John Sedlar’s Autumn Pumpkin Mezcal Cocktail

Photo by Didricks via Flickr

John Sedlar of Rivera was on sideDish, our bonus podcast, a couple of weeks ago. Here’s his recipe for a holiday inspired Mezcal cocktail:

Autumn Pumpkin Mezcal Cocktail

1 750 ml bottle good quality Mezcal

1 small tender pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed, or, 1 small can pumpkin puree

1 vanilla bean split

2 Tablespoons grated piloncillo

1 cup heavy creme

Allspice and cinnamon to taste

Pinch of granulated sugar

Toss the piloncillo and cubed pumpkin in a large bowl till coated. Layer a sheet pan with aluminum foil and place the pumpkin in the center. Cover with more foil and cook in a 400 degree oven until pumpkin is tender about 90 minutes. Remove and cool. Place the cooled pumpkin in a food processor or blender, and pulse until smooth.

Combine the pumpkin, the mezcal and the scraped vanilla bean in a glass container and macerate for 3 to 7 days in the refrigerator. Sieve the mixture through a coffee filter to remove the pumpkin pulp and the vanilla bean and return the liquid to a decorative decanter.

In a small bowl, whip the crème until peaks form then add a pinch of sugar, cinnamon and allspice. Top each caballito glass of pumpkin mezcal with a dollop of spiced crème.