["plan"]

27 Terrifyingly Tasty Halloween Cocktails

April 26, 2022 by Helena Lombard

Jump to:

Halloween isn’t just for kids. In fact, it’s become one of the most popular times of year to entertain and serve up some creatively creepy Halloween cocktails. If you’re stuck on ideas, don’t worry—we have some easy All Hallows Eve cocktails you can try.

1. Candy Corn Martini

Candy Corn Martini for Halloween

If you want to add some childhood flavours to your Halloween party, mix a Candy Corn Martini inspired by the traditional orange and white corn-shaped treats that have been a popular addition to American trick-or-treat bags since the 1800s.  

For the adult (drinkable) version, you’ll need candy-corn-flavoured vodka (easy to make your own!), grenadine, pineapple juice, whipped cream, and ice. The trick is to keep it all layered, just like the candy, and the treat is the notes of vanilla, butter, and caramel you’ll taste with every sip. This cocktail is best enjoyed bottoms up!  

2. Bloody Mary

Two clear skull mugs filled with Bloody Mary cocktails

As far as Halloween cocktail recipes go, the name alone makes Bloody Mary a classic choice. While this drink is more of a pick-me-up with your friends after a night on the town, it’s equally delicious when served as a pre-dinner drink. 

Made with uncomplicated ingredients like vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, tabasco, lemon, salt, and pepper, this savoury cocktail is one of the more straightforward and sophisticated cocktails to mix.  

3. Poisoned Apple Cider Cocktail

Two smokey Poison Apple cocktails for Halloween

Remember when you were a little kid and heard the story of Snow White? And how, in your mind, you begged her not to eat that apple, and she just munched on it anyway? And then she fell into a poison-apple-induced sleep? Well, this cocktail is inspired by that story, but we promise it won’t have the same effect. 

The Poisoned Apple Cider cocktail is made with apple cider, cranberry juice, fireball, grenadine, and a sprinkling of glitter to create a magical red and golden swirly cocktail that is pretty enough to tempt your friends to take a sip. It’s definitely up there on the list of apple cider cocktails you should try. 

4. Witches Brew

Two bright green Witches Brew cocktails with fake spider garnish

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble… Introducing the Witches Brew cocktail—a fun, scary-looking green concoction (that tastes amazing!) This is one of the spookiest cocktail ideas you can conjure up—and if you add a dry ice cube to the drink, you are sure to impress your friends. Just make sure you know how to safely use dry ice in cocktails before attempting this drink.

While it’s super impressive looking, making a Witches Brew is equally simple: All you need is melon liqueur, triple sec, lemon juice, and a cackle worthy of the witchiest witch to make this Halloween cocktail the star of the night. And don’t worry about the taste. The honeydew melon-flavoured liqueur is the base of this drink, making this concoction one that is really easy to swallow.  

5. Green Monster

Smokey Green Monster cocktail for Halloween

Speaking of green drinks, The Green Monster is another guy you can invite to your All Saints’ Eve party. It’s one of the perfect cocktails for beginners. While adding this drink to your line-up is an excellent idea, it will be equally enjoyable as part of your St. Patrick’s Day and leap year parties.  

It’s a short drink with just three ingredients: tequila, banana liqueur, and melon liqueur, which gets poured over ice in a lowball glass and stirred. Simple and impressive.  

6. Black Magic

Halloween themed Black Magic cocktails

Add a bit of spectacle to your evening with the Black Magic cocktail—a spooky drink packed with delicious flavour. Made with black vodka, grenadine, and lemon-lime soda, this All Hallows Eve cocktail gets its ink-like appearance when you stir in the black vodka.   

Taste-wise, it’s like Shirley Temple walked into a bar and drank a shot of vodka. We suggest you serve it in a highball glass filled with ice, unstirred, to let your friends create some black magic of their own. It’s a thrilling surprise that everyone is sure to enjoy!  

7. Baby Yoda

Front shot of refreshing Baby Yoda Cocktails

Baby Yoda became all the rage with the release of The Mandalorian in 2019. Thanks to Jennifer Aniston, a cocktail inspired by the series, the Baby Yoda cocktail rose to Instagram fame when she posted a picture of it in 2019. 

It’s a bit of a crafty cocktail that calls for vodka, simple syrup, and kiwi fruit to be shaken together with ice before straining into martini glasses. The crafty bit? Making Baby Yoda’s ears and eyes using sliced kiwi fruit, black olives, and toothpicks.  

Make this cocktail, you must. 

