Pumpkin Cocktail
Bright citrus balances cozy, rich pumpkin and zesty fall spices in the best pumpkin cocktail! This pumpkin spice margarita tastes like pumpkin pie with a spiked, fresh twist.
A pumpkin cocktail that’s smooth and easy to enjoy.
Some people hear the word “tequila” and immediately cringe… or turn green! That used to be me.
That is, until today’s pumpkin cocktail! Trust me, this pumpkin spice tequila cocktail goes down smooth and tastes like spiked pumpkin pie.
Zesty Pumpkin Spice Margarita Goodness Is On Its Way!
In this incredible pumpkin cocktail, you’ll taste the delicious balance between creamy, spiced pumpkin flavors and bright citrus notes complemented with warm maple sweetness.
The secret ingredient to this pumpkin spice margarita comes in two forms: orange juice and lime juice. Orange juice offers deep sweetness with bright orange flavor while lime juice is zesty and fresh.
The result? A pumpkin cocktail that celebrates the cozy flavors of fall while keeping it light and fresh.
Let’s Learn How to Make a Pumpkin Cocktail!
- Let’s prep the pumpkin spice sugar! Add pumpkin spice and sugar into a shallow plate that’s large enough to fit the rim of your cocktail glass. Stir until mixed.
- Prep the orange juice dipper. Yep, the dipper! Carefully pour orange juice into a similar dish—this will be the sticky moisture that makes your sugar stick to the rim of the glass.
- Grabbing your cocktail glass by the stem or body, turn the glass upside down and dip the rim into the orange juice plate to coat. Then, repeat with the pumpkin sugar. Twist gently until you get a nice coating of sugar.
- Make your pumpkin cocktail! Add tequila, Cointreau, orange juice, lime juice, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin purée, and maple syrup to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Shake thoroughly, until well mixed.
- Then, strain this pumpkin spice margarita mixture into the sugar-rimmed glass.
- Serve and enjoy! (Then make this incredible Gingerbread Martini to complete your holiday drinks menu!)
Pumpkin Spice Margarita Cocktail Ingredient Notes
Just a few notes on how to make the best pumpkin spice margarita:
- Lime Juice – fresh-squeezed lime juice is best for this pumpkin cocktail recipe because it has a bright, vibrant flavor. However, if you only have bottled lime juice, that’ll do as well.
- Orange Juice – this one is a bit different–I personally think it’s yummy both ways: bottled or fresh. Go with your personal preference!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, no worries, I have included the recipe to make your own in the recipe card.
- Pumpkin Puree – although I haven’t tried it, I’d imagine that you can substitute this with pumpkin pie mix or pumpkin pie filling (as long as it doesn’t need to be baked).
Demeter’s Tips!
For the best possible pumpkin cocktail, follow my tips below. And when in doubt, follow the recipe exactly, then make adjustments as you become more familiar with the steps & ingredients.
Move quickly when dipping the rim—the slower you go, the higher the chance that you’ll dissolve the pumpkin sugar and be left with a soggy, sticky rim.
Give yourself time to get better at making a sugar rim. The more you practice, the easier and more enjoyable it’ll get. And let loose—this is supposed to be fun, not perfect. 😉
Use fresh lime juice. If you had to use one kind of bottled citrus juice, make it the orange juice. Fresh-squeezed lime juice is zesty and fresh while bottled is bitter.
You can use orange juice from a bottle. While fresh-squeezed is always best, your orange juice can be bottled for this recipe if need be. Meanwhile, lime juice is much better fresh for the best tasting pumpkin spice margarita.
Use your favorite tequila. Yes, this totally makes a difference! I’ve used a tequila that brought back bad college memories and it spoiled the entire pumpkin cocktail. Use your favorite tequila for the best flavor—to you. 🙂
If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, then mix together the following to substitute…
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Then, measure out what you need for the pumpkin cocktail.
Be sure to add this in addition to the ground cinnamon already listed in the recipe.
More Cocktail Recipes
- Coffee Martini
- Extra Dirty Martini
- Gimlet
- Salty Dog cocktail
- Penicillin Cocktail Recipe
- Pumpkin Pie Smoothie (not a cocktail, but still a delicious fall drink)
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins
Tools You Need
One Cocktail You, One Cocktail for Me 🙂
If you try my pumpkin cocktail recipe, it would mean the world to me if I could see it! Take a pic and share it in Instagram using the tags #beamingbaker and @beamingbaker. You can also comment below to let me know what you think!
I can’t wait til our next curious cocktail adventure. ‘Til then…
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
🎃 📸 🍹
📸 Did you make this pumpkin cocktail recipe? Take a pic and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #beamingbaker & tag @beamingbaker. I’d love to see it! 📸
Print
Pumpkin Cocktail
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
Description
Bright citrus balances cozy, rich pumpkin and zesty fall spices in the best pumpkin cocktail. This pumpkin spice tequila cocktail tastes like pumpkin pie with a spiked, fresh twist.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Sugar Rim
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cane sugar
- Orange juice
Pumpkin Spice Tequila Cocktail
- 2 ounces tequila
- 1/2 ounce Cointreau or Triple Sec
- 1 1/2 ounces orange juice
- 1/2 ounce lime juice
- 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) pumpkin puree
- 1/2 ounce pure maple syrup
Garnish
- Cinnamon stick
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Orange twist
Instructions
For the Pumpkin Spice Sugar Rim:
- Fill a shallow, rimmed plate with pumpkin spice and sugar. Gently stir until well mixed. Set aside for later.
- Now, fill a shallow, rimmed plate that’s large enough to hold the entire rim of your cocktail glass with orange juice.
- Turn your glass upside down, holding it by the base or stem over the orange juice plate.
- Gently turn and twist the rim of the glass in the orange juice until coated.
- Set the rim into the plate of pumpkin spiced sugar. Twist, turn and tilt the glass until the rim is coated in sugar.
- Set glass aside while you make the cocktail.
For the Pumpkin Spice Tequila Cocktail:
- Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice: tequila, Cointreau, orange juice, lime juice, pumpkin spice, pumpkin puree, maple syrup.
- Shake until chilled.
- Strain into prepared glass(es).
- Garnish with cinnamon stick, a sprinkle of pumpkin spice, and/or orange twist. Sip and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Drinks, Cocktails
- Method: Chill
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I love this pumpkin cocktail! Perfect drink for fall season!
Exactly! 🎃❤️
Yes, please! This is such an amazing cocktail for fall!! LOVE it!
You know it, Beti! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
This is faaantastic!! A real treat!!
Yay! So glad you liked it!
Looks really good! Need to make this soon!
Yes! It’s such a perfect way to celebrate fall.
Wow!! Can’t wait to try this with my siblings!!
Ooh I’ll bet you all have loads of fun! 😄
This is absolutely perfect for the fall season! I mean, this time of year, I’m all about pumpkin everything. Yay!
Yes, me too! This is the perfect drink to get into the fall spirit. 🙂
This recipe sounds so fun! For those of us who can’t handle alcohol, is there a mock tail version that you would recommend?
Hi Anne! Hm, I haven’t tried these myself, but after a bit of research I’d say you could try swapping the triple grenadine (though the color will change) or some additional orange juice. As for the tequila, there isn’t really a good non-alcoholic option other than an alcohol-free brand of tequila, which is usually described as an agave spirit. Seems like there are some good ones out there these days, so hopefully you can find one near you. Hope this helps!