We know Halloween is not just for kids: It’s a major occasion for adults to cut loose, dress up and enjoy an adult beverage or two. Bars with costume contests or parties are a huge draw. Even if your bar doesn’t host a Halloween bash, you can still get in on the action by offering some festive cocktails. Here are a few ideas.
Vampire Juice
1 ½ oz. Three Olives vodka
1 oz. Amaretto
1 oz. Orange juice
Syringe of raspberry puree
Build ingredients in a bucket glass. Squirt raspberry puree into glass and include syringe with drink.
The mixologists at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, CA, created this recipe.
Texan Morgue-a-Rita
2 parts Tres Agaves Blanco tequila
¾ parts Fresh lime juice
¼ part Smoky simple syrup*
Lava salt and dried red chili pepper for garnish
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain over fresh ice in rocks glass. Garnish rim with lava salt and add dried chili pepper.
*For Smoky simple syrup: Pour equal parts sugar and water into a saucepan with one dried chili pepper. Simmer until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool. Remove chili pepper and set syrup aside.
Masa Urushido of Saxon + Parole in New York created this recipe.
Beetlejuice
1 oz. Vodka
½ oz. Melon liqueur
½ oz. Blue curacao
½ oz. Raspberry schnapps
½ oz. Sweet and sour mix
½ oz. Cranberry juice
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Garnish with gummy worm ice.
The mixologists at Flavorman and Moonshine University created this recipe.
Skullywag
1 oz. Buffalo Trace bourbon
1 oz. Rhum Clement Blue rum
¼ oz. Tempus Fugit Crème de Cacao
¼ oz. Cinnamon syrup
¾ oz. Fresh lime juice
3 dashes Fee Brothers Old Fashioned bitters
Shake all ingredients and serve in a skull glass over crushed ice.
Bartender Jess Keene at Sable Kitchen & Bar in Chicago created this recipe.
The White Walker
1 oz. Dewar’s 12 blended Scotch whisky infused with rye and turmeric
1 oz. Applejack
½ oz. Fresh lemon juice
¼ oz. Ancho Reyes chile liqueur
¼ oz. Simple syrup
¾ oz. Egg white
Absinthe
Rinse a coupe glass with the absinth. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a shaker full of ice and shake vigorously. Strain into coupe.
Mixologist Hemant Pathak from Junoon NYC created this recipe.
Witch’s Brew
(shown atop)
1 oz. Vodka
1 ½ oz. Blackberry concentrate
1 oz. Grapefruit juice
1 oz. Sour orange juice
½ oz. Simple syrup
Club soda
Add all the ingredients except the club soda to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into a glass filled with fresh ice cubes. Fill with club soda and garnish with a brochette of fresh berries.
The mixologists at Panama Jack Resorts created this recipe.
Zombie
2 parts Bacardí Superior rum
1 ¾ parts Bacardí Gold rum
1 part Triple sec
2 parts Orange juice
1 part Lime juice
1 part Simple syrup
¼ part Grenadine
Pour all ingredients into a shaker full of ice and shake vigorously. Strain and pour into a highball glass filled with ice. Stir with a bar spoon and garnish with a cherry and orange slice.
The mixologists at Bacardí created this recipe.
The Blood in Hand (Blood in Sand)
1 part Tullamore D.E.W. Irish whiskey
1 part Cherry liqueur (preferably Cherry Heering)
1 part Sweet vermouth
1 part Orange juice, freshly squeezed
Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into a rocks glass
The mixologists at Tullamore D.E.W. created this recipe.
Velvet Night
2 oz. Absolut Vodka
1 oz. Pineapple chili syrup*
1 oz. Lime juice
Combine ingredients and shake. Strain into Collins glass over Black Ice shard.** Top with Kalena sparkling coconut water.
* For Pineapple chili syrup
½ liter Water
½ liter White sugar
½ Pineapple, skinned and cubed
1 Jalapeño, cut into wheels
Mix water and sugar to create syrup and let soak with pineapple and peppers overnight in the fridge. Press fruit and pepper when straining the following day.
**For Black Ice shard:
1 liter of water
200 ml. of sugar
2 caps of activated charcoal
Blend everything together and freeze in molds overnight.
Mixologist Freddie Sarkis at Chicago hotel The Gwen created this recipe.
The Jack-O-Lantern
1 oz. D’Usse VSOP Cognac
1 ½ oz. Orange juice
½ oz. Ginger ale
½ oz. Triple sec
Combine all ingredients into shaker and serve in Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with orange wheel or twist.
The mixologists at D’Usse created this recipe.
