Anyone who has read the Harry Potter series over the past few years has heard of pumpkin juice. Although I like many dishes using pumpkin, I have never been the least bit tempted to cut pumpkins into pieces and extract their juice; Harry, Ron, and Hermoine can drink all the pumpkin juice they want, but I have no desire for them to share with me!

While looking for quick and easy Halloween dishes, however, I ran across a recipe for a drink that mixes apple cider with pumpkin juice; that sounded a little more tempting and certainly worth trying. I prepared the recipe according to instructions; it wasn’t terrible, but certainly needed a bit of work. After adding some additional ingredients and working on the spices, I’m happy to present a Pumpkin juice recipe that is not only delicious, it is quick and easy; the spice mixture can even be made a week or so ahead, so hands on time is very minimal!
  
My version of pumpkin juice is perfect to serve at any fall buffet that you're planning—from Halloween right through to Christmas; I plan to serve it this year along with a warm cranberry wassail on Thanksgiving with festive hors d'oeuvres. Oh, and there is a hidden bonus to this delicious beverage—Pumpkin is full of very healthy nutrients, most notably lots of Vitamin A (don’t tell anyone and let them have as much as they like!).

Pumpkin Juice

12 Servings

2 Quarts apple cider, divided
1 piece fresh ginger, (2") sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar

1 28 oz. can pumpkin puree

Pour 3 cups of the apple cider into a saucepan; add the ginger slices, cinnamon stick, and cloves. Bring the mixture to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add the honey and brown sugar, and stir to dissolve. Refrigerate the mixture until well-chilled, or up to a week.
 
When ready to serve, strain the apple cider mixture into a large pitcher. Add the remaining apple cider and the pumpkin puree; stir well.

 
Amount Per Serving
Calories 155 Calories from Fat 3
Percent Total Calories From:
Fat 2% Protein 2% Carb. 95%
 
Nutrient Amount per
Serving
Total Fat 0 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 5 mg
Total Carbohydrate 37 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 1 g
 
Vitamin A 292% Vitamin C 5% Calcium 0% Iron 6%