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“I vant to suck your blood, bla…bla…but first I vant a freakin’ cocktail.”

October 31st….the day when the veil between the living and the dead is most thin. The day when the spirits of our ancestors, along with all sorts of things that go bump in the night, walk the darkened sidewalks and hallways intent on making their presence known. I can’t think of a better reason to enjoy a delicious homemade libation! Why not wait for the ghouls this Halloween with a cocktail made by your own hand in the comfort of your own home. I channel the spirit of Rod Serling as tonight, for your viewing and drinking pleasure, I humbly present a list of Mr. Booze Halloween favorites from the past…and the present. Don’t drink & drive….Don’t drink & haunt.

Candy Corn Martini

A little sweet for my taste, I’ll open the lid on this cocktail just one night a year. Candy corn is the spirit of Halloween wrapped up in a bite-sized nugget of deliciousness, so I get why this drink is so gobbled down by sugar-buzzed kiddies over the age of 21. Positively gorgeous on a silver tray bathed in candlelight, a presentation of these on the home bar would last about half a minute.

Here we go –

• 3/4 oz vanilla vodka
• 1/2 oz white Creme de Cacao
• 1/2 oz butterscotch schnapps
• 2 oz orange juice
• cocoa powder for rim

Ring your martini glasses w/ orange juice then pat into cocoa powder till rimmed. In a shaker filled w/ ice, pour liquid ingredients. Shake then pour up into martini glasses. Garnish w/ orange peel twist and skewered candy corn.

Ghost Cocktail

I found this on the Drink Nation site and had to try it. This is a very good hi-ball cocktail yet one you should be careful with. You will be seeing ghosts if you have more than three…ghosts riding pink elephants. It has a chugability that can get you in trouble.

Here we go –

• 1 oz bourbon
• 2 oz vanilla flavored rum
• cream soda

Fill a tall glass w/ rocks then pour in bourbon & rum. Top w/ cream soda. “Boo!”

Dracula’s Kiss

You gotta buy one of those goofy flavored vodkas for this one, but what the hell, you’ll have it for something else that calls for it down the line. This is the Halloween drink that your guests have to try when they see it. It looks great on a spooky decorated bar or on a coffee table ‘long side a carved pumpkin. Like “The Ghost”, this cocktail has a drinkability about it that could be dangerous. I mixed up a couple the other night during a DVD showing of The Fearless Vampire Killers, and everyone loved it, so you might consider this one for an October scary movie night.

Here we go –

• 2 oz black cherry vodka
• 1/2 oz grenadine
• coca-cola

Swirl the grenadine around the bottom half of a clear high-ball glass till the glass is coated. Add ice then the vodka. Fill with cola and garnish with 2 plump cherries. Black straw if you can find them.

Dark & Stormy

Going with this one for Halloween on a name base, primarily. Surprisingly enough, I’ve never mentioned this boozy staple on Mr. Booze. Shame on me. This is the quick one for Halloween night. Maybe you have door duty, maybe you just want to watch a werewolf movie, maybe you don’t want to work too hard. The name is appropriate as is the ginger-spiciness of the mix so I went with it. Do not use ginger-ale w/ this one. Buy a couple bottles of ginger beer and tuck them away. My favorite is the Goya, it’s very spicy.

Here we go –

• 2 to 3 oz dark rum
• ginger beer
• 1/2 oz lime juice

Fill a tall glass with ice, add lime juice then rum. Lightly stir then pour ginger beer to fill.

The Dracula Cocktail

Borrowed from The Playboy Bar Guide, this name-appropriate cocktail can be batched for home entertaining ahead of time. Just pour the amount needed in a small shaker with ice for each individual drink. Dracula will pour red so you get your “pop” as you pass one to your guest. Work on your Bela Lugosi accent ahead of time. You’ll need it as you host.

Here we go –

• 2 oz white rum
• ½ tsp grenadine (yes…you can use Roses)
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 4 oz cranberry cocktail
• couple dashes Angostura bitters
• Shake well w/ ice, pour into a tall rocks glass. Add more ice if necessary.

Night Shade

For a “friendly” cocktail which can be enjoyed by most boys & ghouls over the age of 21, this odd little Halloween addition is actually quite complex and runs deep enough to also satisfy the more serious drinker at your Monster Mash. The juice and fruit provide the cut for the casual, yet the chartreuse & whiskey pack the punch. Serve it in those plastic, spooky Halloween martini cups you find at the party store. This is a great cocktail!

