- Cocktails
13 Spook-tastic Drinks to Serve Up At Your Halloween Party
Halloween is not just for kids! Here are the best Halloween drinks for grown-up entertaining this spooky season — from wines to deadly cocktails and Halloween shots.
Your costumes are covered, your decorations are done, and your snacks are sorted. What’s next? The spooky drinks, of course! Whether it’s red or white wine, Halloween cocktails, or even shots, here are the best beverages to scare your guests with this Halloween party season.
Devilish wines for Halloween
No matter your vino preferences, there is something for every ghost and ghoul when it comes to wine. For those who enjoy a full-bodied red wine, you can’t look past Enticement Demon Dance Shiraz — with flavours of intense blackberry fruits, toasted vanilla oak and supple tannins, this is the perfect drop for Halloween.
19 Crimes has an entire shelf of red and white wines to choose from, and each bottle is splashed with a genuine mugshot of a real convict (a great choice for Australian history buffs and true crime lovers alike)!
And for the rosé lovers, Bone Dry has just the right kind of ring to it when you’re serving it at a Halloween party. Choose from the still or sparkling rosé — or better yet, break out both.
Get into the “spirit” of Halloween
Few spirits look as shocking on a shelf as Crystal Head Vodka — and it’s not just a pretty face, it’s a great vodka too.
If your potation of choice has more of a juniper nose, look no further than Poltergeist Gin, which may “ghost” over ice due to the density of its botanical derivatives.
As for the darker spirits, you can’t go wrong with Dead Man’s Fingers. Not only is the name on point, both the Lime and Spiced rums are frighteningly good in freebooter cocktails or just mixed with ginger beer.
Halloween cocktails for everyone
When it comes to the best cocktails for Halloween, you’ll be spoilt for choice — whatever flavours you’re going for.
The Corpse Reviver has got to be one of the most distinguished of the “deadly” cocktails. Combine 60ml gin, 30ml Grand Marnier, 30ml simple syrup, 30ml sauvignon blanc and 15ml lemon juice to a shaker. Spray your coupe glass with some absinthe , or swirl a splash around the glass. Strain your cocktail and garnish with two speared maraschino cherries.
Jack the Ripper is sure to lure them in with its killer personality. Add 120ml of a bourbon whiskey like Buffalo Trace, 60ml cinnamon syrup and 15ml orange juice to a shaker with ice and shake until the outside is frosty. Rim a glass with melted salted caramel and strain in your cocktail.
The zombie-inspired Oaxacan Dead tastes way better than brains. Ad 22.5ml reposado tequila (we like Espolon), 22.5ml Jamaican rum (Appleton Estate is our pick), 22.5ml fresh lime juice, 15ml velvet falernum, 1.5 tsp grapefruit juice, a splash of cinnamon syrup, 1tsp of mezcal (try this one from Alipus), 1tsp of grenadine and 1 dash of Angostura bitters to your shaker with ice and shake vigorously until chilled. Strain over crushed ice. Garnish with mint and dehydrated fruit.
Not only does the Bloody Mary have the right name, but it’s got the lore, too. Check out the recipe here.
And for the Martini lovers, the Black Cat brings you all the good luck you’ll need for Halloween. If you like your martini shaken, add 50ml gin or vodka, 25ml blue curaçao (try Vok or Continental), 15ml Chambord, and 1.5 tsp lemon juice to your shaker with ice, and shake until chilled. If you prefer a stirred martini, add your ingredients to a mixing glass with a large ice cube and swirl with your bar spoon until cold. Then strain into your martini glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry or a raspberry.
Here’s a pro tip: one way to up the scare factor on any cocktail is with dry ice. If you’re wondering, “How do I use dry ice for Halloween?”, it’s as easy as adding a flake of the ice to the bottom of your cocktail. As it slowly dissolves, it’ll puff spooky smoke as you sip.
Simple and spectacular syringe shots
If you really want to up the ante at your Halloween party, syringe shots are easy and fun. It’s relatively easy to jellify your favourite Halloween shots — just add gelatine or agar-agar to your spirit (vodka and white rum work well in jelly shots, but pretty much anything from tequila to whisky is fair game), fill your syringes, and set in the fridge until your guests are ready for an injection of fun and flavour.
Remember that even the big kids can get in on the Halloween fun. So, what will you brew up this spooky season?
