Halloween co*cktail recipes: from classy hot toddies to fake eyes (2024)

At London wine venue Vinopolis, bartender Mark Greenwoo - who runs special Halloween masterclasses - suggests creating a subtly creepy layered drink by pouring a layer of blood-like red cherry syrup on top of an orange and vodka base, which slowly drips down. “You just need to make sure you have a heavy substance for the layer you want to sink to the bottom,” explains bartender Mark Greenwood. “We use Monin syrups, which you can buy easily because they're also used in coffee. It would look really impressive if you had a blue drink, using blue Curacao, and then created a really dark layer at the bottom.”

When it comes to Halloween flavours, apples, cinnamon and, of course, pumpkin, are all ideal. They pair particularly well with whisky and rum. At The Whip bar in Mayfair, the signature Halloween drink is a "Pumpkin Sour" – made by mixing a homemade pumpkin syrup with a marmalade vodka – while at Tredwells, the excellently-named "Squash Court" pairs butternut squash with spiced rum and a little maple syrup for sweetness.

If you do want to go all out with Halloween gore, there are plenty of tricks that bartenders keep up their sleeves for just such an occasion. Peeled lychees and grapes, floated at the bottom of martini glasses, can look disconcertingly like eyes. Corn syrup mixed with red food colouring can create convincing fake blood to smear on the side of glasses or drop into drinks: at the Zetter Town House, mixologist Tony Conigliaro is going one step further with a blood solution that contains powdered iron tablets, for a drink that tastes as creepy as it looks. Passion fruit seeds, mixed with fruit juice, have a frog spawn-like effect, and of course, if you want dramatic swirls of smoke, you can do down the dry ice route (though bear in mind you have to follow strict safety instructions). Greenwood says a good trick is to freeze a red-coloured liqueur in ice cube trays, then pop one in a clear-coloured co*cktail: "As it melts, you’ll get streams of what looks like blood clouding the drink."

And don’t forget, if you can’t be bothered to get props in, there are many classic co*cktails that have suitably ghoulish names. Corpse Reviver #2 is an old favourite from Prohibition; there's the Bloody Mary, and, of course, The Zombie. Watch out though – that last one contains a lot of booze. If you're not careful, you won’t need a costume to be mistaken for the undead.

METHOD

To make the syrup, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for approx. 15 mins. Cover the saucepan and leave to cool.

To make the co*cktail, shake all ingredients hard with ice and strain into a flute

METHOD

To make the blood solution, powder the iron tablet. Weigh out all ingredients and stir together to combine.

Add the gin and vermouth to a co*cktail tin filled with ice and stir to dilute. Double strain into a chilled small coupette glass and garnish with 2 drops of blood.

To make the puree ,slowly bake 1/4 of a butternut squash then purée.

To make the co*cktail, rub half a rim of a rocks glass with lime juice then roll in the Maldon salt. Shake all ingredients together over ice then double strain into a rocks glass with cubed ice. Garnish with a slice of chargrilled squash.

METHOD

Place all ingredients into a chilled shaker and shake.

Fine strain into a coupette and garnish with another sprig of dill pegged to the glass

METHOD

To make the gingerbread syrup, combine the ingredients in a saucepan and boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for approx. 15 mins. Cover the saucepan and leave to cool.

To make the co*cktail, mix all the ingredients in a glass, then top up with boiling water and stir. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and clove-studded lemon wheel.

METHOD
Add the vodka and orange juice into a co*cktail shaker full of ice, squeezing the wedge of lemon and dropping it inside.

Shake well.

Strain into a highball glass full of ice.

Combine the Fraise du Bois and the Blood Orange syrup together in a shot glass.

Pour this into the highball in the gaps between ice cubes.

The mixture should slowly sink to the bottom creating a sunrise effect.

Once you’re finished admiring the effect, stir and enjoy.

Pour all ingredients into a Boston tin, dry shake to emulsify the egg whites. Add cubed ice and shake vigorously.

Double strain into a chilled glass.