Halloween 2020: Tasty cocktails to make at home during spooky season

14 October 2020, 13:54 | Updated: 29 October 2020, 16:57

By Emma Gritt

@emmagritt

Halloween might look a bit different this year due to coronavirus, so why not treat yourself to a special cocktail to celebrate spooky season in style?

Halloween is a night for spirits... but don't let them bother you, invite them to join the party!

If you're having a night in then try out these recipes for size.

Don't worry if you haven't got the specific brands or more unusual ingredients to hand, experiment with what you've got in the cupboard and see where your imagination takes you.

After all, what is October 31st without the booos?

Smoky Halloween Colada

Ingredients:

60ml Casamigos Mezcal

20 ml Fresh Lime Juice

20 ml Fresh Pineapple Juice

20 ml. Coconut Puree by REAL

10ml Ginger Syrup by Liber & Co.

10 ml. Grenadine

½ Thick Rim Equal Parts Sugar/Black Lava Salt

Method:

Wet ½ rim of glass with lime wedge or wheel and dip into sugar/black lava salt mixture.

Pour .5 oz grenadine directly into clear Tiki or hurricane glass.

Combine the rest of the ingredients into tin shaker. Add ice, shake vigorously and strain into clear Tiki glass or hurricane glass.

Add pebble ice, and fill to top creating a dome like top, then garnish.

Casa Teal Candy Martini

Ingredients:

60ml Casamigos Blanco Tequila

30ml Fresh Lemon Juice

30ml Fresh Pineapple Juice

15ml Blue Curacao

10ml Simple Syrup

Method: 

Combine all ingredients into tin shaker. Add ice, shake vigorously and strain into martini glass.

Add ice cubes and garnish.

Diablesse Sticky Toffee Pudding

Ingredients:

35ml Diablesse Gold Rum 

15ml Oloroso Sherry 

15ml Date & Miso Syrup* 

Custard to float

Method:

Add the first 3 ingredients to a mixing glass and stir over ice. Strain into an Old Fashioned Glass over fresh ice. Make the custard lighter by briefly shaking or whipping and float over the top of the cocktail using a spoon. Garnish with fresh grated Nutmeg.

* For Date & Miso Syrup: Combine 330g Date Syrup (or Nectar) with 2 tbsp Red Miso Paste (or to taste) to a pan and heat gently. Stir until the miso has fully dissolved.

Caramel Apple Crumble 

Ingredients:

35ml King of Soho London Dry Gin

15ml Sourz Apple

35ml Apple Juice

15ml Monin Caramel Syrup

Method:

Shake all ingredients well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with apple.  

Nightmare of Brookie Street

Ingredients:

45ml Brookie’s Dry Gin

20ml Lemon juice

15ml Pineapple juice

10ml Sugar syrup

1 x dash of Cardamom bitters

10ml Aquafaba / egg white

30ml Brookie’s Slow Gin (pour on top)

Method:

Shake with ice and double stain into an Old Fashioned glass.

Rob Roy

How to make an Ardbeg Wee Beastie Rob Roy cocktail

Ingredients:

60ml Ardbeg Wee Beastie

30ml sweet vermouth

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Lemon or orange twist to garnish

Method:

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir well for about 20 seconds, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist a piece of lemon or orange peel over the drink and use as garnish.

Wildcat Devilishly Dark Martini

Ingredients:

37.5ml Wildcat Bramble (Tesco, £26)

12.5ml berry liquor

50ml Pineapple Juice

Method:

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Double strain into a martini glass and garnish with blackberries.

Spiced Passionfruit Gin Punch

Ingredients:

50ml Kopparberg Passionfruit & Orange Gin 

200ml ginger beer

2 drops angostura bitters

Cinnamon stick and orange wheel to garnish

Method:

Build in the glass. Pour 50ml Kopparberg Passionfruit & Orange Gin over cubed ice.

Top with ginger beer and 2 drops of angostura bitters. Stir gently to ensure ingredients are combined.

Garnish with an orange wheel and stick of cinnamon.

Cherry Storm

Ingredients:

50ml Kopparberg Cherry Spiced Rum 

200ml ginger ale

Half a lime (juiced)

2 teaspoons brown sugar 

Lime wedge

Method:

Build in the glass. Combine the juice of half a lime, 2 teaspoons of brown in the bottom of a high ball glass and mix well.

Fill glass with cubed ice. Top with ginger ale. Pour 50ml Kopparberg Cherry Spiced Rum over the top.

Garnish with skewered lime wedge. Skål! (That's Swedish for Cheers!)

