Consider This Tip When Adding Canned Pumpkin To Cocktails

Using canned pumpkin in cocktails can be a bartender's shortcut to pouring satisfyingly fresh and earthy drink recipes without having to cook and blend up slices of pumpkin on the spot. Canned pumpkin can impart a voluptuous texture and body in a beverage, but the goal is to make a cocktail for sipping and not a smoothie that requires a straw to enjoy. The right amount of canned pumpkin can also add an appealing sweetness to a drink, but there is an extra step you'll want to take if you're attempting this professional hack for yourself at home. 

To end up with a silky, smooth mouthfeel that doesn't require a spoon to dig into, a strainer will be your best friend as you mix up martinis and cocktails with the store-bought ingredient. Though it will take extra time to pour, running your cocktail through a Hawthorne strainer before filling the glasses you intend to distribute to the guests at your next cocktail party will result in a better overall drinking experience.

If you don't want to be worried about having to strain ingredients while accommodating drink orders yet still want that same flavor imparted into your cocktails, you can infuse vodka several days in advance by mixing vodka and canned pumpkin, then straining the batch and saving it to mix into drinks later on. Be sure you're using canned pumpkin and not another kind of pumpkin product that has been pre-made with assorted spices (unless pumpkin pie spice blend ties in nicely with your intended cocktail recipes). Alternatively, you can get creative and add a spoonful of canned pumpkin to the whipped cream you make to garnish an upgraded Irish coffee, no straining required.

Though it may take some extra time, pouring infused mixtures of canned pumpkin and booze through cheesecloth and again through a coffee filter can ensure you have all of the flavored booze and none of the debris in your next pumpkin martini. Whether you're making a pumpkin margarita or a pumpkin spice latte-inspired cocktail, the extra effort to strain drinks made with canned pumpkin will be the precautionary measure needed to help you avoid serving cocktails that are clumpy or thick, unless a thicker recipe is precisely what you're aiming for.