Well according to the calendar Fall is officially here. I’m sure it’s cooler in some part of the country! It’s actually cooler here in Florida too! Ok it’s 83 degrees (it’s after 5pm here), but it was close to 90 not too long ago! It’s cooler! Really! Anyway…Before I get into the recipe, I am wondering if this bothers anyone else besides me. There are some stores who have Christmas decorations out already! No joke! Last Saturday we were in BJ’s Wholesale Club and there they were! Christmas decorations, trees, lights, etc! Now don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas! It’s my favorite holiday but NOT IN SEPTEMBER!!! I can deal with the Halloween decorations in August just before school starts but this is so wrong! Maybe it’s just me. For me, the Christmas season starts with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and not until I see Santa on his sleigh! Then I can begin the madness  celebration! Ok, now that I’ve vented here’s the recipe for today.

Pumpkin Pie Martini! There are quite a few recipes and variations on this but I found this one to be very tasty. A few years ago our local paper had a recipe for a pumpkin pie martini and it called for Pumpkin Schnapps. Let me just say this, it was nowhere to be found. And pretty much every local liquor store had people coming in asking for it since they’d seen the recipe! I ended up ordering online from DaVinci Syrups. They have every flavor you can think of in a syrup. So I ordered a bottle and we used that. But since then we’ve found Pumpkin Liqueur. (My husband also has another recipe he uses but I can’t find it right now. )

This recipe today is actually from the Skyline Bar & Grill, atop the Hilton Americas-Houston in Houston, TX. It was in their online edition several years ago.

INGREDIENTS:

1 ounce vanilla vodka

2 ounces pumpkin schnapps/liqueur

1 ounce Frangelico

1 ounce Bailey’s

2 ounces cream

Nutmeg, cinnamon or all-spice for garnish

cinnamon stick for garnish (optional)

crushed graham crackers for rims (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

In a shaker with ice add all ingredients. Shake well and pour into chilled martini glasses. Sprinkle with nutmeg, cinnamon or all-spice.

Makes 2 martinis

**If you use pumpkin flavored syrup instead of the liqueur add a little more of the other ingredients and add 1 ounce of the flavored syrup. Adjust as needed!

***Found my husband’s recipe: Basically the same just leave out the Bailey’s and Frangelico. Less calories this way too! Your decision!