Dark Fruit & Basil Mojito

Ingredients:

50ml Kopparberg Dark Fruit Spiced Rum

150ml soda water 

2 teaspoon brown sugar 

5 basil leaves

Lime wedge & blackberries to garnish

Method:

Build in the glass. Add 5 basil leaves to a highball glass with soft brown sugar and the juice of half a lime. Muddle gently and pour in 50ml Kopparberg Dark Fruit Spiced Rum and 125ml soda water.

Add crushed ice, churn gently and garnish with a wheel of lime, sprig of basil and blackberry.

Irish Orchard

Ingredients:

50ml Bushmills 10 Year Old Single Malt Whiskey (The Whiskey Shop, RRP £35)

75ml Dry Cider

30ml Soda

25ml Pressed Apple Juice

Method:

Build all the ingredients in a highball glass, add cubed ice and garnish with an apple fan.

Elayne's Jalapeno Daiquiri

Ingredients:

2 oz Copalli White Rum

½ oz rich simple syrup

1 jalapeño slice

1 oz fresh lime juice

2 oz Copalli White Rum

Method:

Served in a rocks glass: with 1 large cube.

Garnished with lime wheel and very thin slice of a jalapeño.

The Tiki

Ingredients:

45ml Don Papa 10

22ml Velvet Falernum

30ml Pineapple juice

15ml Lime juice

15ml Blue Curacao

Method:

Combine in a shaker, pour over ice.

The Boëhaunted House

Ingredients:

60ml Boë Gin Apple & Lime

20ml lime simple syrup

Half shell of lime juice

1 teaspoon lime marmalade (for added flavour but not essential)

Basil leaves

Liquorice laces

Egg whites

Ice cubes

Butterfly pea flowers (available from supermarkets)

Method:
1. Add a handful of butterfly pea flowers to a teacup or jug and top with 100ml boiling water. Leave to steep. This will create that vibrant violet colour to your drink.
2. To make the simple syrup, combine 300g caster sugar, 150ml water and the juice and zest of 1 lime in a pot and simmer until dissolved (100g sugar to 100ml water). Strain out zest before using.
3. Cut the liquorice laces into four 6cm strands. Wrap another lace around in the middle and loop through to secure.
4. Add all other ingredients to a shaker and muddle basil. Seal the shaker and shake without ice for 30 seconds.
5. Once foamy, fill the shaker with the ice and shake again for another 30 seconds.
6. Strain the shaker contents into a glass of choice and use the liquorice spider to the side.
7. Your butterfly pea tea should be lovely and purple by now.8. Pour 30ml of the butterfly pea tea over the drink to achieve a purple float

Mysterious Martini

Ingredients:

50ml i heart Gin

15ml dry vermouth

2 drops homemade fake blood (dissolve 7g of caster sugar into 44g of red liquid food colouring)

Sugar

Method:

Prep the martini glass by moistening the rim and dipping it into sugar to get the frosted look on the glass. Add the gin and vermouth to a cocktail shaker with ice to dilute. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with 2 drops of the homemade fake blood.

Salted Martinez

Ingredients:

50ml Isle of Harris Gin

15ml Pedro Ximenez

5ml Salted caramel syrup

3 dashes toasted almond bitters

Cherry to garnish

Method:

Pour all the ingredients into a mixing glass. Add cubed ice, stir for 10/15 seconds. Strain the ingredients into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Bloody Dutch Sour

Ingredients:

1 oz. Ketel One® Vodka

5 oz. Aperol

5 oz. Lillet Blanc

5 oz. Blood orange reduction simple syrup

0.75 oz. Fresh lemon juice

(optional) Egg white

Method:

Combine in a shaker, pour over ice.

Tia Sunset Delight

A cocktail to give any pumpkin-spiced recipes a run for their money, mixes both Tia Maria and Sailor Jerry spiced rum with a mixture of fruit juices to create a refreshing and smooth orange cocktail perfect for a Halloween themed night. Add some cranberries and an orange slice to garnish for extra flavour!

Ingredients:

25ml Tia Maria

25ml Sailor Jerry

10ml Monin peach syrup

50ml clementine or orange juice

Cranberry juice

To garnish: Handful of cranberries and an orange slice

Method:

Shake Tia Maria, Sailor Jerry, clementine or orange juice and syrup in a cocktail shaker. Once mixed, strain the liquid into a tall glass filled with ice. Top with cranberry or orange juice and garnish.

Grey Goose Lady in Black

Ingredients: ​

35ml Grey Goose Original

35ml Fresh pomegranate juice​

10ml XO Cognac​

10ml Crème de cassis

​10ml clove-water ​(1 clove infused for 8 hours)​

Method: 

Pre-mix ingredients and serve chilled from a black bottle for extra effect! Garnish with a blackberry.

