How To Turn Your Pumpkin Pie Martini Into A Frozen Cocktail

When the air begins turning crisper and the leaves turn red, we're all about ditching the tropical daiquiris for fall cocktails. Today, we're taking a cue from another fall-favorite sipper, the frozen pumpkin espresso martini, and turning the classic pumpkin pie martini into a frozen drink. This chilled autumnal bevy is perfect for fall-fevered foodies eager to transition from hot August days to October chill — even if sweater weather hasn't quite arrived yet. It's also great for holiday parties, seasonal dinner parties, Halloween nights while the kids unpack their trick-or-treat bags, and even after the Thanksgiving meal as a digestif.

The key ingredient in a pumpkin pie martini is RumChata, a cream liqueur made from Caribbean rum, cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, and Wisconsin dairy cream. In a classic pumpkin pie martini, creamy cinnamon-vanilla RumChata meets vanilla vodka and pumpkin pie flavored syrup or a scoop of pureed pumpkin pie filling. The three ingredients simply get shaken over ice to combine, then strained into a martini glass to serve.

To give this dessert cocktail a frozen upgrade, combine your usual pumpkin pie martini ingredients in a blender with a handful of ice cubes, blend, and pour into a chilled martini glass. That's it. Although, to achieve your desired texture and boozy punchiness, you might need to adjust your proportions — and make sure those glasses are extra frosty to keep your frozen martini chilled stiff (tips on that here).

Keep in mind that the more ice you add to the blender, the thicker the consistency of the drink will be. In tandem with the creamy RumChata (and extra creamy with an added splash of heavy cream or coffee creamer), that icy stiffness can create a lush, rich mouthfeel. Also, keep in mind that with the addition of the ice cubes, your cocktail is going to have much greater dilution, so an extra ½-ounce of vanilla vodka might be in order to maintain the drink's usual punch. If you don't have a bottle of RumChata on hand, a splash of pumpkin spice-flavored coffee creamer and a drizzle of maple syrup will work as a substitution. For a dairy-free version, you can use full-fat coconut milk, maple syrup, and a pinch of ground pumpkin pie spice.

To serve, hit the glass with an aesthetically impressive, flavorful cinnamon-sugar rim to complement the spiced RumChata. Or, for a bolder, texturally interesting rim, you could crush a few graham crackers into a fine powder and rim your glass with the crumbs. To help the crumbs' rim stick to the glass and provide even more seasonal flavor, wet the rim of the martini glass with thin, pure maple syrup instead of water. Garnish with a sprinkle of grated cinnamon floating on the icy surface of the drink, and a dollop of whipped cream if desired.