16 Scary-Good Cocktails (AKA Halloween Candy for Adults)

(Image credit: Design by Ashka Shen)

published 20 October 2017

Halloween. A time of terrible costumes, nostalgia-inducing TV movies, and kids knocking at your door asking for candy (the amount of which, let's be real, has considerably diminished since time of purchase). Make your holiday a little brighter with these delicious boozy drinks and say cheers to being an adult (or something like one).

1.The Zombie

As sweet as a handful of Halloween treats.

Ingredients:

2 parts BACARDÍ Superior

1.75 parts BACARDÍ Gold

1 part Triple Sec

2 parts Orange Juice

1 part Lime Juice

1 part Simple Syrup

0.25 part Grenadine

Orange Slice and Cherry, for garnish

Directions:

Pour all ingredients into a shaker full of ice and shake vigorously. Strain and pour into a highball glass filled with ice. Stir with a bar spoon and garnish with a cherry and orange slice.

Courtesy of Bacardi

2.Poisoned Apple Pie

Here's one boozy way to get in on the charcoal trend—and don't fret if any gets on your teeth.

Ingredients:
2 oz. IZZE Sparkling Juice Apple

2 oz. Dark, Aged Rum

1/2 oz. Heavy Cream

1/2 oz.Cinnamon Syrup (recipe below)

1 Medium Egg White

Two pinches Activated Charcoal Powder

Activated Charcoal and Dash of Cinnamon, for garnish

Directions:

Add the rum, cream, cinnamon syrup, and egg white into a cocktail shaker without ice. Dry shake for 30 seconds. Add ice to shaker and shake again to chill. Strain into a coupe or fluted glass. Slowly pour the IZZE Sparkling Juice Apple into the same glass. Sprinkle activated charcoal powder and cinnamon on top to garnish.

Courtesy of IZZE

3.Cauldron Punch

A fizzy witches brew.

Ingredients:
1½ oz. Rum

½ oz. Orange Liqueur

4 oz. IZZE Sparkling Pomegranate Juice

1 Small Cube Dry Ice

Directions:
Add all ingredients to shaker except IZZE® Sparkling Juice Pomegranate and dry ice. Shake and strain into a glass. Top with IZZE® Sparkling Juice Pomegranate and add dry ice.*

*Do not ingest dry ice.

Courtesy of IZZE

4.Spooky Sunrise

For those with a serious sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

3 oz. TROPICANA® Tangerine Lemonade

1 ½ oz. Blanco Tequila

1 oz. Grenadine

Orange Slice, for garnish

Directions:

Rim a chilled Collins glass with black sugar. Add the tequila and TROPICANA Tangerine Lemonade. Float the grenadine on top. Garnish with an orange slice.

Courtesy of Tropicana

5.Sleepy Hollow

This drink by Josh Mazza at The Gilroy is definitely a head-turner—but fear not, it's just as delicious without the dry ice.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. The Black Grouse Blended Scotch Whisky

3/4 oz. Bittermans Coffee Liqueur

1/2 oz. Ancho Reyes Chili Liqueur

2 1/2 oz. Almond Milk

Directions:

Build into a Tiki mug. Add 1 pellet dry ice. Garnish with grated chocolate.

6.The Black Devil

The ultimate devil's advocate, this drink is sweet to taste but has a savory aftertaste when you sample the olive garnish.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 oz. Absolut Kurant

1/2 oz. Chambord or Black Raspberry liqueur

1/2 oz. Blue Curacao

Splash of Blackberry Brandy (optional)

3 Skewered Black Olives on Rim

Directions:

Build in a mixing tin, add all ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with three black olives skewered for decoration on rim and orange twist in the cocktail for taste.

7.Blood Orange Blossom

Bitter but slightly sweet, this cocktail is exactly the drink you'd want on Hallow's Eve.

Ingredients:

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

Directions:

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.

8.Doctor's Note

A cocktail from Bar 54 in NYC, this one-and-done drink features Jameson, maple syrup, and an egg white.

Ingredients:

1.5 Jameson

.5 Dem Syrup

1/2 Egg White

.75 Lemon

Bar Spoon Maple Syrup

Muddled Clove and Sage

Directions:

Shaken and strained over cold draft ice in a Collins glass. Garnish with sage.

9.Corpse Reviver

Another one from Bar 54, this cocktail features lemon and triple sec for a delicious fruity drink. But don't be fooled—it packs a punch with gin, Lillet, and absinthe.

Ingredients:

1 oz. Gin

1 oz. Lillet

1 oz. Cointreau (triple sec)

1 oz. Lemon

Splash of Absinthe

Directions:

Shake all ingredients together over ice. Served in a coupe with 2 cherries.

10.Corpse Reviver

This drink can be served hot or cold and features tequila. Any questions?

Ingredients:

1 ½ parts Hornitos® Black Barrel® Tequila

¾ part Apple Cider

¾ part Cinnamon Syrup*

1 part Lemon Juice

2 dashes Angostura® Bitters

2 parts Water

Directions:

*To make cinnamon syrup: Mix together 1 part sugar, 1 part water and 4 crushed cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil (approximately 1-2 minutes). Once cooled down, strain into a glass.

Lastly, combine all ingredients together and serve. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and an apple wedge. Can be served hot or cold.

11.Spooky Slime

Make these shooters for a party, or make the cocktail version (below) for a spooky-chic dinner (even if it's just of one).

Ingredients:

3 oz. Sparkling Ice Lemon Lime (or other soda)

Splash of Orange Juice

1 package of Green Jello

2 cups Boiling Water

4 cups Cold Water

(Cocktail Version: Add 1 1/2 oz. tequila)

Directions:

Follow the instructions indicated on the package to make the Jello (with boiling water). Stir in the cold water and allow to chill for 3-4 hours. Use a utensil to break up the jello into small pieces. After that, shake together Sparkling Ice Lemon Lime and orange juice and pour into a chilled glass rimmed with salt. Add 1/2 cup of green Jello and stir slowly. Let Jello set in fridge before serving.

12.Bobbing for Apples

This delicious drink is the perfect representation of fall—you know, the boozy representation.

Ingredients:

1.25 oz. Nolet's Silver Dry Gin

1 oz. Apple Juice

0.5 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

0.5 oz. Honey

Directions:

Shake all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Fine-strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with an apple slice.

13.Pumpkin Spike

PSL? Please.

Ingredients:

1.25 oz. Nolet's Silver Dry Gin

1 oz. Pumpkin Puree

1 Whole Egg

.5 oz. Maple Syrup

1 bar spoon Sugar (or spoon of sugar)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Dry shake until emulsified (about one minute). Add ice and shake again, vigorously. Double strain into a martini glass. Dust the top with nutmeg to garnish.

14.Eerie Green

Not for the faint of heart.

Ingredients:

1 slice Serrano Green Chili

3 oz. Freshly Extracted Green Tomato Juice

2 oz. Martin Millers Gin (Not London Dry)

Directions:

Muddle serrano chili slice once. Combine ingredients in mixing glass. Add ice and shake vigorously for 5 seconds. Double-strain ingredients over fresh ice so chili seeds stay out of the drinks.