I’m neither the first nor the last person to gripe about the fact that pumpkin spice lattes taste nothing like pumpkin. The coffeehouse versions are also a little too sugary for my taste. I want the flavor without feeling like I’m drinking a pie.

Now that I make my own syrup, I can have a pumpkin spice latte any day of the year, exactly the way I like them! I’m also fantasizing about a Thanksgiving cocktail using the syrup, maybe based on an old fashioned? Bourbon, pumpkin spice syrup, bitters, water, cherry, and orange peel? We’ll see.

homemade pumpkin spice syrup

Pumpkin Spice Syrup
makes 12 ounces or 10-12 servings

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Combine all ingredients in a nonstick pot, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring briskly with a fork or whisking every 5-10 minutes. After 45 minutes, the syrup should have reduced to a consistency slightly thicker and more viscous than a simple syrup — when you lift your fork or whisk out of the syrup, a few syrupy strands should come up with it. Turn the heat off but leave the pot on the stove until it’s cooled completely. When the syrup has cooled completely, give it another good stir before transferring to a canning jar. It will have thickened up even more and the final consistency should be between maple syrup and molasses.