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Halloween is just a few weeks away, so if you haven't started planning your costume, you're not doing it right. It's not too late, however, to brew up some fantastic pumpkin-themed cocktails or crack open a few pumpkin ales. Here are three sexy cocktails and five solid brews to get you through the rest of the month.
Hot Butternut Rum
This hot autumn toddy recipe comes from a speakeasy-style cocktail bar in New York's East Village, Amor Y Amargo. Mixologiest Sother Teague mixed this one up, but be forewarned: It requires some preparation. In a food processor, puree about a half-pound of roasted butternut squash with a half-pound of butter, 4 ounces of brown sugar, equal parts cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice (about 1.5 teaspoons) and a half-teaspoon of pulverized cloves. You can make that part-what Teague calls Butternut Butter-ahead of time. Then when you're ready to celebrate, brew up some Earl Grey tea. Mix about 3 ounces of hot tea with 2 ounces of rum, a dash of John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum liqueur and a little less than an ounce of the butternut butter. If you're feeling sweet, toss in a little maple syrup.
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Bitter Pumpkin No. 2
This recipe was concocted by Cure bartender Rhiannon Enlil in New Orleans. The secret ingredient is Old N.O. Cajun Spiced Rum, but feel free to substitute another if you can't find it. Combine 3 ounces of hot dark cocoa with 1.5 ounces spiced rum, half an ounce Averna Amaro and 1 tablespoon pumpkin butter such as American Spoon Fruit or Stonewall Kitchen (or just use the leftover butter from you Hot Butternut Rum).
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Dark Skies Ahead
The rye pumpkin is an invention of bartender Adam Robinson from Portland, Ore.'s Bent Brick. Over ice, combine 1 ounce of Rittenhouse Bonded Rye with 3/4 ounces Averna Amaro, 1 tablespoon pumpkin butter (American Spoon Fruit, Stonewall Kitchen or make your own), a quarter-ounce of lemon juice and 3 ounces of Newcastle Brown Ale.
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Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale
Much like iPhone apps, when it comes to seasonal beers, There's a Sam Adams for That. Before we even run out of Sam Adams Octoberfest, Harvest Pumpkin Ale shows up. Harvest pumpkin is made with a whopping 17 pounds of pumpkins per barrel, adding a touch of sweetness to the dark red amber ale.
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Brooklyn Post Road
Brooklyn Brewery's Post Road Pumpkin Ale is made with Dickinson Pumpkins, nutmeg and wheat. The hops are Willamette and American Fuggle, which is hilarious to say, and it's 5 percent alcohol.
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Avery Brewing Rumpkin
Colorado's Avery Brewy Company makes this high-octane pumpkin ale each October. At 15 to 18 percent ABV, it's aged in rum barrels and brewed with pumpkins, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
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Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
Dogfish Head makes this pumpkin ale each fall. It's 7 percent ABV, with cinnamon and allspice. The Dogfish Head gents recommend pairing it with turkey, duck and lamb.
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8 of 8Next: The World's Strongest Beers
Elysian The Great Pumpkin Ale
Elysian's ale chimes in at 8 percent ABV, with a sugary, spicy palate. It's made with 6 malts, and there are roasted pumpkin seeds in the mash. Cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice add sweetness to the copper-hued brew.