MxMo LXI: Local Color: Autumn Blaze

I'm situated in the midwest of the States, and while we've got the craft beer thing DOWN (Dear Bell's...I love you and I miss you <3)...the liquor can be a little bit more tricky.  Recently, however, we've exploded with some really nice locally distilled spirits.  I was recently asked by the president of my local USBG chapter if I wanted to help the folks at Buckeye Vodka (based in Dayton, Ohio) with a seasonal cocktail to mix up at the Ohio Licensed Beverage Association's Bar Expo.  I jumped at the chance to help out a local distiller.  From there, I thought it would be fun to host a Mixology Monday that focused on showcasing the "local" liquors of our regular contributors.  I went a little crazy with my contribution and ended up with an almost entirely "local" cocktail, actually...not that that's a bad thing, of course! :-)

About the liquor:  Buckeye vodka is made with softened-four-times, filtered, and distilled water, and then the vodka is ten-times distilled, and it's probably the purest vodka I've ever tasted.  The palate is incredibly clean--practically like purified water turned alcohol!  This is definitely a liquor to use when you don't want to cloud the other flavors in your cocktail/drink.  I don't normally mix with vodka, but I always love a challenge...and challenge myself I did! 

I decided I wanted to go the pumpkin pie spice route, and I read up on a handful of pumpkin spice syrup recipes without finding exactly what I was hoping for...so, I did what I usually do in that situation...wing it.  My recipe (and lots of step-by-step photos) for the syrup and candied bites is below the cocktail recipe.   

I was pretty pleased with the final product, and I had people at the Expo coming over asking, "Is this the pumpkin one?  I've had about ten people tell me I had to come over and try it!" so it must have been a success :-)

 Autumn Blaze
Glass: Large cocktail
Method: Shake and Strain
Garnish: Candied pumpkin bites

Ingredients:
1 egg yolk (I always dryshake the egg without ice before adding the other ingredients)
1.5 oz Buckeye Vodka (from Dayton, Ohio)
1.5 oz Pumpkin Pie Spice syrup (mine used fresh pumpkins from Fairfield, Ohio)
1.5 oz Unfiltered Apple Cider (mine was from Newcomerstown, Ohio)

Shake VERY well with ice to thoroughly incorporate the egg yolk and strain into glass.  Garnish and enjoy!


Pumpkin Pie Spice Syrup and Candied Pumpkin Bites

1 Pie Pumpkin (mine were from a farm in Fairfield, Ohio)
3 cups Light brown sugar
3 cups water
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie spice blend (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice)

 Gut, peel, and dice your pumpkin.  I recommend half-/three-quarter-inch-ish sized dicing for candied bites that aren't too small, but not so big that they won't soak up a nice amount of spiced syrup in cooking...but it's really personal preference.

 

Mix all of the above together in a deep sauce pan and bring it to a slow boil.  Let it gently boil for about 15 minutes.  Strain out the pumpkin pieces and run the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer to filter out random spice and debris.

The quickest way to dry out your pumpkin pieces is to pre-heat your oven to its lowest setting (mine is 170F), spread the pieces over a baking sheet, and let them sit in the oven for a couple of hours.  Once they're dried out roll/toss them in a blend of granulated sugar and ground cinnamon.  I recommend about a tablespoon of cinnamon per half cup of sugar.

For the round-up check out the MxMo LXI Round-Up post!