Disaronno Velvet White Espresso Martini 

This cocktail is simply dessert in a glass – deliciously creamy and refreshing to satisfy any sweet tooth. For lovers of the original espresso martini, Velvet adds a touch of nuttiness to the bittersweet tipple featuring Tia Maria and Vodka. Rich, creamy and incredibly smooth, add some coffee beans on top for that traditional garnish.

Ingredients:

50ml Disaronno Velvet

25ml Tia Maria

25ml Vodka

Coffee beans to garnish

Method:

Shake and strain ingredients over ice.

Tia Trick’n’Treat

Typically used to create a Christmas snowball cocktail, Advocaat puts the treat in Tia Trick’n’Treat with its creamy, rich, pudding-like flavour. Topped off with fresh orange and lime juice, fizzy lemonade and Tia Maria to create a sweet cocktail to enjoy over the Halloween weekend. Add some festive fun with coconut flakes and Halloween decorations to garnish!

Ingredients:

25ml Tia Maria

25ml Advocaat

10ml orange juice

10ml lime juice

Lemonade

To garnish - coconut flakes

Method:

Shake Tia Maria, Advocaat and orange and lime juice together in a cocktail shaker. Once mixed, strain the liquid into a rocks glass filled with ice. Top with lemonade and garnish.

Violets Kill

Ingredients:

40ml Cut Spiced Rum (RRP £22, Master of Malt)

15ml Crème de Violette

25ml Lime Juice 

10ml Sugar Syrup

Egg White

Method:

Dry shake and then shake again with ice. Double strain into a Coupe glass and garnish with two raspberries.

Grey Goose Beeting Heart

Ingredients:

40ml Grey Goose La Vanille

25ml Dark Cacao

15ml Beetroot juice

25ml Espresso

Method:

Shake and strain into glass and garnish with cacao dusting.

RED or DEAD

Ingredients:

25ml Cut Smoked Rum (RRP £22 Asda)

3 Lime Wedges 

100ml Cranberry Juice

Dash of Soda Ice

Method:

Add the Cranberry juice to a glass with ice – layer the soda and then the Cut Smoked Rum, add the lime wedges and serve – stir before drinking.

Grey Goose La Poire Gingerbread Martini

Ingredients:

35ml Grey Goose La Poire

10ml Disaronno Original Liqueur

35ml Sparkling Apple Cide+

Pinch of Pumpkin Pie spice

Method:

Put all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini cocktail glass

Bloody Margarita

Ingredients:

50ml Cazcabel Blanco (RRP £25.99, Marks & Spencer)

25ml Lime Juice 

15ml Agave Syrup 

50ml Red Wine Float 

Method:

Shake the Cazcabel Reposado Tequila, lime and agave syrup. Strain into a Rocks glass with fresh ice. Spoon over the red wine to create a float and serve.

Bacardi Pumpkin Punch Kit

Bacardi Rum has partnered with Floom to launch a limited edition kit which includes one pumpkin ready to be gutted and transformed in to the perfect punch bowl for a spooky serve for you and three others.

The kit also includes all the ingredients to create a delicious pumpkin spiced rum punch - 1 Pumpkin, 70cl BACARDÍ Spiced, 1L Cloudy Apple Juice, Mixed Spice.

It also has other Bacardi-branded bits to get the party started, including light up cups, a wooden ladle for serving, transferable tattoos and Halloween lights.

Where to buy: Floom, £25

Witch Doctor

Ingredients:

20ml Honey Cazcabel (£24.99, Amazon)

20ml Peated Whisky 

20ml Pineapple Juice 

25ml Lime Juice 

15ml Orgeat Syrup 

2 Dashes of Angostura Bitters

Method:

Shake all ingredients and strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with a dried orange wheel and a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Halloween Rhubarb & Ginger Spritz

Ingredients:

50ml Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger Gin

100ml Ginger Ale

100ml Prosecco

Fresh Mint

Method:

Pour the Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger Gin over ice in a chilled tumbler glass. Add the ginger ale and prosecco and stir. Garnish with a fresh sprig of mint.

Crystal Head Onyx Vodka

Dan Aykroyd's love for all things weird and scary didn't just see him come up with Ghostbusters - he was inspired to create his own vodka brand based on the mystery of the crystal skulls.

While the intriguing ancient artefacts are said to give people in their presence psychic abilities, Crystal Skull vodka gives you a smooth spirit for cocktails or enjoying over ice - and a cool bottle to keep afterwards!

This is a special black bottle named after onyx, a crystal that is said to absorb negativity; the darker the stone, the more energy it holds.

Plus it doubles up as a very classy Halloween decoration.

Where to buy: The Bottle Club, £45 (on sale October 9)