Here we go –

• 1 ½ oz bourbon
• ½ oz sweet vermouth
• ½ – 1 oz orange juice
• ½ tsp yellow chartreuse
• Shake ingredients w/ ice in a shaker till cold. Strain up into a cocktail glass & garnish with a slice of lemon and orange.

Black Devil

For the dads out there brave enough to sport horns, a red trident and a tail, here’s the perfect martini-type cocktail to go along with your El Diablo outfit. I like a nice white rum, and I love black olives, so this one is a nice change of pace, on occasion, from my beloved martini. I use the Appleton White Rum in this drink and, served iced-cold, you can’t go wrong. The name screams Halloween to me but…you can actually whip one of these up anytime.

Here we go –

• 2 oz white rum (Appleton is the one)
• ½ oz dry vermouth

Mix as you would your favorite martini, serve up in a clear cocktail glass and garnish with 2-3 black olives.

Blue Devil

One of those gasp-inducing drinks that is horrifically perfect for a Halloween party or simple gathering, the Blue Devil should go swell with most adult costumes. Think of it as a boozy accent piece to your sexy nun outfit or your zombie mask, that happens to taste great and will leave you even more likely to be less inhibited before the night is done with you. The kind of drink that will have you waking up on November 1st asking, through your sandpapered mouth, “Did I really do that last night?” Bartender’s warning: please be careful with the Blue Devil. Just ‘cause it’s Halloween, try not to blame The Devil for your outlandish deeds after the fact.

Here we go –

• 1 ½ oz gin
• ½ oz blue curacao
• 1 oz lemon juice

Shake with ice and serve chilled and up in a cocktail glass. Garnish with a floating lemon or orange slice.

Acapulco Zombie

I guess there would be zombies in Acapulco in the event of a zombie apocalypse. Zombie cliff-divers and zombies selling piñatas & paper flowers would be roaming and diving all over the destination spot. For me, the Zombie is a natural for a Halloween cocktail. This one’s a heck of a lot easier to build than the traditional Zombie I’ve highlighted in previous Halloween and tiki posts. Yet another easy & spooky drink to batch ahead of time, this cocktail would work wonderfully for a party or any creature-feature get together.

Here we go –

• 1 ½ oz tequila
• 1 ½ oz vodka
• 1 ½ oz dark rum
• 2 oz orange juice
• 2 oz grapefruit juice
• 1 tsp grenadine
• dash or two of white crème de menthe

Shake all ingredients except crème de menthe in a shaker till cold. Pour into a hi-ball glass over ice & top with a couple dashes of the crème de menthe. Stir softly and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Screaming Banana Banshee

Sure, we’ve all known one, a few of us unfortunate enough to have married one…but isn’t it fun to learn that you can actually drink a screaming banshee, too? This is a perfect drink to enjoy at home, by yourself, or with your partner while carving pumpkins (be careful w/ knives & booze…maybe just watch), or hosting a small party. The cream/banana component makes them a bit thick and sweet so I’d only plan on enjoying one or two, tops. Don’t plan an evening around this drink, but if you’re mixing it up with a few Halloween drink choices, this should go into the rotation.

Here we go –

• ½ oz banana liqueur
• ½ oz vodka
• ½ oz crème de cacao (either light or dark, doesn’t matter)
• 1 ½ oz light cream

Shake in shaker along with cracked ice till freezing & frothy; strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with cherry.

Some Lost Halloween Sounds to Complete the Evening

I almost didn’t mention these, even though I’ve gone years now including these recordings in my own Halloween celebrations.  I lean heavily on jazz while celebrating the season, but besides the cool vibe some 50’s and 60’s Miles, Chet & Peterson provide as part of my annual venture into the haunted, I also love creating some original Halloween atmosphere. Ghost stories, spooky sounds, monster movie soundtracks, they go great with these drinks, too. Here are just a couple atmospheric point-outs which can only add to your ouiji-board antics or All Hallows Eve festivities.

Well, folks…enjoy your Halloween with the above suggestions. Have fun, be safe and remember to look under your beds and bars before you turn the lights off. Who knows what sort of “creatures of the night” or drunk neighbors have slithered in while you were busy shaking that shaker. “Boo!”