Holiday Party Punch. Tom McCorkle/photo; Gina Nistico/food styling, for The Washington Post

Pumpkin spice has become a punchline, which I don’t think is very fair to pumpkins. Just because something becomes preposterously popular doesn’t mean it stops tasting good, and pumpkins – like most foods – never asked to get roped into a popularity contest. All they wanted to do was be delicious while delivering loads of vitamin A. And here we all are, making jokes at their expense just because they happen to deliver those things with a glut of warm, cozy, highly marketable vibes.

To add insult to injury, most products that have given pumpkin its now-ridiculous reputation – the lattes, the dog treats, the SPAM – don’t even contain any actual pumpkin! It’s all spice-based smoke and mirrors! Cinnamon is the one everyone should be making jokes about!

Even if you’re an unabashed PSL lover (which, good for you – never let society shame you away from the things you love!), you’ve likely never truly known what pumpkin tastes like in a beverage. And that’s a shame. In the Caribbean, they’ve been using it as an ingredient in drinks for generations.

“We normally use pumpkin in traditional punches,” says Trevor Luke, an award-winning bartender from Kingston, Jamaica. “We boil or roast it until soft, then put it in a blender with other ingredients, like milks, sodas, stout or rum. Then we add some kind of sweetener, and maybe some local seasonings like nutmeg.”

Native to the Caribbean and Latin America, West Indian pumpkin, also known as calabaza, doesn’t look much like the pumpkins typically grown in the United States, but when it comes to taste, they’re pretty darn close. Short and squat, calabazas have a thick, mottled green-to-orange rind, and sweet, bright orange flesh. Meanwhile, the pumpkin whose flavor is most identified with the holidays – the canned puree of the Dickinson pumpkin – is long and oblong, with a thin tan rind and flesh that’s also sweet and bright orange.

(As for the svelte, round models we normally imagine when we’re thinking about pumpkins: They’re bred entirely for aesthetics, with thin, stringy flesh that’s meant to look good, not taste good.)

You might be able to find West Indian pumpkin, usually sold in precut segments, if you live near a well-stocked international market or supermarket that takes their squash selection seriously. And if that’s the case, you can certainly use it in this punch recipe! But if you can’t find the real thing or have too many things on your holiday prep list, using canned pumpkin is a-okay. I’ve even made this with cooked butternut and acorn squashes, and they worked great.

Malt soda, such as this from Goya, has a rich flavor and no alcohol. Tom McCorkle/photo; Gina Nistico/food styling, for The Washington Post

Though pumpkin gets top billing, the real star of this punch – and the ingredient that takes its flavor beyond “liquid pie” – is another beverage popular in the Caribbean that sadly doesn’t get enough love stateside, though it should, especially when it comes to broadening the nonalcoholic bar: malt soda. Widely available in well-stocked supermarkets or international markets, malt soda, made from barley, hops and water, delivers a toasty brown color and rich, malty flavor similar to molasses. It’s reminiscent of beer but without the fermentation that produces alcohol.

“We use malt soda in a lot of mocktails,” Luke tells me. “It’s great when blended with milk and other local ingredients, like pumpkins or peanuts. It’s a good substitute for stout.”

Punches aren’t reserved for special occasions in Jamaica; Luke regularly serves them at the bar in tall glasses full of ice. And you certainly shouldn’t be limited to enjoying this drink within the scope of entertaining, or even around the holidays – after all, canned pumpkin is available all year round, and tastes as good in the spring as it does in the fall. But if you ever have an opportunity to break out a punch bowl, I’m a firm believer that you should jump on it with full force. It’s not often that a beverage gets the chance to set the tone for an entire event, and we already know pumpkin has major star power. If you’re looking for a touch of “ta-da!”, this punch is just the thing.

The base of this punch can be made ahead, and comes together in seconds. All you need to do is put a few things from the pantry into a blender, and press a button. Mixing it with the malt soda right before serving keeps things lightly carbonated; those bubbles are sturdy enough to hold up in a bowl for a few hours, but even once they deflate, this punch is still divine. (That’s something I feel is important to note, in case there are leftovers.)

To keep things cold, you have a few options: You can either set your punch bowl in a larger bowl full of ice, or add ice directly to the punch. If you go the latter route, I suggest freezing water in a cake pan to make one large ice block, which will melt more slowly than regular ice cubes and prevent the punch from getting diluted too fast.

Though the inspiration for this punch comes from the Caribbean, the final product should be all you. Luke tells me that everyone has their own special recipe, so give it a taste before serving and follow your heart. It’s okay to add more malt soda, or a more vigorous shake of spices. You could even add some secret ingredients of your own: perhaps a bit of grated fresh ginger or a glug of maple syrup. And if you have imbibers at the party, you can put a bottle of rum or whiskey off to the side, so your guests can spike their own drinks.

Holiday Pumpkin Punch

Serves 15 (makes scant 12 cups)

Total time: 10 mins, plus 2 hours for chilling

This indulgent nonalcoholic holiday punch has its roots in the West Indies, where pumpkin is a commonly used ingredient outside of sweets. Traditionally made with stout, this zero-proof version relies on another drink popular in the Caribbean – malt soda.

Make ahead: The punch base needs to be prepared and chilled for at least 2 hours before serving. If planning to make an ice block for the punch bowl, do so 24 hours in advance: Fill a cake pan, Bundt pan or medium bowl with cold, filtered water and freeze.

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 5 days; gently stir to recombine the ingredients before serving.

Where to buy: Malt soda, such as Malta Goya, can be found at well-stocked supermarkets and international markets.

INGREDIENTS

Two (15-ounce) cans canned pumpkin puree

One (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

One (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

1 cup water, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for garnish

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste

Ice block, for the punch bowl, plus ice cubes for serving (optional; see Make ahead)

Five (7-ounce) bottles Malta Goya soda or nonalcoholic stout, such as Guinness (see Where to buy and Notes)

DIRECTIONS

In a blender, combine the pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, water, nutmeg, vanilla and salt, and puree on high until smooth. You should have about 7 1/2 cups. (If your blender is on the smaller side, you may want to do this in two batches.) If needed, add more water, a splash at a time, until a pourable consistency is reached. Taste, and season with more salt, if desired. Transfer to a lidded container and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 2 hours.

When ready to serve, pour the punch base into a large punch bowl and add the ice block, if using. Carefully pour in the soda and gently stir to combine. Ladle into ice-filled glasses, if desired, garnish with more nutmeg, and serve.

Substitutions:

Have homemade pumpkin puree? You’ll need about 3 cups.

Instead of nutmeg, try your favorite warming spice.

For canned pumpkin, you can substitute canned sweet potatoes.

Variations:

To make an individual drink, in a medium glass filled with ice, if desired, gently stir together 4 ounces of the pumpkin punch base with 2 ounces of malt soda until combined. Garnish with a little nutmeg and serve right away.

Notes:

You will need about 1 liter (generous 4 cups) of malt soda for the punch. Malta Goya brand is sold in 7-ounce and 12-ounce bottles. If you have the bigger bottles, you’ll need about 3 bottles. Other brands come in generous 8-ounce (250 milliliter) bottles; you will need 4 of those.

Nutritional Facts per serving (3/4 cup) | Calories: 282; Fat: 6 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Carbohydrates: 49 g; Sodium: 196 mg; Cholesterol: 23 mg; Protein: 7 g; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 38 g