For many people, holiday drinking conjures up images of spiked cider and red wine, but what if we told you there was something better. Way better. How about a perfectly balanced tequila cocktail with notes of pumpkin, cooked agave, Mexican brown sugar (piloncillo) and the fresh aromatics of lemon? Now we’re talking!

This stirred tequila cocktail, dubbed the Peregrino, or Pilgrim, was invented by Guadalajara-based cocktail genius Andres Moran, just for our Thanksgiving feast at the Quinta Don Jose Boutique Hotel in Tlaquepaque.

We wanted to share it with you just in case you’re in the mood to try something new, or just be inspired by the intoxicating mix of holiday flavors that is neither too dense (like Aunt Martha’s pumpkin pie) or too sweet (like Grandpa Fred’s diabetes-inducing cranberry sauce.)

To pull this off Andres made a special tincture of cooked pumpkin and pineapple infused in high-proof tequila, as well as a piloncillo syrup. (Sort of like a simple syrup, but with a brown sugar base.)

Here’s the recipe:

El Peregrino

– 1.5 oz reposado tequila (We used Terralta Reposado for its lightly wooded, cooked agave flavor)
– 0.5 oz pumpkin-pineapple tequila tincture made with high-proof Patron tequila
– 0.25 oz piloncillo syrup
– 2 dashes Angostura bitters
– Cooked pumpkin & lemon twist as a garnish

Want to get more great cocktail ideas? Check out our full list of tequila cocktail recipes, and follow Andres on Twitter at @zr_cocktail to see what he’s making and where.