Spooky season has arrived and that means drink lists are about to be filled with tons of fun and creative Halloween-inspired cocktails! Need some inspiration for your own seasonal cocktail offerings? Check out these must-try cocktail recipes that are perfect for Halloween!
Green Chile Bloody Mary
Bloody Marys, of course, make excellent Halloween cocktails. They already have a classic scary name and with some imaginative garnishes, you can definitely make them look pretty frightful. Amp up your Halloween Bloody Mary by swapping out traditional vodka for something with a little bit more punch. This Bloody Mary recipe comes from St. George Spirits and uses their Green Chile Vodka as the base. This vodka features bright flavors of California peppers, cilantro, and lime for a fresh, vegetal taste.
Green Chile Bloody Mary
2 oz. St. George Green Chile Vodka
2 oz. Tomato Juice
½ oz. Fresh Lime Juice
½ tsp Horseradish
2-3 Dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
1 Pinch Each of Salt, Pepper, & Celery Salt
Shake all the ingredients together with ice and then strain into a glass of ice. Add your favorite Bloody Mary garnishes.
Death in the Afternoon
This Prohibition-era cocktail was created by Ernest Hemingway and shares a name with one of his books. The recipe for this cocktail was featured in a book called So Red the Nose, or Breath in Afternoon, which was a cocktail book written in 1935 with recipes contributed to it by literary greats of the day. Death in the Afternoon is pretty simple to make, all you need is absinthe and champagne. This Death in the Afternoon recipe comes from Brandon Cummins of Altamar Brands.
Death in the Afternoon
1 Bar Spoonful of Honey
1 oz. Kübler Absinthe Verte Suisse
4 oz. Dry Champagne
Start this drink by adding honey to a champagne flute. Next, pour in the absinthe and stir well to integrate fully with the honey. Top off with your choice of dry champagne.
Halloween Rum Punch
It’s hard to pass up a tasty rum punch, and this variation is no different. This recipe comes from A Couple Cooks and it is super easy to make. Its deep red hue definitely hits the mark for Halloween and you can really make this cocktail shine with some spooky-themed garnishes, like blood orange wedges or scary eyeballs made from cherry-stuff lychee fruits! Go for a premium aged rum, like Duckett Golden Rum from Nobletons Distilling House. It’s light and crisp with flavors of caramel, toffee, and smoke, which balance the sweet fruit juices perfectly.
Halloween Rum Punch
2 oz. Cranberry Juice
2 oz. Apple Cider
1 oz. Ginger Beer
2 oz. Duckett Golden Rum
Stir the cranberry juice, apple cider, and Duckett Golden Rum with ice, strain into a new glass with ice, and top off with ginger beer.
Mulled Apple Cider
While it’s not particularly spooky, you can’t deny that mulled apple cider and October go hand in hand. This recipe comes from the Food Network, but we have added a twist and substituted in Laird & Company’s Straight Apple Brandy Bottled in Bond. It’s made following a 200-year-old recipe, aged for 4 years in charred oak barrels, and bottled at 100 proof for a truly authentic expression of apple brandy. This recipe makes a 20-serving batch of mulled cider.
Mulled Apple Cider
1 gal. Apple Cider
3 Granny Smith Apples
1 Orange
½ cup Fresh Cranberries
1 tbsp Allspice Berries
5-7 Cinnamon Sticks
½ cup Sugar
1 cup Laird & Company Apple Brandy
Dice up the apples and peel the orange. In a large pot, add all the ingredients except the brandy and bring it to a low boil. Allow this to simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Now add in the brandy and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes. Serve this warm!
Witch’s Potion Margarita
This stunning margarita created by Vanessa from Red Dragon Wines is an instant attention-grabber and definitely very witchy! In order to stand out from all the juicy berry flavors of this margarita, we suggest using a top-quality silver tequila, like Tequila Ocho Plata. This premium tequila has a refreshingly crisp and clean taste with notes of pepper, citrus, and minerals – excellent for balancing sweet, fruity flavors.
Witch’s Potion Margarita from Red Dragon Wines
3 Blackberries
3 Blueberries
3 Raspberries
1 tbsp Agave Nectar
2 Lime Wedges
2 oz. Tequila Ocho Plata
1 can/bottle of your go-to Sparkling Berry-Flavored Soda
1 tsp each Blue/Purple Sanding Sugars
1 tsp each Coarse Sea Salt & Crushed Black Peppercorns
Mix the sanding sugars, sea salt, and crushed peppercorns to rim the glass with. In your shaker, add all the berries and muddle. Next, add in the agave nectar, the juice from 2 lime wedges, and Tequila Ocho Plata. Add a scoop of ice and shake well. Strain into your rimmed glass, add ice, and top off with your sparkling berry-flavored soda.
