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When you're a kid, Halloween is all about trick-or-treating and loading up on enough candy to last you a year. But as an adult, it's more about treating yourself to some spiked punch, witch’s brew, or one of the many other wickedly good cocktail recipes for Halloween. After all, why should the kids have all the fun?
If you're not sure what to mix up for your fright night fete, don't be afraid to branch out with some unusual ingredients like Velvet falernum, a Caribbean cocktail ingredient that has warm, spicy notes, according to Food & Wine. You can also try mixing up your own homemade ginger ale for a tasty treat. Plus, since Halloween does fall in the middle of fall, it's fun to take advantage of seasonal ingredients, like apples, cranberries, and cinnamon.
To make your drinks extra spooky, stock up on fun garnishes like fake spiders, floating eyeballs, or dry ice for presentation. If you haven’t perfected a hauntingly good cocktail recipe of your own, here are some drinks that will surely cast a spell on your guests. From a Harry Potter-inspired elixir to an apple cider champagne cocktail, these recipes will help you take your mixology skills to the next level. Now, drink up, witches!
1Creepy Cranberry Moscow Mule
Part cocktail, part ice cream float, NellieBellie’s Cranberry Moscow Mule cocktail. You’ll need some cranberries, vodka, ginger beer, sugar, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Be warned, though, it’s so good that the ghost who haunts your home may want you to share.
2Who You Gonna Call? Ghostbusters Ectoplasm Cocktail
Channel your inner Ghostbuster with a childhood favorite mixed with a little vodka and Jell-O. DIY Candy’s recipe for a Ghostbusters Ectoplasm Cocktail calls for a couple Hi-C Ecto Cooler juice boxes, Smirnoff “Red, White, & Berry” vodka, lemon slices, lime Jell-O, fresh thyme, and some crushed ice to pour it over.
3Blood Bag Cocktail
For a bloody fun Halloween, try Sugar and Soul’s recipe for a Blood Bag Cocktail. To make it, you’ll just need some ice, vodka, and cherry liqueur or brandy. For a little extra fun, grab some fangs and a cape and on your best Dracula act while you drink it.
4The Deathly Hallows
What's not to love about this Harry Potter-inspired cocktail from Half Baked Harvest? With cranberry juice, Mezcal, orange liquor, lemon juice, maple, and ginger beer, it's just the right blend of sweet and smoky. Pair it with a Harry Potter costume, and you'll straight-up win Halloween.
5Eerie Earl Grey French 75
There’s nothing like an eerie grey sky on Halloween, and an Earl Grey French 75 goes perfectly with stormy weather. A recipe from Cookie and Kate has all the makings for the warm and cozy cocktail including gin infused with earl grey tea, some lemon juice and a splash of prosecco for a little fizz.
6 Spooky Scary Autumn Sour
Listen to the rustling of the leaves and howling of the wind as you warm up with an Autumn Sour. Jelly Toast has all the instructions you need to whip up the cocktail, which includes a delicious blend of spiced pear vodka, apple brandy, maple syrup, lemon juice, lime juice, egg whites, and ground cinnamon.
7(Not So) Poison Apple & Ginger
Grab some cider and bourbon, because this recipe for a Ginger Apple Hot Toddy from A Cozy Kitchen is the perfect fall cocktail. You’ll also need some honey, nutmeg, whole star anise, ginger, and lemon slices. If you also happen to have a cinnamon stick for a garnish, it certainly doesn’t hurt. This is one apple treat no one would judge you for taking from a strange old witch in the woods.
8Black Forest Blackberry Moscow Mule
Travel deep into the black forest, if you dare… or, you can skip the hike of horror and just enjoy a Blackberry Moscow Mule with Mint at home instead. Eating Richly has an amazing recipe that calls for blackberries, mint leaves, lime juice, vodka, and ginger beer. It’s a sweet take on the classic beverage.
9Dark And Stormy Night
For a dark and stormy Halloween night, try a Pumpkin Spice Dark and Stormy from Kitchen Confidante. To make it, you’ll need some ginger beer, lime wedges, and pumpkin spice flavored Kahlúa. It’s the ideal adult beverage for curling up on the couch and watching a classic horror movie.
10The Great Pumpkin
Since there’s no shortage of pumpkins on Halloween, might as well indulge in a pumpkin cocktail. There’s a delicious recipe from A Cookie Named Desire that calls for pumpkin shrubs (drinking vinegar), sparkling water, and some sweet and savory maple bourbon. It’s the perfect drink to sip on while watching It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
11Zombie Cocktail
If you're looking for a potent punch to serve at your Halloween bash, look no further than this zombie cocktail from The Little Epicurean. It calls for both an aged rum and a spiced rum, plus orange juice, pineapple juice, lime juice, cinnamon simple syrup, a splash of grenadine, and falernum. And like any good zombie drink, it just might make you feel like the walking dead the next morning.
12 Mulled *Blood* Wine
This slow cooker spiced wine recipe from Well Plated is the perfect fall drink to serve your ghoulish guests. With its deep red hue and warm spices, it looks like blood but tastes like the best mulled wine ever.
13Trick-Or-Treat Peanut Butter Cup
If the first thing you do when your kids are done trick-or-treating is dig through their candy to snatch a few peanut butter cups, then this Peanut Butter Cup Martini from Brown Sugar is for you. All you need to make it is some vodka, chocolate syrup, peanut butter simple syrup, and a peanut butter cup for a garnish.
14Jack-O-Lantern & Ginger
Put the "jack-o-lantern" in this awesome jack and ginger cocktail recipe from Climbing Grier Mountain by serving it on fright night. It features homemade ginger ale, which is truly next level, but if you're strapped for time, a liter of ginger ale from the store is just fine too.
15Bobbing for Apples
This luxurious apple cider champagne cocktail from Well Plated is a fun twist on the Halloween tradition of bobbing for apples. Adding a splash of brand or dark rum will make it even more wicked!
16Rosemary's Baby Cocktail
This delightfully red cocktail from Hello Glow was served in the classic Halloween movie, Rosemary's Baby. It features vodka, grenadine and lime, and is maybe a little too drinkable! Serve it with a sprig of rosemary for even more of a wink and a nod to the creepy movie.
17Kiss of Death
This potent Kiss on the Lips frozen drink recipe from Averie Cooks needs only a name change to be Halloween-ready. Call it "Kiss of Death," serve it with some festive straws, and you're good to go.
18Cranberry Bone Crush
Cranberry is such a quintessential fall flavor, and this Cranberry St. Germain cocktail from Well Plated is perfect to make in a pitcher and serve to your entire Halloween crew. Call it a "Cranberry Bone Crush" to make it even more spooktacular.
19Witches' Brew Punch
This dark and moody pomegranate ginger punch from My Baking Addiction is the ultimate witches' brew to serve at your Halloween soiree. Thanks to the ginger, it's got a real zing that even zombies will love.
20Spiked Apple Cider
It wouldn't be a Halloween hoedown without a spiked cider! Drinking this apple spice cocktail recipe form Love and Lemons is like drinking in fall. You can class it up with some star anise pods and cinnamon sticks, but don't fool yourself... it calls for plenty of the hard stuff.
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