ORIGINAL — Kentucky Harvest

October 21, 2011 (Day 206) — Kentucky Harvest

After last night’s foray into the creepy and offensive, we’ve decided to take a step back and honor those out there pulling pumpkins out of the field in time for Halloween celebrations!

Now, we’ve been hanging on to a bottle of Hiram Walker Pumpkin Spice liqueur for a little while now. The seasonal flavor has had a tendency to divide drinkers. There are some who swear by it for an authentic pumpkin flavor to be added to any fall cocktail. There are others who have said it tastes “like the worst goddamn thing I’ve ever had.”

Our reaction was a bit less violent in either direction. Truthfully, we went away more underwhelmed than anything else.

Now, this was kind of disappointing, as we were blown away by the caramel apple liqueur, and the company’s Original Cinn is probably one of the best budget cinnamon schnapps on the market.

However, the Pumpkin Spice struck as being a bit too light on pumpkin flavor, and just a little bit to syrupy. However, after much cajoling, we decided to revisit it and use it in a powerful Friday night libation.

Kentucky Harvest

• 3 oz Buffalo Trace Kentucky Bourbon Whisker
• 2 oz Hiram Walker Pumpkin Spice Liqueur
• 3 dashes fresh lime juice

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Bourbon takes center stage in this drink, with just a little bit of a pumpkin aftertaste, which is very pleasant. The bit of a bite from citrus brings out the sweetness of the cocktail as well. However, we did need to up the use of the liqueur up to 2 oz to really make a flavor difference in the cocktail.

So, final liqueur verdict — it’s not horrible at all. It’s just not as versatile and powerful and it needs to be. s

Cheers!

— Mark