Pumpkin Spice White Russian

Are you looking for a delicious Thanksgiving cocktail? Look no further than the pumpkin spice white Russian! This tasty twist on the classic white Russian will surely be a hit with your friends and family this holiday season. It’s easy to make, uses all of the cozy flavors of fall, and will make your celebration special.

I have always been partial to white Russian cocktails. They remind me of my youth and the holidays. In my family, white Russians were always a must-imbibe on Thanksgiving. Drinking them is like drinking potent, melted mocha milkshakes.

If only they sold pumpkin-flavored liqueur back then! I would have chugged down pumpkin spice white Russians like a champ, even more than I used to chug down the classic white Russians because I LOVE pumpkin.

The melding of the Kahlúa, vanilla vodka, pumpkin, and half & half is so delicious you’ll have to remind yourself that it is not a creamy melted milkshake but a potent cocktail! So sip, don’t chug. Don’t be like Young Lainey and chug like a champ.

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Helpful tips

• I love my double old-fashioned glasses, but you can also use rocks glasses if you prefer.
• You don’t have to use half & half for this cocktail. It does make it ‘richer,’ but if you want to cut some calories, you can substitute it with milk.
• If you don’t care about calories, then light cream is also delicious and rich. I wouldn’t use heavy cream though. That would be too rich.
• If you don’t have vanilla vodka, you can use either regular vodka or caramel vodka, if you have it.
• There are a few pumpkin-flavored liqueurs out there. Use what you can find. You don’t have to get the brand pictured below.
• Just for fun, I mixed the cocktails two ways: in a glass and in a cocktail shaker. Either way is fine. I prefer the cocktail shaker but if you want to build yours in a glass, you’ll just have to mix the pumpkin spice white Russian with a spoon to meld the flavors together.
• You can garnish this cocktail in a few different ways. I choose to mix equal parts of sugar and cinnamon on a small plate. Then I dip a little simple syrup on my finger and rub it around the rim of the two glasses. Next, I roll the rim in the cinnamon sugar, shake it off, and place the glasses upright. You can also use pumpkin pie spice instead of sugar and cinnamon.
• Or you can stick a cinnamon stick in each glass.
• If you are going to build the white Russian directly in the glass, be careful not to pour each ingredient over the cinnamon-sugared rims.

I decided to build one of these fall cocktails in the glass and the other in a cocktail shaker, but you can craft them however you prefer.

How to make a pumpkin spice white Russian

Pre-step

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Gather two garnished double old fashioned glasses (see helpful tips above) and measuring glass.

After measuring each ingredient, pour it into the shaker (or glass, if you want to build the cocktail that way.)

Step one

Gather the ingredients – pumpkin liqueur, vanilla vodka, a coffee liqueur like Kahlúa, and half & half.

Step two

Measure 4 ounces of pumpkin liqueur – 2 ounces per cocktail.

Step three

Measure 4 ounces of vanilla vodka – 2 ounces per cocktail.

Step four

Measure 3 ounces of Kahlua – 1 1/2 per cocktail.

Step five

Measure 2 ounces of half & half – 1 ounce per cocktail.

Step six

Add fresh ice to the glasses.

Place the lid on the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Strain, pour, and divide the liquid between the two glasses.

Let’s look at that back glass in a vertical view. The cocktail looks glorious in it. I love the bubble in the base of the glass.

I bought this glass at Crate & Barrel.

Yum. Remember to sip and not chug! 🙂

I hope you enjoyed this pumpkin spice white Russian cocktail recipe. It’s so yummy.

Other popular cream-based cocktails

• Tootsie Roll shot
• Butterball Cocktail
• Almond Joy cocktail

And as always, may all your dishes/drinks be delish!

If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love the know what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!