Kara Birkenstock

Spooktacular Halloween Cocktails

Whoever said Halloween is just for kids? With more adults partaking in the ghoulish festivities than ever before, I thought it’d be fit to share some creative and delicious new libations. For all the Halloween hosts who want to impress their guests with the latest in cool and creepy cocktails, try out the following recipes! And remember, you can also serve these sans alcohol for an equally spooky treat!

Spiced Pumpkin Martini

Courtesy of Mixologist Claire Smith, Belvedere Vodka

2oz Spiced pumpkin infused Belvedere vodka*

1 oz Puree*

1 oz Spiced syrup

1 Slice of fresh ginger

Muddle ginger with the syrup in the base of a cocktail shaker. Add pumpkin infused Belvedere and shake with cubed ice. Serve in a martini glass and garnish with a slice of ginger.

*Spiced pumpkin infused Belvedere
Roast a 500g pumpkin (braised with honey) at 200 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and place roasted pumpkin contents into a small saucepan with bay leaves, cover with 200g of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour. Remove the bay leaves and blend with 500g of Belvedere Vodka. Pass through a muslin cloth to remove pulp and use. Keep refrigerated.

Jack O’ Lantern

Courtesy of Regional Beverage Director Damon Dunay, The Empire Hotel, NYC

2 oz Jack Daniels

2 Sugar cubes

Orange Bitters

½ oz Lucid Absinthe

Coat a rocks glass with Lucid Absinthe by rotating liqueur around glass. In a cocktail shaker, place sugar cubes and two dashes of Orange Bitters. Crush cubes with a muddler. Add Jack Daniels and ice cubes and stir until combined. Strain and serve over ice in the rocks glass. Garnish with a Jack O’ Lantern face carved out of an orange (an orange slice or peel works too).

Alien Cooler

Courtesy of Mixologist Jon Ojinaga, Redwood Room at Clift Hotel, San Francisco

1 ¼ oz Crop Organic Vodka

¾ oz Veev Acai Liqueur

¾ oz Lime juice

¾ oz Simple syrup

Soda (fill with)

2 Pinches of julienned cucumber

1 Cucumber slice

Combine all ingredients in a tall Collins glass with ice. Fill with soda. Stir to mix cucumber in the glass. Garnish with a cucumber slice.

Basil Hayden’s Bloody Mary

Courtesy of Basil Hayden Bourbon

1 oz Basil Hayden’s Bourbon

2 Dashes of celery salt

2 Dashes hot sauce

2 Dashes Worcestershire sauce

1 Teaspoon wasabi

Tomato juice

Celery, lime wedge & blue cheese olives

Rim a pint glass with lime juice and celery salt. Fill with ice to the top. Add Basil Hayden’s(R) Bourbon, celery salt, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and wasabi. Fill remainder of the glass with tomato juice. Stir well. Garnish with celery, lime and blue cheese olives.