How To Build A Balanced Pumpkin Martini That's Not Overly Sweet

'Tis the season for all things pumpkin. Adding gourd-inspired flair to food and drinks is a treat just for you or a crowd-pleaser at a get-together. One of the most fun ways to do this is a grown-up approach: a pumpkin martini. Thanks to the enduring popularity of espresso martinis, dessert-leaning flavored martinis are all the rage, and a pumpkin spin is delightfully seasonal. The one hitch is that you don't want to go too far into dessert land with a cloying cocktail. It's a delicate balance. How can you mix up a pitch-perfect pumpkin martini that's rich in flavor yet not too sweet? We asked an expert.

"A balanced pumpkin martini is all about balancing acid, booze, and sweetness," says Chris Cusack, a Level 1 Sommelier and Level 1 Cicerone who's worked in hospitality for over 27 years. "There are a lot of pumpkin spice products on the market that are very, very sweet," he continues. "My suggestion would be to either puree pie pumpkins yourself or buy straight unsweetened pumpkin puree."

"In general, my suggestion is to infuse your own spirits so you can get that nice fall pumpkin flavor rather than a big sugar bomb," adds Cusack, who also owns Betelgeuse Betelgeuse, a highly celebrated cocktail bar with two locations in Houston, Texas. Essentially, go the DIY route with your pumpkin so you can control the sweetness level. Order a can of 365 by Whole Foods Market's Pumpkin Puree, make your own syrups, or try infusing spirits.

To work directly with puree, mash up your own pie pumpkins or use an unsweetened can. The recipe for a pumpkin pie martini, which you can also make frozen, calls for RumChata, vanilla vodka, and a scoop of pumpkin pie puree. Normally you wouldn't swap pie puree for unsweetened pumpkin puree, because the latter doesn't have sugar and spices, but doing so here provides the exact sweetness control you want. Shake up RumChata, vanilla vodka, and pumpkin puree, then add cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and allspice to taste.

Alternatively, infuse spirits with pumpkin, just like you'd make any spirits with flavor infusions. Infuse vodka with pumpkin spice by soaking cinnamon sticks, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger in vodka in a mason jar for a few days, then straining with a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. Or go full pumpkin and soak pie pumpkin pieces — you'll need about a week for milder flavors to get fully absorbed.

Finally, you can make an upgraded simple syrup to mix in with vodka and a cream liqueur or pumpkin coffee creamer. Heat one part water to one part sugar until the sugar's dissolved, but also add those pie spices and pie pumpkin pieces, which you'll strain the syrup off of. You'll have pumpkin syrup of which you can add a little or a lot to any 'tini for a level of sweetness you like best.