8. Swamp Water

Two Halloween themed Samp Water cocktails

The Swamp Water cocktail became popular during the golden years of the good old Rusty Nail and Harvey Wallbanger. While the appearance of Swamp Water lives up to its name, it thankfully does not do the same in taste. It’s one of the most straightforward Halloween cocktail ideas to pull off, and you make it by stirring green Chartreuse, pineapple juice, and lime with ice in a tall glass. A real crowd-pleaser! 

9. Apple Pie Moonshine

Two Apple Pie Moonshine cocktails for Halloween

Speaking of things that remind us of swamp life, why not add a bit of moonshine to your All Saints’ Eve cocktail ideas? All you need is apple liqueur, apple cider, moonshine whiskey (the legal kind), cinnamon, vanilla, and caramel sauce. Before you know it, ya’ll will be having a real good time. The Apple Pie Moonshine cocktail is sweeter than honey and stronger than moonshine, so proceed with caution.  

10. French Maid

French Maid Cocktail

This lady is French because she contains cognac. If your Halloween theme is less spooky and more sophisticated, this cocktail is a more polished pre-dinner drink option.  

To make a French Maid cocktail,  muddle cucumber, mint, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add cognac, ginger beer, lime juice, and easy homemade falernum syrup. (The addition of this syrup takes this cocktail to an exciting new flavour level, so it is well worth the effort.) Add ice, shake until chilled, strain into a coupe for that extra French twist, and garnish with a sprig of mint and sliced cucumber. À ta santé!

11. Blackjack Cocktail

Cognac and coffee liqueur on the rocks, garnished with orange peel

Say you decide to throw a haunted casino party—and why not? There are no rules on All Hallow’s Eve! Then this is the Halloween cocktail to place your bets on. Named Blackjack because of its colour, this is the ultimate cocktail to serve your cognac and coffee-loving friends. The added cherry liqueur gives it a unique twist that is hard to resist. A great choice to end the evening.  

12. Squashed Frog

Row of green, yellow and red Squashed Frog cocktails

Two disclaimers! One, this Halloween cocktail recipe doesn’t actually contain a squashed frog. And two, it’s really more of a shot than a cocktail. 

Layered into a shot glass, from the bottom up, a Squashed Frog contains grenadine, melon liqueur, and Advocaat (a liqueur made with brandy, egg yolks, and sugar). Because the Advocaat is quite heavy, it sinks into the green melon liqueur, creating the illusion of something green and squashed (and frog-like) in the centre of the shot. The final result is pretty gross-looking but tastes delicious. 

14. Classic Champagne Cocktail

Two Classic Champaign cocktails on a table in a light bright home living room environment

Who says a dress-up holiday party can’t be a little bougie? This Classic Champagne Cocktail always makes a splash. Place a sugar cube on a small dish and drizzle 15 ml of bitters over the cube, turning a few times so it’s fully coated. Drop the cube into a Champagne flute, add 10 ml of Cognac, and slowly pour over 75 ml of Champagne. Twist an orange peel over the glass to express the oils, and serve.

15. Vampire’s Kiss Cocktail

Three Vampire Kiss Cocktails rimmed with grenadine and granulated sugar, on a table against a red backdrop and halloween decor

 

The Vampire’s Kiss cocktail is a ruby-hued vodka martini with a spooky dry-ice twist. Add the 45 ml SKYY vodka, 30 ml raspberry liqueur, 15 ml unsweetened cranberry juice, 15 ml lemon juice, and 15 ml grenadine to a cocktail shaker. Add 2 handfuls of regular ice cubes and shake until cold. Strain the drink into a glass that has been rimmed with grenadine and granulated sugar. If you’re feeling fancy, you could also add dry ice. Read all about it here.

16. Halloween Punch

A spooky bowl of Halloween punch on a kitchen table, surrounded by Halloween decorations

A big-batch drink is always a hit at a party, and this one is ideal if you want to lean into the creepiness. You will need one bottle of cranberry juice, one bottle of apple juice or cider, 1 litre of ginger ale, and 1 litre of Appleton Estate Rum.

Chill the ingredients prior to serving, then add all ingredients to a punch bowl and stir. Garnish with dry ice for extra drama, and add optional garnishes like candy eyeballs, or gummy worms when you serve.

TOP TIP! If you want to be extra creepy, freeze water in surgical gloves and add the hand-shaped ice cubes to your bloody-hued punch. It looks super scary…

17. Pumpkin Martini

Two Pumpkin Martinis for Halloween

Our Pumpkin Martini is filled with pumpkin spice and all things nice, and it’s up there with the best holiday martinis to enjoy this season! With an indulgent combination of vanilla vodka, Irish cream, pumpkin purée, and spice, this might just become your favourite dessert cocktail this season. All the comfort in one sip!

