Gather ’round for the cocktail competition of the century! It’s no secret that Halloween is going to look very different this year, but just because full-scale Halloween parties won’t be happening, it doesn’t mean you and your crew can’t find a way to get your ~booze~ on!
From cocktail-making zoom parties to drink mix kits that you can deliver to your best friends’ doors, the possibilities are endless for pandemic-safe Halloween fun! So, if you’re going to drink anything this Halloween, let it be one of these spooky (should we bring back spoopy?) cocktails. With nine recipes curated by liquor brands and food blogs, plus one of my very own creations, I’m certain you’ll find at least one dazzling drink to make the absolute BEST of Halloween 2020.
Plus, I rated each of these recipes on their taste (1-5), ease (1-5), price($-$$$), extraness and, of course, spooky factor (1-5), so you don’t have to!
- BOO-zy Caramel Apple Float
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Ingredients (One Serving)
- 4 oz Tussock Jumper Prosecco
- 1 scoop Tipsy Scoop Vanilla Bean Bourbon Ice Cream
- 1 tbsp Caramel Sauce
- Garnish: Caramel Apple Lollipop
Instructions
Drizzle caramel sauce into the bottom of a “rocks” glass. Place one large scoop Vanilla Bourbon ice cream into the glass and top with Prosecco. Add another drizzle of caramel sauce on top, and garnish with a caramel apple lollipop.
By Melissa Taavs, Tipsy Scoop
Rankings
- Taste: 5
- Ease: 5
- Price: $$
- Extraness: Moderate
- Spooky Factor: 1
- Tart Cherry Eyeball (Non-Alcoholic) Punch
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Ingredients (Four Servings)
- 10 oz lychees
- 2 oz blackberries
- 1.5 cups tart cherry juice
- 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
- 12 oz chilled sparkling water
Instructions
Drain the can of lychees, reserving 1/4 cup of syrup. Carefully stuff one blackberry in each lychee and let them sit in the fridge to chill. Stir together the reserved syrup, 1.5 cups tart cherry juice, and 1/3 cup fresh orange juice in a medium sized bowl with ice. Add the stuffed lychees and the cold sparkling water to the punch. Ladle into glasses to serve.
If you prefer something sweeter, use ginger ale instead of the sparkling water, and to make alcoholic, stir half a cup of vodka or light rum into the punch.
Adapted from Country Living Magazine
Rankings
- Taste: 4
- Ease: 2
- Price: $$
- Extraness: Are fake eyeballs made of fruit even a question?
- Spooky Factor: 5
- Bloody Daiquiri Shake
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Ingredients (One Serving)
- 2 oz Tiki Lovers White Rum
- 1 oz Fresh Lime juice
- 3 oz sugar syrup
- 2 oz milk of choice
- 7-8 mint leaves
- 1/4 oz pomegranate syrup
Instructions
Shake all ingredients (except pomegranate syrup) with ice and fine strain into a fancy Halloween glass filled with crushed ice, and float (or slowly top off) with pomegranate syrup.
By Alex Hauk and Stephan Berg, Tiki Lovers
Rankings
- Taste: 4
- Ease: 4
- Price: $
- Extraness: Served in a plastic skull? Pretty extra
- Spooky Factor: 4
- The Liquid Spiderweb
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Ingredients (Two Servings)
- 3 oz chocolate liqueur
- 3 oz coffee liqueur (such as Kahlúa)
- 2 oz milk of choice
- Lightly sweetened whipped cream
- Ice
- 1 tsp pumpkin or apple pie spice
- 1 pack plastic spiders
Instructions
Combine chocolate liqueur and coffee liqueur, milk, whipped cream and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake until chilled. Strain into cocktail glasses and garnish with spice of choice. Top with small, plastic spiders.
Adapted from Country Living Magazine
Rankings
- Taste: 5
- Ease: 4
- Price: $
- Extraness: Not the most, but the plastic spiders have got to count for something, right?
