Vampire Kiss (©Spa Girl Cocktails)
By Jennifer McKee
It’s time to embrace the eerie—Halloween is almost here. Celebrate in the most delicious of ways—with these chilling (or is that chilled?) seasonal cocktails. We’ve even got a couple for Dia de los Muertos. Enjoy!
Vampire Kiss
3 oz. Spa Girl Cocktails Cucumber Vodka
1 oz. Domaine de Canton liqueur (or ginger simple syrup)
Juice of one lemon
Raspberry puree
One lychee
One blackberry
Pour Spa Girl Cocktails Cucumber Vodka, Domaine de Cantone liqueur and juice of one lemon into a glass and stir. Add raspberry puree to the inside edge of the glass with a spoon or syringe. Place a blackberry inside a lychee (cut the blackberry in half if needed) for the eyeball and garnish.
Red Rum Cocktail
1.5 oz. Koloa Gold Rum
4 oz. tart cherry juice
0.5 oz. lime juice
0.5 oz. simple syrup
4 oz. soda water
Ice
Dry ice (optional)
Add ingredients (except soda water) into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds until shaker is frosty, then strain ingredients into a glass with ice. Top with soda water and stir. For an extra spooky effect, use dry ice. Remember to follow instructions when using dry ice, use gloves and tongs to handle and do not ingest.
Dark Orange Dream-sicle
1.5 oz. Koloa Dark Rum
1.5 oz. fresh orange juice
0.5 oz. vanilla bean syrup
2 oz. soda water
4 drops lemon juice
Orange slice with Black Lava Salt sprinkle, for garnish
Build in glass over ice, adding fresh orange juice, vanilla bean syrup, then stir. Add ice and Club soda. Float Dark Rum and squeeze lemon (4 drops). Serve layered and enjoy stirred. Garnish with orange slice and lava salt.
Ghostbuster Cocktail
2 oz. whiskey
3 oz. Just Enough rose wine
1 tsp. rose syrup
2 tbsp. fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
Sparkling water to taste
Grapefruit (preferably seared) slices or peel, for garnish
Mix all ingredients together, pour over ice and garnish with grapefruit slices or peel.
Haunted Old Fashioned
2 oz. Billionaire’s Row Cognac
1 oz. agave simple syrup
0.5 oz. water
2 dashes of bitters
Pour all ingredients in a clear glass shaker, add ice and stir. Strain the cocktail over a large cube in a rocks glass, peel orange rind, twist in the cocktail, rim the glass and drop in.
Fearful Fieri
created by Santo Spirits, a brand co-owned by Guy Fieri, Sammy Hagar and Juan Eduardo Nuñez
2 oz. Santo Mezquila
1 oz. agave nectar
1.5 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
0.5 oz Guy Fieri’s Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ Australian Aromatic Bitters
Garnish: Chipotle chili sugar rim
Rim 10 oz. glass with chipotle chili sugar blend, fill with ice and set aside. Fill mixing glass 2/3 full with ice and add Mezquila, agave nectar, lime juice, BBQ sauce and Australian bitters. Cap mixing glass with shaker tin and shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds. Strain contents from shaker tin into rimmed 10 oz glass and serve.
Witch’s Love Spell
This cocktail was created at Loews Atlanta Hotel‘s Saltwood Bar. Begin by placing a king cube in a rocks glass. Next, add St. Germain, lemon juice and splash of simple syrup; then shake. Strain over the king cube, and then slowly pour the Empress Gin on the king cube to allow the second color to settle. Garnish with lemon wheel and a black cherry.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Empress Gin
0.5 oz. St. Germain
0.5 oz. lemon Juice
Splash of simple syrup
Glassware: Rock glass
Garnish: Lemon wheel and a black cherry
Alcohol: for the two-tone look, Loews Atlanta recommends Empress Gin and St. Germain
Poison Apple
created at Loews New Orleans Hotel‘s Bar Peters
In a shaker with ice add:
1.5 oz. vodka
0.5 oz. Apple Sour
0.25 oz. Crème de Menthe
Shake. Strain into stemless martini glass. Garnish with lemon wedge.
Manhattan Smoke Show
1 oz. Grace O’Malley Blended Irish Whiskey
0.75 oz. mezcal
0.5 oz. Ancho Chile Liqueur by Ancho Reyes
0.75 oz Heering cherry liqueur
0.5 oz. sweet vermouth
Stir all the ingredients together with ice. Strain into a small coupe-style glass and serve.
Bloody Busker
1 part of The Busker Triple Cask Triple Smooth
2 parts of tomato juice
5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
5 dashes Tabasco
pinch black pepper
pinch celery salt
Garnish: red chili pepper
Mix all ingredients together, pour over ice and garnish with a red chili pepper.
Ghost Cocktail
made from Indoggo, Snoop Dogg’s gin brand
1.5 oz. Indoggo gin
2 oz. coconut milk
0.75 oz. lemon juice
0.75 oz. vanilla syrup
Optional: 3-4 drops of CBD oil tincture
In a cocktail shaker, add Indoggo, coconut milk, lemon juice and vanilla syrup. Add ice and shake. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with CBD leaf and CBD oil (optional).
Pumpkin Pie Margarita
2 oz. Codigo 1530 Reposado
1 oz. pumpkin purée
1 oz. maple syrup
0.5 oz. lemon juice
Wet rim in maple syrup and dip in cinnamon sugar. Combine all ingredients, shake and strain over ice. Garnish with cinnamon stick and a dried orange.
And a few cocktails for Dia de los Muertos
Dia de los Muertos, one of Mexico’s most integral holidays, is a two-day celebration of life and death where the living commemorate loved ones who have passed on. Jose Valdez, Master Distiller of Tequila Partida, explains tequila’s role in the holiday:
“One of the key elements in the altar is to include the deceased person’s favorite food and drinks,” says Valdez. “As you can imagine, as Mexicans, most of the altars include tequila that the person used to enjoy. Also, because it is a social celebration, we normally eat Mexican food and pan de muerto, drink tequila and listen to traditional Mexican music.”
Try these cocktails Valdez has created in celebration of Dia de los Muertos:
Close to Heaven
2 oz. Partida Reposado
0.5 oz. simple syrup
0.5 oz. lime juice
1 oz. Aqua Fava (chickpea water)
Add all ingredients to a shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into cocktail glass of choice, over ice. Top with Butterfly Pea Tea. Garnish with lime rind or wedge.
Noche Oscura
2 oz. Partida Anejo
3 dashes chocolate bitters
3 dashes orange bitters
Add all ingredients to glass over ice and stir.
