A simple way to serve great Halloween cocktails is to reinvent cocktails that are ordered every day. Choose cocktails that have dark colors or unusual colors that people are just not used to eating or drinking. Remember, while the taste of the cocktail is important, the garnish is just as important. Hot apple cider tastes great but it looks like muddy water which makes it a great choice for a Halloween beverage. Imagination is the key when it comes to a great Halloween drink and garnish. Below are some recipes for cocktails, punches and non-alcoholic beverages for Halloween, along with some suggestions for Halloween garnishes.
Cocktail recipes for Halloween:
Smashing Pumpkin
This is great served in one of those mini-pumpkins that has been scooped out or with cinnamon sugar on the rim of the glass. You could also serve it with whipped cream on the top and sprinkle it lightly with some powdered cinnamon.
1/3 oz. of Kahlua
1/3 oz. of Bailey's Irish Cream
1/3 oz. Cinnamon Schnapps
Mix in a shaker with ice and strain into a serving glass.
Graveyard
This drink has always been made with red Tabasco sauce, but that was before Tabasco made a green sauce, give it a try too! Garnish with a skeleton straw and a spiraled lime zest or to make it particularly evil, garnish with a slice of jalapeno pepper.
1 oz. Tabasco sauce
1 oz of Tequila
Lemon-lime soda
Fill a serving glass with ice and add the Tabasco and tequila. Fill the rest of the glass with lemon lime soda and stir.
Brain Hemorrhage
This drink needs no garnish; it is a little creepy all on its own. If you don't drink it in one shot, they say it has the texture of snot. Of course, one can only guess how that is known, but it really does look like a little brain floating in the shot glass.
Peach Schnapps
Bailey's Irish Cream
Grenadine
Eyedropper
Fill a shot glass 2/3 full with peach schnapps, then slowly off the back of a spoon, pour about a teaspoon of Baileys (Brain). Drip 1-2 drops of grenadine on top (Hemorrhage). Yum Yum. Drink up!
Crime and Punishment
You know what they say: "if you can do the time, don't do the crime." Whatever the crime, the punishment for this drink sneaks up on you.
1 part Scotch
1 part Apple Brandy
2 parts Gin
Shake with ice and strain into glass.
A Blood Transfuser
The grape juice keeps the bourbon plasma blue.
1 part grape juice
1 part bourbon
Stir with ice and strain.
Blood and Sand
It has been reported that this cocktail got it's name from the 1922 movie Blood and Sand starring Rudolf Valentino as a bullfighter. The film was remade in 1941, starring Tyrone Power and Rita Hayworth. The cocktail is normally served in a chilled martini glass and garnished with a cherry dropped in the bottom and an orange twist floating atop.
1 part Italian Sweet Vermouth
1 part Fresh squeezed Orange Juice
1 part blended Scotch
1 part Cherry Brandy (purchase a good quality brandy for this)
Shake with cracked ice and strain into glass.
Green-eyed Monster
There are two versions of this drink. One is a cockail for single service, the other for party service. The cocktail is normally served in a tall glass with a lime wedge. The punch is a prime candidate for the floating ice hand.
2 parts Midori liquor
3 parts sour mix
1/2 part Apple vodka
1/2 part Coconut Rum
Mix ingredient and shake. Pour over ice.
Green-eyed Monster Punch Recipe:
1 can Pineapple Juice
2 liter bottle Mello Yello
2 packages Lemon-Lime Kool Aid
Half of a fifth Everclear
Mix all together just before service. Serve over ice.
Zombie
Normally garnished with a cherry and served in a tall glass, this cocktail is standard fare at Halloween parties.
1 1/4 oz lemon juice
1 oz dark rum
3/4 oz orange juice
1/2 oz cherry brandy
1/2 oz light rum
1/2 oz high-proof dark rum (151)
2 dashes grenadine
Pour ingredients into a shaker with ice and strain into a highball glass with crushed ice.
Walking Dead
The Zombie has nothing on this bad boy! After reading the ingredients, you don't have to guess how this cocktail got its name.
2 oz of each:
Vodka
Scotch Whiskey
Bourbon Whiskey
Bailey's Irish Cream
Midori Melon liqueur
Premium Lager
Jagermeister
Absinthe herbal liqueur
Wild Turkey Bourbon
Mix all ingredients into a large container. Once mixed, drink as fast as possible.
The Mad-Eyed Martini
This Hallloween cocktail has the pale blue color of Hpnotiq. Garnish with a lychee eyeball described under garnishes below.
1/2 oz Hpnotiq liqueur
1 oz super premium vodka
2 oz lychee juice
Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass.
Halloween Black Ice Punch
6 cups black currant nectar
8 fresh sage leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 cup cassis
2 cups sparkling apple cider
2/3 cups vodka
1 cup club soda
To make black ice, pour 2 cups black currant nectar into an ice cube tray. Transfer to freezer; freeze until solid, at least 3 hours. In a medium saucepan, combine the rest of the black currant nectar (4 cups), sage leaves, and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Remove sage leaves and cinnamon sticks. In a large punch bowl, combine nectar, cassis, cider, vodka, and club soda. Serve over black ice. This recipe yields 8 to 10 servings.
Alcohol-Free Drinks
Hot Apple Cider - A popular fall stand by, top with whipped cream and sprinkle with powdered cinnamon.
2 cups water
3 sticks cinnamon
1 Tbsp. whole cloves
tsp. whole allspice
2 quarts unsweetened apple juice
Place the water and spices in a large pot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes. Strain, discarding the spices. Return to the pot and add the apple juice. Simmer over low heat until thoroughly heated. Serve in warm mugs. Makes 20 servings. Variation: Use cranberry juice instead of apple juice.
