Belated National Pumpkin Day Celebration

      I missed National Pumpkin Day yesterday, but there is no reason not to celebrate it today.   We cannot wait for the big November holiday for some pumpkin stuff, we need pumpkin every-thing now.   Pumpkin Chunkin’, pumpkin patches and festivals. Jack-o-lanterns carved for Monday is a must too! This fruit grabs American’s attention in the fall every year.  We love our pumpkin cocktails as well. 

     This squash is native to North America.   A 2,145-pound pumpkin from Streator, Illinois holds the current North American record.  Grown by Gene McMullen in 2015, the”great pumpkin” weighed in a few hundred pounds lighter than the current world record pumpkin from 2014.  At 2,323-pounds, from Switzerland that still holds the world record.

 

     What would the “Great Pumpkin Day” be without a “Great Pumpkin Cocktail”?  Let’s put an end to that problem with a brand new cocktail for the occasion.

The Great Pumpkin Day Cocktail

• 1 oz. Rhum JM White 
• 1 oz. Rhum JM VO 
• 2 oz Pumpkin Puree
• 1 oz. Bahama Bob’s Pumpkin Syrup
• 3 Dashes of Fee Brother's Black Walnut Bitters

Place all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake until really chilled.  Strain into a Collins glass filled with ice and garnish with a lime zest.

Bahama Bob’s Pumpkin Syrup

• 1 Cup of Dark Brown Sugar
• 1 ½ Cups of Water
• 2 Tbsp. Pumpkin Puree
•  1 Tsp. Allspice
• 1 Tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
• ¼ tsp. Nutmeg
• ½ Tsp. Lemon Juice

Place all ingredients except the water in a pan and heat at 375 degrees stirring until all melts into a liquid.  Slowly add the water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to 240 degrees and allow to slow boil wile stirring for 5 minutes.  Pour into a dish that will not melt or crack and place in refrigerator for about an hour.  Pour into a dispensing bottle and put into refrigerator until ready to use.