There is nothing truly spooky about pumpkin spice, except that come October it seems to be lurking in every corner, waiting to jump out and spike your drink. We’ve become accustomed to its presence. Still, there’s a reason the seasonal spice blend gives bartenders pause before they reach into a dark pantry. “Going overboard” is how Colleen Kelly at Lucia Restaurant & Bar in Carmel Valley’s Bernardus Lodge describes the risk. “They are strong flavors. Pumpkin spice needs to be the undertone.”
So it is with Lucia’s Pumpkin Old Fashioned, on the menu through Thanksgiving. Consider a cocktail classic, yet with a rich, mellow savor – nutty and earthy, mulled by dried fruit and a teasing spice swirling in the smoke and soft caramel of bourbon. This is autumn and its cozy nostalgia in a glass.
Kelly’s seasonal Old Fashioned is a seemingly effortless reflection of her philosophy that a craft cocktail should not be overburdened. Yet there was deliberation involved. The bourbon is from Woodinville Whiskey Co. Kelly calls it “My fall bourbon of choice; it warms you from the inside.” Allspice and Grand Marnier contribute to the profile, and the cocktail is finished with eight dashes of orange bitters. Lucia’s kitchen prepared a decorative leaf of sugar that seeps calm sweetness as it melts.
Fall fades. Pumpkin spice will again disappear like a phantom. This cocktail encourages you to enjoy the spirit of the season while it lasts.