18. Blood and Sand

Front view of Blood and Sand Cocktails

Dating back to the 1930s, this scotch-based cocktail definitely deserves a comeback. The Blood and Sand cocktail is a delightfully sweet and refreshing whisky drink with hints of spice that’s said to turn even whisky haters into fans. The orange juice tames the whisky into a smooth drinking cocktail, making for a stylish holiday-themed aperitif.

19. Pumpkin Old Fashioned

A Pumpkin Old Fashioned in a rocks glass on a wooden table with whole pumpkins in the background

This slow sipper is extra cozy, with a strong bourbon backbone and hints of vanilla and spice. Add 60 ml of Wild Turkey Bourbon, 1 teaspoon pumpkin puree, 0.5 tablespoon maple syrup, 0.25 teaspoon pumpkin spice, 0.25 teaspoon vanilla, and a dash of bitters to a cocktail shaker. Add a handful of ice and shake until cold. Strain into an ice-filled lowball glass and serve.

20. Corpse Reviver

Two Corpse Revival cocktails on a dark granite surface against a dark backdrop

The Corpse Reviver is a daring drink that’s just as unique as its moniker. Add 30ml Bulldog Gin, 30ml lemon juice, 30ml Grand Marnier, 30ml Cinzano Vermouth Bianco, and half a teaspoon of absinthe to a cocktail shaker. Fill it with ice and shake it until cold. Strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.

21. Death in the Afternoon

A Death in the Afternoon cocktail on a green velvet tablecloth surrounded by dying roses and a skull ornament

Writer Ernest Hemingway invented the Death in the Afternoon cocktail, which obviously has the perfect name for a drink served at a daytime Halloween party (or murder mystery shindig…). It’s a potent pairing of absinthe and Champagne. Simply pour 45 ml of absinthe into a coupe glass and slowly top it off with 140 ml of chilled Champagne. Done and dusted!

22. S’mores Martini

Two S'mores Martinis for Halloween

This fun and festive S’mores Martini is made with velvety chocolate liqueur, smooth and creamy marshmallow-infused vodka, and a generous splash of Wild Turkey Bourbon for an extra kick. The addition of heavy cream adds a luxurious texture that complements the richness of the chocolate and bourbon.

23. Zombie

Two Zombie cocktails with lime wheel garnish

The Zombie cocktail features an alluring blend of fruity and tropical flavours that packs a powerful punch. With its potent combination of rum, citrus juices, grenadine, and a hint of spice, this delicious cocktail is the perfect choice for anyone wanting to add a bit of excitement to their party cocktail repertoire.

24. Kimchi Bloody Mary

Kimchi Bloody Mary with bacon, pickle and celery garnish

We’ll admit that the Kimchi Bloody Mary is an acquired taste suited to those who enjoy fermented drinks. But, with that being said, it is also savoury, slightly sweet, and packed with spicy, zingy flavours. In short, it’s a singular drink that is bound to put you in celebratory mode in no time!

25. Mulled Wine

Mugs of Mulled Wine

Arguably one of the best cold-weather cocktails of all time, the Warm Mulled Wine cocktail layers warming spices with fragrant red wine and Bisquit & Dubouché VSOP Cognac. We love adding star anise, clove, cinnamon, and pink peppercorn, but you can adjust the spices to suit your own taste. A spoonful of maple syrup or honey adds a beautiful sweet touch that pulls the flavour profile together in the most delicious way.

26. Dark ‘n Stormy

Dark ‘n Stormy Cocktail

The Dark ‘n Stormy cocktail recipe has been around for more than a century, but still hits all the right flavour notes today. Super simple to pour yet gorgeously zesty and refreshing to the core, it’s a great rum-based drink that can be adapted to just about any occasion.

27. Espresso Martini

Two Halloween-themed Espresso Martinis

Coffee lovers will adore the rich, creamy flavours of the Espresso Martini recipe. A smooth bittersweet cocktail, it brings together fresh espresso and coffee liqueur with a rewarding foam layer on top. Perfect for when you need perking up, it makes for a great after-dinner cocktail at a Halloween party.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

In short, a lot of them. Some of our favorite choices are Apple Martinis, Bloody Marys, and a Vampire’s Kiss. Take a look at all of our vodka cocktails for more inspiration.

If gin is more your flavor, go for a Black Cat Martini, Bloody Good Gin Fizz, or some Brain Freeze. As always, we have a whole lot of gin cocktails, so check them out.

Stay in the mix

Sign up to our drinkspiration newsletter.