned Cocktails
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📖 Recipe
Spiced Pumpkin Old Fashioned
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Fine-mesh sieve
- Jigger or small measuring cup
- Bar spoon
Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Simple Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup pumpkin purée not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg preferably freshly grated
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Spiced Pumpkin Old Fashioned
- 2 ounces bourbon
- ½ ounce pumpkin spice simple syrup
- 2-3 dashes orange bitters
- 1 large ice cube
- Cinnamon stick for garnish, optional
- Luxardo cherry for garnish, optional
Instructions
Pumpkin Spice Simple Syrup
- In a small saucepan, stir together the water, dark brown sugar, pumpkin purée, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves and ground allspice. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring every so often to help dissolve the sugar.
- When the mixture boils and the sugar dissolves, turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Allow the mixture to steep for a minimum of 15 minutes.
- Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve over a shallow bowl in the sink. Stir the mixture in the fine-mesh sieve to help separate the syrup from the pumpkin purée. Let the mixture cool completely and then store in a sterile, airtight container in the refrigerator. Shake before using.
Spiced Pumpkin Old Fashioned
- Add the bourbon, pumpkin spice simple syrup and bitters to an old fashioned glass.
- Place a large ice cube in the glass. Using a bar spoon, stir the mixture to chill and slightly melt the ice, about 20 seconds.
- If desired, garnish with a cinnamon stick and Luxardo cherry. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can store leftover pumpkin spice simple syrup in a sterile, airtight container in the refrigerator for two to three weeks.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
David says
Can you just use pumpkin spice? If so how much according to your recipe?
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Sure, I’d just add up the spices and use that total, so that comes to 2 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice. Happy Thanksgiving!
Lou says
I really love the pumpkin flavors in this drink! This is my second time making this – it’s THAT good!
Lidia says
I have never been a fan of bourbon, but my best friend is so I made this cocktail for her last night. She LOVED it and so did the rest of my friends. Thanks for the great recipe. I plan to try your roasted duck recipe next.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
I'm so glad to hear that, Lidia! You'll love the duck too!
Cams says
I found the perfect drink for Thanksgiving week! Yay! I've been off work all week, so I had to enjoy the time off with some fun cocktails. Making this again for the big dinner!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Have a wonderful week, Cams!
Leela says
I made a big batch of these tonight and everyone raved over them! Such a fun twist. Will make again for Thanksgiving!
Joe says
Wow that pumpkin spice simple syrup has the "it" factor. I've made a few old fashioned cocktails in my life but this was special. I used Four Roses - the best bourbon in my opinion - and we savored every sip.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Definitely can't go wrong with Four Roses! Thanks so much for trying it, Joe.