Halloween is the perfect holiday to play with your food—and beverages! There are lots of creative options when it comes to cocktails for fall and especially Halloween. Here are a few of our favorites. Remember, to enjoy responsibly. If you’re lit brighter than the Halloween decorations, you better be at home or have a designated driver!
CÎROC Black Raspberry
Bramble
Not only the perfect mix and mask of flavors, but doubles as a great centerpiece for your Halloween event. Mixed with lime juice, simple syrup and blackberries, it’s wickedly delicious.
Ingredients
1.5 ounces CÎROC Black Raspberry
0.5 ounces lime juice
0.5 ounces simple syrup
3 blackberries
Directions
Muddle blackberries in a rocks glass. Add crushed ice. Add rest of ingredients in a shaker with one ice cube only. Strain into the rocks glass and garnish with a fresh blackberry.
Black Smash
A grueling Halloween hazard. Refreshing and subtly sweet, the bloody concoction is mixed with lemon juice, simple syrup, mint leaves, and blackberries for a combination that will definitely impress.
Ingredients
2 ounces CÎROC Black Raspberry
0.5 ounces lemon juice
0.5 ounces simple syrup
4 mint leaves
5 blackberries
Directions
Add all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well. Double strain into a rocks glass and garnish with fresh raspberries.
Preparada
Mixed with splashed black raspberry, Chamoy, lime juice grenadine, and amber beer, it’s wickedly beautiful. Rimmed with chili, salt and smoked paprika, it’s not for the faint of heart!
Ingredients
1.5 ounces CÎROC Black Raspberry
0.5 ounce Chamoy
0.5 ounce lime juice
0.5 ounce grenadine
2 ounces amber beer
Directions
Twist a highball rim in salt with chili/smoked paprika mixture. Add all ingredients in a shaker except beer. Add ice, shake well. Add beer and strain into the rimmed highball.
Osetra Seafood & Steaks
The Bloody Charro
This scream-worthy cocktail comes from the acclaimed San Diego Osetra Seafood & Steaks, in the heart of San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter. The Bloody Charro was created by Bar Manager Marcelo Amaya. It’s a dry ice cocktail with rich black color and a vibrant red rim.
Ingredients
1.5 ounces Azunia Blanco tequila
0.5 ounce blood orange
0.25 ounce Aperol
0.25 ounce lime juice
0.25 ounce habanero-infused agave
Activated charcoal for color
Tajin (condiment made with lime, mild chili peppers and sea salt; available at retail grocery stores and online).
Directions
Wet rim of glass and cover with Tajin. Combine all ingredients in a shaker and shake vigorously. Double strain into a glass and serve in a 5.5 ounce snifter.
Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka
Smirnoff recently hosted an event in New York City featuring the fabulous Jonathan Van Ness, who was part of the new fab five when Netflix relaunched Queer Eye. The event was to announce Smirnoff, which has always been gluten-free is now also non-GMO. The event featured two signature cocktails featuring Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka.
Ah-Maize-Ing Elote
Ingredients
1.5 ounces Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka
1/4 cup fresh corn kernels
0.5 ounce fresh lemon juice
0.25 ounce Agave nectar
2 basil leaves
1 dash chili powder
1 corn round
Directions
Muddle the corn, lemon juice and agave nectar in cocktail shaker. Add vodka, basil leaves and ice. Shake well. Strain into coupe glass and garnish with a dash of chili powder on top and a corn round on the rim.
The Van Ness
Ingredients
1.5 ounces Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka
4 blackberries
1 rosemary sprig
0.75 ounce fresh lemon juice
0.5 ounce Agave nectar
2 ounces club soda
Directions
Combine vodka, blackberries, lemon juice and Agave nectar in a shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain into Collins glass with ice. Top with club soda and garnish with rosemary sprig.
Celebrity Caterer Andrea Correale
Regular contributor Andrea Correale, Founder and CEO of Elegant Affairs in New York City has crafted three cocktails to brighten up your Halloween soiree.
Pumpkin Spice Martini
Ingredients
1/2 ounce cream liqueur
2 ounces vanilla vodka
1/2 ounce pumpkin liqueur or pumpkin spice syrup
Directions
Pour liqueur and vodka into shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Add pumpkin liqueur or syrup. Shake well again. Strain into a chilled martini glass.
Fall Fruit Punch
Ingredients
2 ounces bourbon
0.5 ounce lemon juice
0.5 ounce maple syrup
1 ounce fresh organic apple juice
1 ounce passionfruit juice
1/4 ounce Campari
1 teaspoon honey
Apple slices, for garnish
Cinnamon stick, for garnish
Directions
In shaker, combine all ingredients. Shake vigorously and serve over ice. Garnish with apple slices and cinnamon stick.
Autumn Apple Martini
Ingredients
2 ounces apple flavored vodka
2 ounces light apple juice
1 ounce club soda
1 squeeze of lime wedge
1 thin apple slice, for garnish
1 clove star anise, for garnish
Directions
In a cocktail shaker combine the apple flavored vodka, apple juice, club soda and a squeeze of lime wedge over ice. Shake until mixed. Pour into martini glass. Float a clove of star anise atop a thin apple slice and serve.
Purity Vodka
The Concubine
This cocktail features Purity Vodka, which is distilled 34 times to create an exceptionally smooth vodka-based cocktail. It’s certified organic and is gluten free as well.
Ingredients
3 parts Purity Vodka
1 part cucumber water (created by adding a slice of organic cucumber to water, then refrigerating)
Dash simple syrup
1/2 part Pastis or Absinthe
Cucumber for garnish
Directions
Add Pastis to a tumbler and roll around. Shake out any excess. Add ice and combine ingredients. Decorate with long-cut slice of cucumber. For extra spice, add a dried chili fruit.
The Cucumber Gimlet
Ingredients
2 parts Purity Vodka
3/4 part fresh lime juice
3/4 part simple syrup
4 slices cucumber
Directions
Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and double strain into large cocktail glass. Garnish with lime wheel.
Absolut Vodka
Our roundup finishes with two ultra fun and spooky cocktails from Absolut, one of the most famous vodkas in the world. Launched in the U.S. in 1979, it redefined the premium vodka landscape, becoming synonymous with art, culture and nightlife.
Absolut Masquerade
Ingredients
1.5 parts Absolut Original
2 parts black currant juice
0.5 parts Chartreuse
Directions
Stir ingredients with ice, strain into a chilled martini glass. No garnish. It’s a very dark purple martini that looks absolutely dark in the glass.
The Zombie Apocalypse
Campy Halloween cocktails never seem to get old. Using an interesting vessel with the color-change effect of red liquor oozing down through a yellow cocktail makes for a blood-curdling effect.
Ingredients
1.5 parts Absolut Mandrin
0.5 parts Malibu
1 part passion fruit purée
0.5 parts white grapefruit juice
0.75 parts cinnamon schnapps
2 dashes Pernod Absinthe
0.5 parts Cappalletti
Directions
Combine ingredients except Cappalletti in a mixing glass. Pour over crushed ice in a clear skull. Top with Cappalletti. Garnish with plastic spiders for added Halloween effect.
