Gingerbread and pumpkin spice liqueurs add wintertime flavors to craft cocktails

In this month's Elixir column A Cordial Encounter, we revealed how bartenders around town are using fruit- and nut-based cordials to add winter flavors to creative and tasty cocktails. But pear and pistachio aren’t the only seasonal liqueurs perking up cold-weather cocktails. Stephanie Kromat, a district manager for spirits and wine supplier Pernod Ricard, loves Hiram Walker Gingerbread and Pumpkin Spice liqueurs. Kromat used both products, which are only available from September through January, during cocktail classes she recently taught at Dierbergs School of Cooking. The pumpkin spice pairs merrily with Kahlúa, whether in a hot coffee drink topped with whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg or as a Pumpkin Pie Martini with equal parts Pumpkin Spice liqueur, Kahlua and half-and-half, served chilled in a martini glass rimmed with crushed graham crackers. The gingerbread liqueur – it tastes exactly like liquefied aromatic gingerbread – is perfectly yummy sipped neat from a cordial glass, yet when combined with Absolut Citron vodka, Triple Sec and cranberry juice, it makes a heck of a cold weather cosmo. Visit the recipe section of SauceMagazine.com for ways to make these crafty cocktails part of your cool-weather sipping.