The Pairing
Halloween Jack and the Devil’s Gate, by M. Todd Gallowglas
The Reasoning
Something that Halloween Jack is careful to note, is that traditional Halloween lanterns were made from turnips rather than pumpkins – I remember carrying one myself as a little girl. Pumpkins are a more recent, American tradition. However, since much of the novel is set in Boston, and making a turnip cocktail taste good is more work than I’m willing to do, I settled on it. Plus, given that we’re getting into the holiday season I think a pumpkin pie cocktail would be a timely addition to the bar.
The Recipe
You will need:
- Cocktail shaker
- Martini Glass
- 2 saucers
- 5-6 ice cubes
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can pumpkin pie mix
- 2 graham crackers/digestive biscuits/cheesecake base
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1.5 oz spiced rum (Non-Alcoholic Substitute: Omit this Ingredient)
- 1.5 oz half & half or cream (Non-Alcoholic Substitute: Additional 1.5 oz Half & Half or Cream)
- Canned whipped cream
Crush graham crackers/digestives into crumbs. This can be done with the back of a spoon, a rolling pin or using a food processor. Put the crumbs into a saucer and spread them evenly. Take a second saucer and pour a thin layer of condensed milk into it.
Take your martini glass and turn it upside down. Coat the rim of it with the condensed milk, and then the graham cracker crumbs. Tap lightly to remove any loose crumbs. Set glass to one side for now.
Put ice cubes in cocktail shaker. Dump a very generous heaped tablespoon of pumpkin pie mix into the shaker, along with 2 tbsp condensed milk, 1.5 oz spiced rum, 1.5 oz half & half/cream, 1/8 tsp allspice and 1/8 tsp cinnamon. Shake vigorously for 30 secs and strain into your prepared martini glass.
You can squirt a dollop of whipped cream directly into the glass at this stage, but it will look a little messy due to the pressure from the can. If you’re wanting your presentation to be perfect, I suggest squirting a fancy dollop of cream into a spoon, and using another to gently scoop it onto the surface of your cocktail. Take your pinch of nutmeg and sprinkle it onto the surface. Voila!
Now you’re ready to get cozy and watch Jack outwit the Devil himself. 😉
