Pumpkin spiced persimmon cocktails you must make this fall!

So a while back, I posted about the pumpkin spiced persimmon syrup that I made. The past few weeks I spent some time experimenting with cocktails, mostly classic recipes, but using my spicy, sweet, fruity syrup. Here are some of my favorites:

Ripening wild persimmons

Don't have wild, foraged persimmons? 

It's ok, I bet these drinks would taste awesome with store-bought fruit as well. 

Perfect for an after-work cocktail:

Spiced Persimmon Old Fashioned 

Spiced Persimmon Old Fashioned

For this drink, I used a local Texas mixed whiskey, Rebecca Creek. I think it's only available in Texas, maybe Oklahoma and Arkansas as well. 

It's a mixed whiskey, more than half corn, 21% rye, and wheat and barley in as well. I chose it, first because it's really really good, and second because I see Old Fashioned are made with either bourbon or rye, and this way I don't have to choose.

If you can't get your hands on a corn and rye whiskey, I'd use a bourbon, as I think the flavor will mix best with the spices and the persimmons.

Also, Rebecca Creek doesn't pay me or anything for the link, I just happen to like their product.

1. Mix 1 tbs spiced persimmon syrup with 1.5 oz whiskey. 
2. Add 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
3. Serve over ice. 
4. Optional: garnish with an orange slice, a cherry, or both

Try this for a drink with dinner

Ginger and 'Simmons

Spicy Persimmon Hard Ginger Ale

I love the flavor of ginger with fruit, particularly fall fruit.  Plus, it's such a natural pairing with the pie-spices used in my pumpkin spiced persimmon syrup, as ginger is often used in baking.

There's really no recipe here. Add 2 generous tablespoons of syrup to a tall glass. Like it a little sweeter? Use three!

Tilting the glass at an angle, slowly pour the ginger ale down the inside of the glass, letting it mix with the syrup on the bottom. I made a video of the pour below.

You definitely want to use a really good quality hard ginger ale here, with only real ginger for flavor, not some vague, unspecified "ginger and other natural flavors".

Can't or don't want to drink yet? There's always regular ginger ale as well.

As you can see, I'm not really a garnish person, but if I were, an orange slice or wedge and some floating cranberries would be how I'd go. 

For a fall party, try this crowd-pleasing

Persimmon Cider Punch

Apple cider (1 cup), freshly squeezed orange juice (1 orange worth), and pumpkin spiced persimmon syrup (3 tablespoons).

Serve over ice, makes 2 servings. It would also be amazing heated up as a toddy.

Squeeze out every last drop of flavor

Pumpkin Spiced Persimmon Bourbon

There's still lots of flavor left in the mash of persimmon pulp, seeds, and skins. Making a liquor infusion is one of the best ways to get to every last bit of that flavor. It's very simple: add all the remnants to a glass container, fill with the spirit of your choice (bourbon is a natural pairing to me, but you could try vodka or rum), and let sit in the fridge for a week or more.

You must use glass or ceramic when making an infusion, as plastic or metal will react and can leach into your drink!

Taste it periodically. Once the flavors are balanced to your liking, strain out the solids as best you can, cheesecloth works very well here. The infused spirit will keep in the fridge for quite some time.

The infused spirit after straining

Drink it straight, or with orange or unsweetened grapefruit juice, or experiment on your own. In the shaker you can see I have some clementine juice, which I mixed with the infused spirit and soda water. It was pretty great!

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