Pumpkin Spice Margarita

To me ritas are primarily a summer thing, until now. The pumpkin spice margarita gives you a new found reason to drink tequila on through the holidays. These are great for autumn get togethers, Thanksgiving, and even as a fabulous substitute for your standard eggnog at Christmas. This eco-friendly version makes slurping on a margarita throughout the holidays a-OK. My friend Susan gave me this recipe and I was so excited to share it. It's inspired by a pumpkin margarita from the last Supper Club, a restaurant that used to be in the Mission (San Francisco), but closed recently.


1 can organic pumpkin puree
1/2 cup organic brown sugar
1/4 cup organic sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups water
1 1/2 oz organic tequila
1/2 oz Cointreau
1 organic lime
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp salt
A pinch of nutmeg

(canned actually works better than fresh in this case)

(try 4 Copas)


  1. Make a pumpkin simple syrup by combining pumpkin puree with brown sugar, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, and water in a saucepan over low heat.
  2. Stir constantly for 20 to 30 minutes, until cinnamon flavor is present and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and cool. The Simple syrup should have the consistency of a thin smoothie.
  3. Pass the thick syrup through a fine mesh sieve (or a strainer), using the back of a spoon and discard the pumpkin pulp.
  4. Prep margarita glasses by combining sugar, allspice, and salt and pouring the mixture onto a small plate. Run a wedge of lime around the rim of each margarita glass, and then dip the glass rim into spiced sugar.
  5. For each margarita, combine the juice of half a lime, tequila, Cointreau, and 2 oz pumpkin simple syrup. Shake well and serve on the rocks.

Check out more recipes for Cocktails