PHOTO COURTESY OF JACKWORTH GINGER BEER BREWERY AND MAGGIE’S FARM RUM

Halloween was less than a week ago and we’re already knee-deep in the holiday season. But, I’m not ready to say goodbye to fall. It’s barely been a fall! It’s currently 70 degrees and sunny aht!

I need something to help me transition from autumnal bliss to holly-jolliness. Preferably something boozy. With skeletons. Like a two-headed Great Pumpkin, Maggie’s Farm Rum and Jackworth Ginger Beer Brewery teamed up to deliver the goods.

Fireside Mule is a carbonated mix of baking spice-flavored rum, organic ginger, lime and cane sugar. This Ready-To-Drink canned cocktail is like a cup of cheer with a refreshing zing. It clocks in at 8% alcohol by volume. As an added bonus, the label features artist Miller McCormick’s rendering of Special Agent Dana Skully, the bony Maggie’s Farm Rum mascot, sitting fireside.

Related: 12 Pittsburgh Distilleries to Explore

It’s an image that makes me feel warm and cozy. Jackworth co-founder Tyler Lewis says they had one throw blanket made for a promotional photo shoot and they might order more if there’s a demand for it. As a cocktail-loving fan of “The X-Files” who has skull tattoos and is always cold, I am at the bull’s eye of their target demographic.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JACKWORTH GINGER BEER BREWERY AND MAGGIE’S FARM RUM

The collaboration also celebrates the passage of State Senate Bill 688. Over the summer, when Gov. Josh Shaprio signed it into law as Act 86 of 2024, it marked the first time in 91 years that certain retail outlets that already sell beer and wine products with the same or lower alcohol contents to peddle to-go packs of RTDs with an ABV of 12.5 % or less.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, which dates back to the end of Prohibition in 1933, is in charge of state-run liquor stores, the only place in the Commonwealth where, up until the new legislation, residents could purchase to-go packs of these canned elixirs. Now you can find them at local supermarkets, convenience stores, beer distributors and restaurants.

Will Grove, longtime head of development for Maggie’s Farm, believes the law expands choices for customers and opens doors for craft producers and distributors. It made sense to team up with a fledgling business that launched with the same kind of grassroots effort as his employer.

“We are walking the same path just separated by time,” he explains. “Both companies didn’t start with a bunch of money, both are super-scrappy and both are focused on doing something and doing it well.”

Years ago, Maggie’s Farm tapped into the non-beer-imbibing segment of the booze industry with the release of 5% ABV Personal Day Hard Seltzers made from purified water, vodka and real fruit juice. Jackworth, a company that opened six months ago in Larimer, sells non-alcoholic ginger beer, one that is 5% ABV and various wine, cider, beer and spirits made in PA.

The Fireside Mule is in limited release at Jackworth as well as at Maggie’s Farm tasting rooms in the Strip District and Upper St. Clair. A full rollout to off-premise accounts happens the week of Nov. 11.

They have 2,955 cans (about 120 cases) of the stuff. If it’s the seasonal hit they anticipate it will be, they’ll likely do another run of it to get Pittsburghers through the long, cold winter. And if it’s still 70 degrees and sunny in January, they are toying with the idea of doing a beachy version by adding pineapple.

It should be noted that the Fireside Mule is gluten-free. It’s a little good news after the sad announcement was made that Aurochs Brewing, an award-winning, gluten-free brewery in Emsworth, will close by the end of the year.

I found out about the Jackworth/Maggie’s Farm partnership when I ran into Lewis at Baked True North in McCandless in late October. To my surprise, the gluten-free bakery was hosting a fall festival with local vendors, so, in addition to lemon squares, brownies and cookies, I left with multiple story ideas, a four-pack of hard ginger beer, a bottle of Hammajack Heat Co. hot sauce and a Urban Myth Apparel T-shirt with a skeleton on it.

Fall truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Let’s enjoy it a little longer.

Maggie’s Farm has locations at 3212A Smallman St. in the Strip District and at 1387 McLaughlin Run Road in Upper St. Clair. Jackworth Ginger Beer Brewery is located at 6615 Hamilton Ave. in Larimer.