Radioactive Punch
The unusual color of this punch makes it a great choice for a Halloween party punch.
Orange Juice
Mountain Dew
Any blue Kool-aid
Mix together equal parts of juice and Mountain Dew, add Kool-aid.
Orange Macaroon Drink
2 cups Orange juice
2 cups Crushed ice
1/2 cup Coconut cream
3/4 tsp. Almond extract
Blend all ingredients in blender. Serve immediately.
Berry Swirl
You can play with the colors of this drink a bit to give it that Halloween feel.
4 To 5 fresh strawberries OR raspberries
1 oz Guave nectar
Splash of grenadine
6 oz Pineapple juice
6 oz Coconut syrup
1 oz Half and half
Crushed ice
Blend berries, nectar and grenadine until smooth. Set aside. Blend pineapple juice, coconut syrup and half and half with crushed ice. Swirl berry mixture on top.
Juice Alpokat (Indonesian Avocado Drink)
5 Tbsp. Sugar or Sugar Substitute
5 Tbsp. Water
2 Medium Avocados
1/2 Cup Milk, cold
1 cup Chocolate milk
Crushed Ice
Make simple syrup by combine sugar and water in small saucepan over medium- high heat. Stir until clear. Remove from heat and let cool. Spoon out avocado pulp and place in blender. Add syrup and blend to mix, add cold milk and blend until smooth. In a glass with crushed ice, divide the mixture between two tall glasses. Top each glass with 1/2 the chocolate milk forming a separate layer.
Ghoul-aid
The color of this drink is black. Floating some of the plastic eyeball ice cubes in this punch is a great garnish.
1 pkg. each Unsweetened grape and orange Kool-aid
2 cups Sugar
3 quarts Water, cold
1 quart Ginger ale, chilled
Mix together Kool-Aid with sugar and water in non-metal punch bowl or pitcher. Stir until thoroughly mixed and Kool-Aid is dissolved. Add ginger ale and serve immediately.
Witch's Brew
There are many recipes for "Witches Brew." They all have a common thread, the dry ice for the smoking cauldron. Dry ice is dangerous, especially around small children so do take precautions. DO NOT touch the ice without hand protection and do not put small pieces in punch or cups. This makes about 5 quarts.
4 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1 cup candied ginger root, chopped
3 medium oranges
12 ounces apple juice, frozen concentrate, thawed
6 ounces limeade, frozen concentrate, thawed
2 cups seedless grapes
4 cups water
64 ounces ginger ale, (1/2 gal)
1 pound dry ice, up to 2 pounds
In a 1 to 2 quart pan, bring 1 cup of cranberry juice and candied ginger to a boil over high heat. Boil, uncovered, about 2 minutes, set aside. With a vegetable peeler, pare peel (colored part only) from oranges cutting peel into thin 2-inch-long worms. Add to cranberry mixture. Cover and chill at least 4 hours. Juice oranges; put rest of ingredients except ginger ale and ice together with the cranberry-ginger mixture. That's the rest of the cranberry juice, apple concentrate, limeade, grapes and water added to the cranberry-ginger mixture. Cover and chill. For service, add ginger ale and dry ice. Ice will smolder about 30 minutes. Ladle into cups.
Cocktail Garnishes For Halloween
Garnishing a cocktail for Halloween is just as important as the cocktail itself but always consider how the garnish will complement the flavor of the primary ingredients.
A simple gummie worm on a Halloween-themed toothpick is a great garnish for a Halloween cocktail. There are also a few simple ways to make "eyeballs" to use as garnish in Halloween cocktails. The above recipe for radish eyeballs can be used two-fold; you can simply put the eyeballs in an ice cube tray and cover with water. Place the tray in the freezer and use the eyeball cubes in cocktails or you can place the eyeball on a toothpick. Eyeballs can also be made by using lychees. Drain the lychees and let dry. Fill with cherry, strawberry or raspberry preserves and then place a blueberry, blossom end facing out, into the cavity.
Another way to garnish a Halloween cocktail is to rim the glass. Dip the glass in Coco Lopez or some other brand of coconut syrup or cream and then dip the glass in coconut flakes that has been colored in Halloween colors. You can mix orange and black, purple and green, you get the idea. There are also various salts and sugars, fine cookie crumbs and chocolate shavings or powder that can be used to rim the glass. You can even grind up Red Hots (cinnamon candy) and rim the glass. The bright red color is great for Halloween cocktails that could use a little kick.
Edible flowers can also be used to garnish a Halloween cocktail. All roses are edible unless they have pesticides, so buy dark organic roses and garnish with the pedals, either frozen in ice cubes or floated atop the cocktail with a drop of red corn syrup for blood. The flavor of the rose pedals depends on the type, color and soil conditions that it was grown in, but the taste of the pedal can mimic fruit, mint, or spice. It is important to remove the white part of the pedal because it can be bitter.
Floating Ice Hand
Using latex gloves (do not purchase gloves with powder in them), fill them with water or juice tinted with food coloring and freeze until solid. Fill a sink with warm water and submerge the glove in the water for a second or two. Carefully remove the hand from the glove mold, the fingers are fragile and snap off easily. Return the frozen hand to the freezer until service. Float the disembodied hands in the punch bowl.
When you're looking for the spooky straws, garnish picks, and cute little cocktail umbrellas check out the site for the Oriental Trading Company: http://www.orientaltrading.com. They also have Halloween costumes and lots of other party supplies for all occasions.