• Prepare the pie crust. Fit the unbaked pastry into a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges. Place the prepared crust in the refrigerator for 15–20 minutes while you make the pumpkin filling. Chilling the crust helps it firm up and hold its shape better during baking.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin purée, sweetened condensed milk, egg, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
• Add the ¾ cup hot water and ¼ cup rum. Beat until the pumpkin pie filling is smooth and evenly combined. The condensed milk is thick at first, but the hot water loosens everything nicely.
• Remove the chilled pie crust from the refrigerator and pour in the pumpkin filling.
• Bake the vintage pumpkin pie for 50–55 minutes, or until the filling is set around the edges and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
• If the crust edges begin browning too quickly, loosely cover them with foil or a pie shield.
• Remove the pie from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. The filling will continue to set as it cools, so don’t rush the slicing.
• Serve with whipped cream and a light sprinkle of nutmeg.

Alcohol-Free Variation

• For a traditional old-fashioned pumpkin pie without alcohol, omit the rum and use:
• 1 cup hot water
• Keep the total amount of liquid at 1 cup.
For the best vintage pumpkin pie with sweetened condensed milk, chill the unbaked pie crust for 15–20 minutes before adding the filling. This simple step helps the crust hold its shape and bake up more evenly while the creamy pumpkin custard sets.