Swap Vodka For A Darker Liquor When Making Pumpkin Spice Espresso Martinis

Espresso martinis are certainly having a moment of renewed popularity since they were introduced in the 1980s. If you're a fan of pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin cold brews, what's stopping you from making a pumpkin spice espresso martini? Whether you choose to elevate your espresso martini with coffee creamer that already contains pumpkin spice flavors or you decide to add pumpkin spice syrup, don't stop there. While vodka is great for a basic espresso martini (along with coffee liqueur and espresso) its simplicity doesn't bring much to a pumpkin spice version. Instead, boost the complexity of your drink by using a darker liquor that will amplify the flavors of pumpkin spice while not overpowering the flavor of the espresso.

Darker liquors have long been associated with coffee drinks like Irish coffee, Caribbean coffee, and carajillo, so adding them to an espresso martini makes all kinds of sense. Purists need not worry because an espresso martini already doesn't technically meet the requirements of being a martini, so making it with a darker liquor instead of vodka isn't a faux pas. (Strictly speaking, a martini includes gin and vermouth, though vodka martinis have become more widely accepted over the years.) Which dark liquor you choose is up to you, though we have some suggestions and considerations for you to ponder.

Novice spirits drinkers may not realize that all liquor starts out clear. To get that deep brown color, spirits are aged in barrels. This aging process does more than give the liquor its dark appearance. Just like barrel-aged wine or high-quality vinegar production, it imparts flavors reminiscent of caramel, smoke, vanilla, clove, and even some fruits, all depending on the type of wood barrels used. In addition to the type of wood, whether a barrel is new or has previously held something like wine or beer, differs between types of liquor.

The great thing about the flavors that develop in these darker spirits is that they perfectly complement the flavors of pumpkin pie spice, which is typically made from a combination of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. Using one of these barrel-aged darker liquors for your pumpkin spice espresso martini (along with the typical espresso martini ingredients of coffee liqueur and espresso) helps bring out the complexity of the warm spice flavors in the drink, which vodka just can't accomplish.

If you're sold on using a darker liquor in your pumpkin spice espresso martini but don't know which one to use, the good news is that they'll all be delicious in different ways. Arguably the best options, however, are bourbon, spiced rum, and brandy.

While any aged whiskey will add warm spice to your espresso martini, bourbon whiskey in particular is an excellent choice for the cocktail as it tends to be sweeter than other types of whiskey and gives an additional vanilla-like flavor, thanks to the requirement of bourbon being aged in charred American oak barrels. If rum is more your speed, a spiced rum will take your pumpkin spice espresso martini to incredible heights. While it can be made with any rum base (white, golden, or dark), a spiced dark rum brings the molasses-like flavors from the extended aging in addition to the infusion of spices that already mimic pumpkin spice: cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg.

For a fruitier and sweeter pumpkin spice espresso martini that is still more complex than one that uses vodka, opt for brandy. Essentially distilled wine, brandy can be made from many different fruits (all of which impact the flavor profile) and is typically aged in wooden barrels like bourbon and dark rum. For this reason, it brings many of the same warm, vanilla-like flavors and spices to your cocktail that screams autumnal pumpkin spice.