- Spooky Factor: 3
- Repellent to Vampires
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Ingredients (One Serving)
- 3/4 oz The Bitter Truth Pink Gin
- 3/4 oz The Bitter Truth Elderflower Liqueur
- 3/4 oz Campari
- 2 dashes The Bitter Truth Olive Bitters
- Tonic water
Instructions
Build in a fancy Halloween glass filled with ice, garnish and enjoy!
By Alex Hauk and Stephan Berg, The Bitter TruthRankings
- Taste: 5
- Ease: 4
- Price: $$$
- Extraness: So-so
- Spooky Factor: 2
- Harvest Moon
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Ingredients (One Serving)
- 3 oz Tussock Jumper Riesling
- 1 oz Portuguese brandy
- 1/4 oz spiced honey syrup*
- 1/2 oz Grand Marnier
- 1 dash orange bitters
- Orange peel, for garnish
Instructions
*Prepare spice honey syrup with 1/2 cup each water and honey, plus 1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice. Heat to a boil, then cool. Keeps in the refrigerator for approximately one week.
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir well for 20 seconds and strain into a chilled cocktail glass over a large ice sphere. Garnish with orange peel.
By Cassandra Rosen, Wine Educator, Tussock Jumper WinesRankings
- Taste: 4
- Ease: 2
- Price: $$$
- Extraness: That glowing orb is beyond extra.
- Spooky Factor: 1
- The Poisoned Apple
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Ingredients (One Serving)
- 2 oz apple cider
- 1 oz pomegranate juice
- 2 oz tequila
- Several small chips of dry ice
Instructions
Combine ingredients with regular ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake to mix and strain into a chilled martini glass. Add dry ice to the glasses just before serving, so they will dissolve quickly.
Adapted from Julep
Rankings
- Taste: 4
- Ease: 5
- Price: $$
- Extraness: Dry ice seriously takes this up an ‘extra’ notch
- Spooky Factor: 2
- Nightfall in the Garden
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Ingredients (One Serving)
- 3-4 oz Tussock Jumper Prosecco
- 1 scoop Tipsy Scoop Mango Margarita sorbet
- 2 oz Tussock Jumper Pinot Noir
- 1 tbsp blueberry or raspberry jam
- Pomegranate arils and lime wheel
- Sugar (optional, for the rim)
Instructions
In a mixing glass, mix the Pinot Noir and blueberry jam together for the syrup, then set aside. Place two scoops of the sorbet into a glass, top with Prosecco. Drizzle the syrup over the top, garnish, and serve immediately.
By Cassandra Rosen, Wine Educator, Tussock Jumper WinesRankings
- Taste: 5
- Ease: 2
- Price: $$$
- Extraness: Pretty low-key
- Spooky Factor: 1
- Werewolf’s Bite
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Ingredients (One Serving)
- 1/4 tsp Red Luster Dust (get it from Michaels)
- 2 tsp Mexican style hot sauce (like Tabasco)
- 2 oz fresh lime juice
- Light Mexican beer of choice (like Modelo or Corona)
- Sprinkling of Tajin or Chili Powder + salt for the rim
- Lime wedge, for garnish
Instructions
Sprinkle 2 tbsp Tajin on a plate and use a lime wedge to add juice to the rim. Flip the glass upside down and twirl in the Tajin to rim the glass and make sure it’s evenly coated.
Fill the glass with ice. Add the lime juice, hot sauce, and red luster dust and top with the beer. Make sure to mix this to evenly distribute the luster dust! Garnish with another lime wedge, and enjoy.
By food blogger @confinemntkitchn (me!)
Rankings
- Taste: 4
- Ease 1
- Price: $
- Extraness: A luminous drink with hints of Tyler Lockwood? It’s not not extra!
- Spooky Factor: 3
And last, but certainly not least, here are the winners of each category:
Tastiest: Boozy Caramel Apple Float
Easiest: Werewolf’s Bite
Most Affordable: The Liquid Spiderweb
Most Extra: The Poisoned Apple
Spookiest: Tart Cherry Eyeball Punch