Autumn Ablazed - my own delicious pumpkin cocktail

My submission for the About.com pumpkin cocktail contest. All pumpkin cocktails recipes carry some version of nutmeg on them. Either sprinkled or grated. I wanted to change that. For my pumpkin is Autumn. Pumpkin reminds me of the feeling of comfort, of enjoyment, of happiness, of life firing in my belly!!. I wanted to have that on a drink. Since I create my own Hell-fire bitters, I put them to the test with the creamy and smooth aftertaste of pumpkins. To round up the flavors, i sensed that i needed a fruity nose to it, but with some refinement, that is why Brandy came to mind. Additionally, Demerara rums have a rich, raw brown sugar flavor that could be the perfect finish to coordinate a rich, amazing drink with just a hint of hot spices.  After playing with amounts and proportions to get the right balance, I decided that this creamy libation needed to be serve over crushed ice to dissolve evenly while sipping it in front of the chimney.

• 1 1/2 oz Brandy
• 1/2 oz Dark Rum (1)
• 1/3 oz Pumpkin Spice Syrup (2)
• 1/3 oz Pumpkin Schnapps
• 1 1/3 oz Half and Half (cream/ milk)
• 1 dash Hell-fire bitters (3)

Instructions
Shake with Ice in a cocktail shaker and then strain into an Crushed Ice-filled Lowball Glass. Garnish with a Cinnamon stick and then, insert a straw that has been cut to 1-inch above the top of the cup so the nose is forced close to the cinnamon when sipping this Autumn Ablazed.

Notes:
(1) Any Brown sugar cane rum or Demerara rums works best.
(2) Torani and Monin brands carry Pumpkin Spice Syrup
(3) I recommend doing your own Hell Fire Bitters

A little advice

• El Dorado rum, Captain Morgan, Mount Gay Rum, Ron Viejo de Caldas, Flor de Caña, Zacapa... any of these Caribbean rums would work just fine.
• My homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup is really easy to do. See below for the recipe.
• My homemade Hellfire bitters recipe is at the end of the blog. 

Pumpkin Spice Syrup 
Simmer in sauce pan: 

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pre-cooked pumpkin
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp mace

stir until sugar dissolves, Cool slightly, then stir in about a shot of Cognac.Strain using coffee filter.

Hellfire Bitters 
My own recipe - easy to do 

• 1 jalapeño
• 2 oz Rum
• 1 oz water
• 1 oz coffee

In a small pot, muddle the jalapeño. Add rum and muddle some more. Mix in the coffee and the water; cover on low heat for 10 min. Cool. strain, let sit for 6 hours. Use dropper to pour over drinks.