It’s just the way life goes. The temps are dropping so we need warming up. While sitting by the fire is a great start, you’ll need something to sip. And a fall cocktail is the best trick to warm you from the inside out. Ready to sip fall? Toronto Mixologist Orlando Carreira developed this yummy rum-based drink for you to try. When we asked him how he came up with the name, a smile lit up his face as he told us all about the evolution of the ‘Punkman’ Pie.
I had a really small family growing up. While some families had the type of Thanksgiving feast that would put those from made-for-TV movies to shame, mine were a different kind of affair. No less special, just smaller.
My fondest memories from those days were the annual trips we would make to Winnipeg Beach to pick up Pumpkin Pie. My best friend wasn’t able to pronounce Pumpkin, so we all called it Punkman Pie.
Our group was small enough to fit in a Chevy Citation hatchback: my mom, my best friend, his mom, and yours truly. If you haven’t seen these cars before, I highly suggest googling them, because they are hilariously quaint.
Driving home along Toronto’s lakeshore with the omnipresent aroma of Punkman Spice and the people I cared about most was all I ever wanted in those days. The people I was with, and the homey scent of the car was all that mattered.
If you had offered me Pumpkin Pie from anywhere else, I’d have looked the other way. Only Punkman Pie was good enough for this kid.
So of course I wanted to recreate those feelings in a cocktail. I think I did with this one. Hence the name, Punkman Pie.
How can you not want to make it, right? Go for it. The recipe is super easy.
PUNKMAN PIE FALL COCKTAIL
WHAT YOU NEED
1/2oz Bacardi Oakheart Spiced Rum
1/2oz RumChata
1/2oz Frangelico
1/2oz simple syrup (see the video below for how to make simple syrup)
1 shot of Espresso
WHAT YOU DO
Shake with ice and strain into a coupe—or your favourite glass at home!
Orlando Carreira has been the Bar Manager and Mixologist at Toronto’s famed Brassai restaurant for the past 3 years. Follow him on Instagram as @whoisorlando.
