Calling all pumpkin spice lattes and margarita fans! This Pumpkin Spice Margarita recipe has all of the flavors of fall rolled into one perfect cocktail. Whether you serve it on holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving or a regular crisp fall day, you will love experiencing the fall flavors in this pumpkin pie margarita.
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Ingredients for a Pumpkin Spice Margarita
- Pumpkin purée: I always go with just the plain canned kind. Just make sure you’re getting the 100% pure, real pumpkin. Libby’s is a go-to brand.
- Orange liqueur: Curaçao and triple sec are the two types of orange liqueurs. Some of the most popular orange liqueurs are Grand Marnier (a curaçao) and Cointreau (a triple sec).
- Orange juice: I love the taste of oranges with winter squashes like pumpkin or butternut squash, so it’s a perfect choice as a mixer in this margarita. I used regular orange juice, but for a twist you could use blood orange juice instead.
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is a must for this pumpkin margarita recipe. The lemon juice helps balance the sweetness of the orange juice with a bit of sour flavor.
- Tequila: I used silver tequila for this recipe. I tend to stick to silver or blanco tequila when I make margaritas. There are other types of tequilas that you could try instead, but there would be a flavor difference.
- Orange bitters: Adding a few dashes of orange bitters goes well with the orange juice and adds a tiny bit of bitter flavor to balance all the flavors into perfect harmony.
- Pumpkin pie spice and sugar: There is no added sugar or simple syrup in this cocktail, but the pumpkin spice-sugar rim is the perfect hint of sweetness that makes the drink taste well balanced. You don’t have to measure the pumpkin spice and sugar – just add enough of each to a plate to be able to rim your glasses. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand, you can substitute cinnamon for a cinnamon sugar rim instead. I used regular white sugar, but brown sugar would be great too! If you’re not a fan of rimmed drinks, you can also add a bit of simple syrup or store-bought pumpkin syrup to taste to help balance the flavors.
- Garnishes: I used an orange peel that I rolled and skewered, but a cinnamon stick would be a great option as well. Garnishes are optional, but they do make a drink feel extra special even if it is a regular weekday evening.
How to Make a Pumpkin Spice Margarita
Pour the pumpkin spice and sugar on a small plate. Wet the rim of a cocktail glass with the juicy side of an orange or lemon wedge and roll the rim in the pumpkin spice sugar.
You can add ice to the glass if you want it on the rocks, as I did, but you can also serve it straight up. Add the pumpkin puree, orange liqueur, juices, tequila, and bitters into a cocktail shaker and add ice.
After shaking well, you strain your cocktail into the pumpkin spice-rimmed glass. Top with your favorite garnish, such as an orange twist or cinnamon stick.
How to Serve a Pumpkin Spice Margarita for Halloween or Thanksgiving
This Pumpkin Spice Margarita is so incredibly perfect for the fall holidays – Halloween and Thanksgiving. For Thanksgiving, I usually break out the cocktails while I cook and prep – it makes it a lot more fun. Although be careful you don’t have a kitchen accident because you imbibed a bit too much.
For Halloween, I tend to enjoy Halloween sitting on my porch passing out candy while drinking a cocktail – and this one would be an excellent option for that. It’s usually still pretty hot outside in the south for Halloween, so I tend to like nice icy and festive drinks instead of warm or hot drinks. But if you’re located in a colder climate, you might want to check out my spiked Apple Cider Hot Toddy.
Whatever occasion you serve this for – the recipe can easily be multiplied and put into a pitcher if you have a crowd of people. The pumpkin puree may settle in the bottom of the pitcher, but you just have to give it a stir in the pitcher before serving.
More cocktail recipes to try
- El Diablo Tequila Cocktail
- Mistletoe Margaritas for a Crowd
- Blackberry Basil Margarita
- Smoked Rosemary Gin and Tonic
- Pomegranate Whiskey Sour
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Pumpkin Spice Margarita
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- 2 ½ ounces of orange juice
- ½ ounce lemon juice
- 1 ounce orange liqueur
- 1 ½ ounces of tequila blanco
- Few dashes orange bitters
- Pumpkin spice and sugar to taste for the rim
- Orange peel and/or cinnamon sticks for garnish optional
Instructions
- Add pumpkin, juices, orange liqueur, tequila, and bitters to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well.
- Run an orange slice around the rim of the cocktail glass and roll in the pumpkin spice sugar mixture. Add ice for an on the rocks margarita.
- Pour margarita into the cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel.
Corrie
These sound so fantastic. I never would have thought of trying a pumpkin spice margarita. And especially with that tequila, it sounds like it would be absolutely wonderful! I will definitely have to include this at our next enchilada night.
Melissa
Yessss!!! Enchilada night will now be complete 🙂