QUICK PUMPKIN LIQUEUR & PUMPKIN SYRUP RECIPES

QUICK PUMPKIN LIQUEUR USING HOMEMADE PUMPKIN SYRUP
It's that time of year again. Yep, time to make my annual stash of pumpkin liqueur, but because I was busy writing and editing my latest cocktail book, How to Practice the Zen of Cocktails, I forgot to make my yearly batch of Homemade Pumpkin Liqueur in September. So here I sat, the middle of October and no homemade pumpkin booze.
So I looked around for a "quick pumpkin liqueur" recipe and found a great idea over at Serious Eats for making it with homemade pumpkin syrup. The difference between my pumpkin liqueur above and this method is the amount of time required to infuse the liqueur. This method gives you a usable liqueur in a few in a days.
This quick recipe does not have the flavor complexity of my original homemade version, but it's pretty darn good for the minimal amount of time required. And, like I always do, I changed their recipe up to suit my personal tastes, using extra vanilla, more pumpkin puree and Schilling's Pumpkin Pie Spice because that is the pumpkin pie flavor I grew up with and love. 
I also didn't filter it. I really liked the looks and taste of the unfiltered syrup so I  skipped that step. If I was going to keep the syrup and liqueur for a few months I'd go ahead and filter it, but I'm going to be using this batch up in the next few days.
And, by the way, the syrup is dynamite on waffles with lots of butter and a nice pile of whipped cream!
Thank you, Serious Eats, for pulling my cocktail feathers out of the proverbial pumpkin season fire!
PUMPKIN PIE SYRUP (adapted from a recipe at Serious Eats)    INGREDIENTS 2 C. Water
2 C. Sugar
4 Tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1-1/2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
8 Tbsp. Pumpkin Puree
DIRECTIONS Add all the syrup ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the mixture reduces to a syrup viscosity.
Allow this to cool.
Strain the mixture through cheesecloth, bottle and/or use to make a quick infused pumpkin liqueur. You can bottle the syrup and refrigerate it for up to 2 months.
PUMPKIN PIE LIQUEUR:
You can use Vodka or Rum or Bourbon!
DIRECTIONS:
Mix together equal parts of the spirit and the syrup. Filter through cheesecloth if you want a clearer spirit.
Bottle and store in your refrigerator for up to four months.
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