Halloween is one of those rare nights when grown-ups get to play too. Whether you are hosting a full costume party or gathering a few good friends for a spooky movie night, the right drink sets the whole mood. Here are four of our favorites, each one a little theatrical, a little playful, and easy to make your own.
Every recipe comes with a tip to take it up for the adults or keep it friendly for everyone at the table, plus a bonus trick for blood-dripped glasses to tie the whole spread together.
The Devil's Blood
Layered cranberry and black vodka with a red-sugar rim, this one looks as dramatic as it tastes. The dark cap floating over deep red makes it the showpiece of any Halloween spread.
2 oz black vodka (Blavod)
4 oz cranberry juice
Red colored sugar, for the rim
Maraschino cherries, for garnish
Rim your glass with red sugar and fill completely with ice. Pour in cranberry juice until the glass is about three-quarters full. Slowly add the black vodka over the back of a bar spoon so it settles on top instead of mixing, forming that eerie dark layer. Garnish with a cherry.
Tip: For a mocktail, skip the vodka and float a splash of dark grape or blackberry juice over the cranberry for the same shadowy layered look. For a bolder adult version, swap in a black-cherry vodka and let the flavor lean richer. No black vodka on hand? A few drops of food coloring turns ordinary vodka dark.
Poison Apple Cocktail
Tart, green, and just a little wicked, this sour apple sipper is Snow White's cautionary tale in a glass. Bright and refreshing, it is the crowd-pleaser of the bunch.
1 1/2 oz vodka
3/4 oz sour apple schnapps liqueur
3/4 oz sour apple mixer
Green apple slices, for garnish
Combine the vodka, liqueur, and mixer in a shaker filled with ice. Cover and shake for a good 30 seconds, then strain into your serving glass. Finish with a fan of thin green apple slices on the rim for a fresh, poison-orchard touch.
Tip: For a mocktail, use the sour apple mixer with a splash of sparkling cider in place of the vodka and schnapps. For a stronger adult version, add a half ounce of apple brandy for warmth and depth.
Bonus How-To: Blood Dripped Glasses
Not a drink, but the finishing touch that ties the whole table together. A simple honey-and-food-coloring trick turns any glass into something wonderfully gruesome.
1/4 cup honey or corn syrup
12 drops red food coloring
Mix the honey and food coloring together well. Dip the rims of your glasses into the mixture, then turn them upright and let stand so the color drips slowly down the sides like fresh blood.
Tip: Garnish with a piece of red fruit, even a single raspberry on the rim, to echo and emphasize the red blood dripping down the glass. Corn syrup gives you thicker, slower drips than honey if you want a more dramatic effect, and chilling the glasses first helps the blood set and hold its shape for photos and guests.
Rotten Pumpkin
Do not let the name fool you. Orange juice glows beneath a dark cap of black sambuca, giving you that eerie jack-o'-lantern look with a whisper of licorice.
4 oz orange juice
1 1/2 oz black sambuca (Romana)
Orange wedge, for garnish
Pour the orange juice into a cocktail glass filled with ice. Slowly top with the black sambuca so it settles into a dark layer over the glowing orange. Garnish with an orange wedge.
Tip: For a mocktail, top the orange juice with a black licorice syrup instead of sambuca for the same shadowy effect. For an adult twist, add an ounce of spiced rum to the juice before topping for a cozy autumn note.
Gummy Worm Jello Shots
Playful, wiggly, and just the right amount of gross, these are the treat your guests will reach for first. Green or orange gelatin keeps them right on theme.
Green or orange gelatin
Trolli Sour Brite Mini Crawlers
Gummy worms
Six 5-ounce plastic shooter cups
Prepare the gelatin as directed on the box. Fill each shooter halfway and chill for 45 to 60 minutes, reserving the rest of the gelatin. Push three or four mini crawlers into the set gelatin, hang a gummy worm over each rim, then fill the cups the rest of the way, leaving about an inch at the top. Chill for another three to four hours until fully set.
Tip: For the adult version, replace part of the cold water in the gelatin with vodka for a boozy bite. For a family-friendly batch, keep it classic and let the worms do all the spooky work.