This coming weekend, if you didn’t already know, is Halloween! And just in time here are some spooky cocktails that are on most cocktail menus all year round. Although you may not have tried them before!
The problem with Halloween, with any seasonal event really, is that it’s easy to buy into novelty drinks that taste super-sweet and contain ingredients don’t actually do anything for the drink they’re in, except maybe mask the taste of too much alcohol…
So for this post I’ve tried to keep away from novelties and go for 5 cocktails you will be able to order in any good cocktail bar at almost any time of year, but by the same token they’re cocktails you may not have tried at all…
So let’s begin with arguably the most themed of the lot…
El Diablo
Recipe:
1 ½ measures Reposado Tequila
½ measure Crème de Cassis
½ measure Fresh Lime Juice
2 or 3 measures ginger beer/ale
Method:
- Combine the tequila, lime juice, and cassis liqueur and shake well, for around 10-15 seconds (or until the tin ices over).
- Fine (or double) strain into a collins glass filled with cubed iced.
- Top up with the ginger beer/ale (whichever you prefer) and garnish with a wedge of lime.
- Serve with a straw.
The Last Word
Recipe:
1 measure Gin
1 measure Green Chartreuse
1 measure Maraschino Liqueur
1 measure Fresh Lime Juice
Method:
- Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker, over ice, and shake well.
- Strain into a well-chilled martini glass and garnish with a lime twist.
Blood & Sand
Recipe:
1 measure Scotch Whiskey
1 measure Sweet Vermouth
1 measure Cherry Heering
1 measure Orange Juice
Method:
- Add all the ingredients to an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake well for about 10-15 seconds.
- Strain into a well-chilled cocktail coupe glass and garnish with an orange peel.
Black Velvet
Recipe:
Guinness (Stout Beer)
Champagne
Method:
There are two ways to make this drink, neither are right nor wrong. It’s personal preference:
- Pour the beer into the chosen glass and then gently layer the champagne on top.
- Pour the champagne into the chosen glass and then gently layer the beer on top.
Simple no? Well this cocktail is sublime in its simplicity and is a cocktail everyone should try at least once. You may not like it if you don’t like the beer (like me) but, also like me, you may be surprised at how smooth and drinkable this cocktail actually is!
Chartreuse Smash
Recipe:
10 mint leaves
1 measure fresh lemon juice
2 measures green chartreuse
2 tsp turbinado sugar
Method:
- Place sugar, mint and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker and muddle well.
- Add the chartreuse to the shaker and add ice.
- Shake well and strain into a small rocks glass filled with crushed ice.
- Garnish with a sprig of mint and, if you’re feeling it, a sprig of sage…
These cocktails are not only my tip for great drinks this Halloween, but they’re perfect if you’re looking to try something new the next time you head to that swanky cocktail bar, or spend the weekend at a nice hotel (they all have great bars nowadays right?), and they’re also perfect if you plan on a Christmas themed party with a difference…
But don’t think I’ve forgotten all of you that are looking for something a bit novel – the next of my Halloween themed posts is just for you: 6 Spooky Cocktail Shooters!
Have fun and please, as always, drink responsibly – no one enjoys a night in A&E!
Further Reading & original recipes:
The Fervent Shaker 