Halloween is literally 2 days away and if you haven’t been able to go out this weekend to enjoy a party, not “trick” but treat yourself to some spooky cocktails to enjoy with friends. I am not here to tell you how to put together a Halloween party but offer you some oozy, boozy Halloween inspired cocktails to delight you and your guests. Here is a compilation of five bewitching, easy to make drinks in celebration of a spooktacular night.
Spooky Cocktails
BARM BRACK
Originally the name of the Irish Halloween bread, this creamy spiced drink pays homage
Ingredients
- Ice
- 2 ounces single-malt Irish whiskey
- 1/2 teaspoon St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram (rum-based allspice liqueur)
- 2/3 ounce Toasted-Raisin Syrup
- 1/2 ounce heavy cream
- 1 large egg yolk
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all the remaining ingredients except the garnish and shake well. Strain the drink into a chilled snifter and garnish with the nutmeg. (Recipe by Food&Wine)
SPICE PUMPKIN LASSI
What is Halloween without the pumpkin? When was the last time you have tried a cocktail with entailed pumpkin? Well, not most of us.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Four 2-inch cinnamon sticks
- 4 whole star anise
- 4 cups peeled, 1/2-inch-diced sugar pumpkin or kabocha squash (1 pound)
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- Ground cinnamon, for garnish
In a blender, puree the pumpkin, milk and 1/2 teaspoon of salt until smooth. Transfer the blender to the refrigerator and chill until the pumpkin puree is cold, 30 minutes.
Add the yogurt, sugar and 1/2 cup of water to the blender and puree until very smooth. For a thinner consistency, blend in more water, 1/4 cup at a time. Pour the pumpkin lassi into 4 glasses, sprinkle with ground cinnamon and serve chilled. (Recipe by Food&Wine)
THE WITCH’S HEART
Be careful to never toil with a witch’s heart because she just haunt your happy hour.
Ingredients
- 1 jigger apple brandy or apple vodka chilled
- 1 tsp grenadine
- 2 jiggers (or to top up) Homemade Blackberry Shimmery Liqueur (see notes) chilled
- Powdered dry ice optional
- Martini glass to serve
Add about 1/2 – 1 tsp of powdered dry ice to the bottom of the glass (optional).
Place the apple brandy and purple shimmery liqueur in a shaker. Add 1 ice cube and shake for a few seconds to chill the drink. Strain the drink into a martini glass. Top up with more purple shimmery liqueur if necessary.
Pour 1 tsp of grenadine syrup, about an inch from the surface of the drink – the grenadine should sink to the bottom, creating a “bleeding” effect.
Add about 1/2 tsp of powdered dry ice on top and serve with a stirrer, so that your guests can stir the “potion” to create that shimmery, smoky effect. (Recipe by The Flavor Bender)
BLOOD ORANGE BLACKBERRY RUM PUNCH
Nothing like a good ol‘ bloody drink with fresh fruit and blackberry soda, delightfully refreshing and festive.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chilled blood orange juice
- 4 (12 ounces) chilled natural blackberry sodas (I used IZZE brand)
- 1 cup rum
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 cup fresh blackberries
- 1 blood orange thinly sliced
- pansies to garnish (optional)
THE BLACKBEARD
A certainly spook cocktail that is black as the night sky. I wonder why…
Ingredients
- 1 oz spiced rum
- 1/2 oz Fernet Branca
- 1 1/2 oz crème de cacao
- 1/8 teaspoon squid ink (or black food coloring)
- 1/2 oz chocolate stout
Start by adding the spiced rum, Fernet, and crème de cacao to your shaker. Next, add the squid ink. Careful, this stuff stains! Give the ingredients a hard, dry shake (no ice). This will help thoroughly incorporate the ink. Fill your shaker with ice and shake vigorously for a full 30 seconds so that your drink becomes cold and frothy. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass and top with the chocolate stout.
Note: You can find squid ink at your local fish market. You can also try a grocery store with a good fish counter, like Whole Foods. (Recipe by Honestly Yum)
HOCUS POCUS FIZZ
Have you ever made a potion? Here is your chance to make a tasty concoction while re-watching the classic “Hocus Pocus“.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (or 1/2 cup rum)
- 1/4 teaspoon Imitation Coconut Extract
- 3 drops McCormick® Red Food Coloring
- 2 drops McCormick® Yellow Food Coloring
- 1 bottle Welches® sparkling white grape juice (or sparkling white wine)
- Cranberries (optional)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 5 drops red food coloring
- 5 drops yellow food coloring
Mix pineapple juice, almond extract, coconut extract and food coloring in a small picture or large measuring cup. For each drink, pour 2 ounces pineapple juice mixture into beverage glass. Top with 4 ounces of sparkling white grape juice.
How to Rim Glass with Orange-Tinted Sugar: Place 2 tablespoons sugar in the small resealable plastic bag. Add 5 drops McCormick® Red Food Color and 5 drops Yellow Food Coloring. Seal bag.
Knead sugar until the color is evenly distributed. Pour out onto a shallow plate. Dip rim of beverage glass in water, then into Orange-tinted sugar to lightly coat. To top it off, drop cranberries into the glass to float on top. (Recipe by WhenPigsFlyEvents.com)
THE POISON APPLE
Hopefully, you have seen the classic “Snow White” and learned never to take an apple from a stranger. In this case, go for it.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces apple cider
- 1-ounce pomegranate juice
- 2 ounces tequila
- Several chips of dry ice (Tip: Keep the chips small enough to dissolve quickly. I like to plop them in before I serve the drinks, so there’s no risk of guests getting frostbite from a chunk of dry ice!)
Combine ingredients with ice in a martini shaker. Shake to mix and strain into a chilled martini glass. Add dry ice to the glasses just before serving. Makes one cocktail. (Recipe by julip)
I hope this helps with to make your celebration a spooktacular one. What spooky cocktail will you try this Halloween?
