13 easy Halloween cocktails to put some life in your party

Trick-or-treating was the best part of Halloween when you were a kid. Now, it’s the late-night parties with the other ghouls and boys. Leave the candy for the kids and make one of these spooky cocktails as the perfect grown-up treat.

Blood Orange Margarita
1 ounce 1800 Añejo Tequila
2 ounces blood orange juice
Splash of agave
Chili for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, mix and pour over ice. Garnish with chili pepper.

Paloma Negra

2 parts Milagro Silver
1 part ruby red grapefruit juice
0.75 part agave nectar
0.5 part fresh lime juice
1 capsule activated charcoal
3 parts club soda

Reserve a sprinkle of the charcoal and mix with kosher salt. Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Use the salt-charcoal mix for the rim, then garnish with a grapefruit peel.

Ghostini
Created at McCoy’s Oceanfront

1.5 oz. Vanilla Stoli
1.5 oz. Godiva White Chocolate
1/8 tsp fresh vanilla

Shake and strain in a martini glass. Garnish with a marshmallow.

Wicked Red Punch

Created by Lindsay Walus, Tonic East

1 bottle of HobNob Wicked Red wine
1½ cups spiced rum
3 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
2 oranges, zested
1 tsp ground ginger
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp simple syrup
1 lime, zested
Sugar for rim

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for least an hour. If available, add one large block of ice to the bowl. Stir well before serving. Add a sugar rim and garnish with an orange slice.

Fall Away
Created by Brice Mastroluca, Bagatelle

1 apple
2 oz. Bacardi Ocho
1 oz. cinnamon sugar
1 oz. lime juice
Ginger for garnish

Slice apple into thin wedges. Muddle about three slices in a shaker, then add the rest of the ingredients. Shake, then strain into an ice-filled glass.

Devil’s Whiskers

¾ part SVEDKA Clementine
¾ part sweet vermouth
¾ part orange juice
½ part orange Curaçao
Dash orange bitters

Fake blood:
½ cup white corn syrup
1 tbsp cornstarch
¼ cup water
15 drops red food coloring
1-5 drops blue food coloring

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake and strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

For the fake blood: In a bowl, mix the corn syrup and the cornstarch together. Add water until the mixture is the consistency of blood. Mix in food coloring until you achieve the desired color.

Diabolique

1.5 part Grey Goose Le Citron
1/3 part Cointreau
1/3 part fresh pineapple juice
¾ part fresh lemon juice
½ part crème de mure

Build all the ingredients except the crème de mure in a shaker. Top with cubed ice and shake. Fine strain into a highball glass, then add a cap of crushed ice. Drizzle with crème de mure and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Witch’s Potion

1 oz. Patrón XO Cafe Incendio
1 oz. Patron Reposado
0.5 oz. medium-bodied red wine (ex. Barbera d’ Alba)
0.5 oz. honey syrup (3 parts of honey mixed with 1 part of hot water; chilled)
0.5 oz. fresh lemon juice
5 cloves

Muddle cloves in a shaker until broken into small pieces. Add the rest of ingredients and ice. Shake and strain through a fine strainer into a chilled coupe glass. Drop 3 cloves into a cocktail.

2.0 oz elit by Stolichnaya
1.0 oz apple cider
0.25 oz fresh lemon juice
0.75 oz Allspice Spiked Agave

To make Allspice Agave: Take 1 cup agave nectar and add 1/2 cup allspice powder. Mix until blended.

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into an ice filled highball or double rocks glass.

Black and Orange
Created by Rob Krueger from Extra Fancy

1.5 oz. Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition
.5 oz. Amaro Meletti
.5 oz. Yellow Chartreuse
.5 oz. fresh lemon juice
1.5 oz. fresh pressed carrot juice
Fresh ground black pepper for garnish

Shake all together with ice and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Grind the black pepper on top to garnish.

1 oz. Nolet’s Silver Dry Gin
0.75 oz. fresh lemon juice
0.5 oz. simple syrup
0.5 oz. Aperol
1 blood orange wedge

Muddle blood orange wedge with syrup in a mixing glass. Add ice and remaining ingredients. Shake and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

Witch’s Brew

1.25 parts Courvoisier VSOP
0.75 parts DeKuyper Sour Apple Pucker
Splash of orange juice
Splash of grenadine

Build cocktail in order in an ice-filled highball glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Sleepy Hollow
By Josh Mazza,The Gilroy

1 ½ oz. The Black Grouse Blended Scotch Whisky
¾ oz. Bittermans Coffee Liqueur
½ oz. Ancho Reyes Chili Liqueur
2 ½ oz. almond milk

Build into the glass. Garnish with grated chocolate.