The Great Pumpkin (Spice)

Pumpkin spice is a blend of spices that are typically found in pumpkin pie filling. These commonly include cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, all spice, and other warm spices. This blend of spices dates as far back as Medieval times, when cooks would create a “poudre-douce” (sweet powder) to add to sweet dishes. The exact spices varied from cook to cook, but it almost always included these warm spices found in the pumpkin spice mix we know and love today.

Though native to North America, the pumpkin was a popular food in Europe by the 16th century. This meant that the 17th century colonists were very familiar with pumpkin as an ingredient before settling in North America, and had many different applications for the gourd, which ranged from sweet desserts to savoury soups and even ales. The pumpkin pie with the custard-like filling we are familiar with today first appeared in the late 18th century, and by the early 19th century, it became a popular dish for Thanksgiving in North America, cementing its place as a quintessential fall food.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte was born in 2003 when Starbucks was brainstorming ideas for new autumnal flavours. After narrowing down the possibilities, the Starbucks team released a customer survey with the remaining flavours. Pumpkin Spice stood out to customers due to its uniqueness, and Starbucks released it in 100 stores for a trial. The Pumpkin Spice Latte was overwhelmingly popular, securing its spot on Starbucks’ seasonal menu for decades to come. Nowadays, the Pumpkin Spice Latte is a standard drink in coffee shops throughout North America, making the pairing of pumpkin spice and coffee an autumnal favourite.

Model Energy

The espresso martini is a cocktail that consists of vodka, espresso, and coffee liqueur, though ingredients like saline and syrup are often added to adjust the flavour to individual preferences. Though not a true martini due to the absence of gin and vermouth, the espresso martini’s name comes from the glass it is commonly served in, like many of the popular “martinis” of the 80’s and 90’s.

The espresso martini was invented by famed bartender Dick Bradsell at the Soho Brasserie in London. According to Bradsell, the espresso martini came into being in the mid-1980’s when an American supermodel came up to the bar and requested “something that’s gonna wake me up, then fuck me up.”  Though we don’t know the identity of the mysterious supermodel, we do know that she has a place in cocktail history for inspiring the iconic espresso martini.

We thought that bringing the pairing of pumpkin spice and coffee to the espresso martini would be the perfect way to kick off autumn. We achieved this by infusing the vodka with warm spices, which adds the perfect amount of autumnal flair to this cocktail. It is relatively easy to make this cocktail your own and play with different flavours by swapping out the base spirit, the liqueur used, or using infusions like we did to incorporate different flavours.

Some flavours that pair well with coffee include:

• Hazelnut
• Orange
• Chocolate
• Almond
• Vanilla
• Caramel
• Banana
• Peanut Butter

How to Make it

Infuse Vodka

Place your whole spices into a jar of vodka, and let that sit for a day.

Strain out the spices when infused.

Shake and serve

Add all your liquids and ice into a cocktail shaker, and shake to combine. A foam will form in the shaker - this is good.

Strain the mixture into a chilled coupe glass, and garnish with some coffee beans if you wish.

Enjoy!