As the summer season draws to a close, we can hardly shake off our daydreams of cozy sweaters and hot toddies. We’re excited to spice up our cocktail routine this fall, and a nice bourbon pumpkin cocktail seems like the perfect way to start. We recently had the opportunity to speak exclusively with Camille Wilson, author of “Free Spirit Cocktails” and content creator of The Cocktail Snob, about this topic.

We asked Wilson if she thought a pumpkin syrup or a purée would work better. “I think a syrup is always the best way to add a certain flavor to a cocktail,” Wilson told Tasting Table. “That’s because you can easily control the intensity of the flavor and you can buy it at the store or make it at home.”

Convenience and control are both great qualities in a bar ingredient, but that’s not the only reason pumpkin syrup is a better choice. “Syrups are lighter than purees, so they blend better with other liquid ingredients.” Getting the texture right is extremely important in cocktails, as the mouthfeel can make or break your drink. While a creamy pumpkin puree cocktail sounds interesting, it’s going to be a lot harder to make the puree blend well with the other ingredients than it would be with a pumpkin syrup. The easiest option would be to go with something like a Torani syrup, although you can also mix a simple pumpkin spice syrup or even a pumpkin spice liqueur and still get all the flavors you want.

Now that we have our ingredients, what should we do? “I’d vote for an Old Fashioned,” Wilson said. “This is a classic cocktail that can easily be remixed by just substituting one or two ingredients. And it’s pretty simple.” Simple sounds good to us, and we’re always up for a nice, boozy sip. “For the classic recipe,” Wilson continued. “You can substitute simple syrup for pumpkin syrup.” If your pumpkin syrup isn’t sweet enough to completely replace simple syrup, you can also pair your bourbon Old Fashioned with maple syrup on the pumpkin for a true fall favorite.

Not a big fan of the Old Fashioned? No problem. “I also think a pumpkin whiskey sour would taste great,” Wilson told Tasting Table exclusively. “I think the sweetness of the pumpkin would complement the tartness of the lemon really well.” Here, it would be a similar setup where you replace the simple syrup with pumpkin syrup. If you’re not getting the full pumpkin experience, consider boosting the pumpkin spice flavors with “spices like cinnamon, ginger, clove and nutmeg.”