andrejthechef
USADrinkDrinkVegetarian

The Slutty Pumpkin's Tootsie Roll Cocktail

A simple two-ingredient cocktail of Kahlúa and root beer that genuinely tastes like a Tootsie Roll, the drink tied to one of How I Met Your Mother's longest-running jokes.

prep
5 min
cook
0 min
total
5 min
serves
1
level
easy
The Slutty Pumpkin's Tootsie Roll Cocktail, from How I Met Your Mother

This drink is tied to the Slutty Pumpkin in How I Met Your Mother, a character at the center of one of the show's longest-running running jokes, built around a missed connection at a Halloween party that takes years to pay off.

The genuine surprise here is how accurate the name is: Kahlúa and root beer together really do taste like a melted Tootsie Roll, which is the whole reason this simple two-ingredient drink has stuck around as a fan favorite.

Part of our 60 famous foods from movies and TV list.

method

  1. Fill a glass with ice.

  2. Pour the Kahlúa over the ice.

  3. Top with the root beer.

  4. Stir gently once to combine, without losing too much fizz.

  5. Serve immediately, while cold and still carbonated.

chef's tips

  • The combination of coffee liqueur and root beer really does taste remarkably like a Tootsie Roll, which is the entire joke and appeal of this drink; it's a genuine flavor match, not just a clever name.
  • Use a well-chilled root beer and pour gently to keep as much carbonation as possible; a flat version loses a lot of its charm.
  • In How I Met Your Mother, this drink is tied to the Slutty Pumpkin, a character central to one of the show's longest-running, most drawn-out jokes about a missed connection at a Halloween party.
  • This scales up easily for a group; just keep the ratio of about one part Kahlúa to three parts root beer.