Pumpkin spicing things up: something that is actually enjoyable, and can be made at home.

It’s October, the month when our pumpkin spice overlords demand from us the dusting of nutmeg and cinnamon on pretty much everything.

Spam? Yes, unfortunately. Pretzels? We have a bag in the Weekly’s office, picked up at Trader Joe’s. As yet, no one has had the fortitude to try one.

Not everything pumpkin spice is worthy of an involuntary reflex, however. To prove as much, Karen Vidales, the general manager at Point Pinos Grill in Pacific Grove, put together a dessert shot that anyone can create at home.

The recipe is simple, provided you have vanilla Crown Royal (which is possible), RumChata Pumpkin Spice (possible if you are on top of things; it is just hitting the shelves in time for pumpkin spice season), whipped cream and nutmeg. The first two are measured to taste, the whipped cream piled on and the final sprinkle of spice is just for decoration.

It is like drinking a cream-filled pumpkin pie—indulgent and warming, with a holiday air about it and a whisper of toasted wood, reminiscent of the hearth on a fall evening.

The unnamed sipping shot is not a menu item at Point Pinos Grill, mind you. Vidales was intent on showing what can be done with the ubiquitous seasonal blend besides latte…and besides pumpkin spice tortilla chips (with pumpkin spice salsa), pumpkin spice beer, pumpkin spice…you get the picture. Her thought? The spice doesn’t need to be abused. It can actually enhance one's enjoyment of a day.

It’s a nice drink to make at home as you settle in to watch the holiday classic It’s the Great Pumpkin Spice, Charlie Brown.

Can’t believe we stooped to that, but we did.