The Spectacularly Spooky Cocktail Recipes for Halloween
Spooky season started at precisely 12:01 am on October 1, which means it’s time to fully immerse yourself in the witchiest time of year. Pumpkins, caramel apples and a whole lot of candy are crucial, and don’t forget to whip up a fittingly festive cocktail to really embrace that Halloween spirit.
Whether you’re hosting an eerie October 31 soirée, want to get into the trick-or-treat mood with a few pals or just feel like sipping on a devilishly delightful boozy beverage at home, a grown-up ghoulish Halloween drink is the perfect way to complete your spooky spread.
There are elaborate smoking beverages and drinks with intricate designs, but you don’t have to be an expert mixologist to whip up a quality Halloween concoction—anything can be a Witches Brew at a good Halloween party. You can go all-in on the campy atmosphere with a bright orange, pumpkin-oriented cocktail, or opt for a more subtly spooky aperitif. For those that want to put in minimal effort and avoid any complex drink recipes, just pour your go-to classic cocktail (or mocktail) into an appropriately frightening glass, perhaps in the shape of a ghost or skull, though you could go back to fall basics with a pumpkin-shaped vessel.
Below, see the scary and sweet Halloween cocktail recipes for the ultimate grown-up trick-or-treat.
The Spooky Cocktails to Jazz Up Your Halloween Bash
- Spiked Pumpkin Spiced Latte
- Bloody Negroni
- Eye of the Spider
- Pumpkin Pie Espresso Martini
- The Sexton Blood Moon
- Tanteo Morgue-rita
- Nocturnal Nightcap
- El Diablo
- Witching Hour
- Pumpkin Pie Punch
- Don Muerte
- Poison Apple Daiquiri
- Pumpkin Patch Batch Cocktail
- Blood Moon Negroni
- Bloody Maria
- Blood Moon
- Jack-O’-Lantern Hot Toddy
- Blood and Sand
- Devil’s Margarita
- Witches Brew
- Pumpkin Spice Carajillo
- Watermelon Jack-O-Lantern
Spiked Pumpkin Spiced Latte
Ingredients:
2 oz Casa Del Sol Reposado or Blanco
1 oz premium espresso
.75 oz pumpkin spice syrup
.5 oz coconut milk or oat milk
Cinnamon, for garnish
Directions:
Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice; shake well for 10 seconds. Strain into a martini or coupe glass. Garnish a sprinkle of grated cinnamon or cinnamon stick.
Bloody Negroni
Ingredients:
1 oz Martini & Rossi Riserva Speciale Rubino
1 oz Martini & Rossi Riserva Speciale Bitter
1 oz Bombay Sapphire gin
Orange peel, for garnish
Directions:
Add all ingredients together; pour into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with orange peel.
Eye of the Spider
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Cutwater Spirits vodka
1 oz Nola coffee liqueur
.5 oz creme de cacao
Whipped topping (4 oz whipped cream, 1 oz cinnamon syrup)
Directions:
Combine ingredients in a cocktail stirring glass. Add ice and stir until ice begins to melt and cocktail is diluted. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Add heavy cream and cinnamon syrup to cocktail shaker. Shake (without ice) until cream turns light and airy. Float whipped cream on top of cocktail. Optional: garnish with a hand-drawn spider web and sugar eyeball for a spooky Halloween cocktail.
Pumpkin Pie Espresso Martini
Ingredients:
1.5 oz 818 Tequila Reposado
1.25 oz espresso
.75 oz coffee liqueur (such as Mr. Black)
.5 oz pumpkin butternut spice simple syrup
Fresh grated nutmeg and a dollop of whipped cream, for garnish
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with lots of ice; shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is cold. Strain and serve into a chilled martini glass; garnish with grated nutmeg and whipped cream.
The Sexton Blood Moon
Ingredients:
1.5 oz The Sexton Whiskey
1 oz fresh beet juice
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
2 dashes orange bitters
Blood orange peel, for garnish
Directions:
Add ingredients to a cocktail shake with ice; stir vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass; garnish with blood orange peel.
Tanteo Morgue-rita
Ingredients:
2 oz Tanteo Jalapeño Tequila
3/4 oz agave nectar
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 tbsp activated charcoal powder
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a shaker. Shake well; pour into a salt-rimmed, ice-filled coupe glass.
Nocturnal Nightcap
- Courtesy Javelle Taft
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Ketel One Vodka
.5 oz Crown Royal Blackberry
.5 oz Mr. Black
.5 oz cold brew concentrate
.5 oz vanilla syrup
Guinness
Blackberries, for garnish
Directions:
Combine all ingredients, except for the Guinness, into a shake filled with ice; shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain into a highball glass with fresh ice. Top with Guinness and garnish with blackberries.
El Diablo
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Tequila Partida Reposado
.5 oz crème de cassis
.5 oz fresh lime juice
4 oz ginger geer
Lime wedge, for garnish
Directions:
Add tequila and lime juice into a cocktail shaker with ice; shake and strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Pour the ginger beer to drink and top with crème de cassis. Garnish with lime wedge.
Witching Hour
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Cutwater Barrel Rested Gin
.5 oz Amaro Nonino
1 oz valerian root tea
.75 oz falernum
.75 oz lemon
1 dash absinthe
Directions:
Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice; shake. Pour over a glitter ice sphere in a rocks glass; garnish with flamed rosemary and cinnamon wrapped in twine.
Pumpkin Pie Punch
- Makes six servings
Ingredients:
8 oz 21Seeds Valencia Orange Infused Tequila
64 oz apple cider
16 oz ginger ale
1 can pumpkin pie mix
4 dashes pumpkin pie spice
Orange slices (dried or fresh) and ghost marshmallows, for garnish
Directions:
Add all ingredients into a large bowl or pitcher filled with ice; mix. Pour into glasses and garnish with orange slices and marshmallows.
Don Muerte
Ingredients
1.5 oz Tequila Don Julio Blanco
.75 oz fresh pineapple juice
.75 oz fresh lime juice
.25 oz agave nectar
5 tsp activated charcoal powder
Lime wheel and edible marigold flower, flor garnish
Directions:
Combine tequila, pineapple juice, lime juice, agave nectar and activated charcoal into a cocktail shaker with ice; shake vigorously. Strain into a double rocks glass filled with fresh ice and garnish with lime wheel and edible flower.
Poison Apple Daiquiri
Ingredients:
1.5 oz SelvaRey White Rum
1 oz apple cider
.75 honey syrup (to make, use 3:1 water to honey ratio)
.5 oz fresh lime juice
Apple slice, for garnish
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled; strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with apple slice.
Pumpkin Patch Batch Cocktail
Ingredients:
2 parts Reyka Vodka
2 parts Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
28 ounces pumpkin puree
3 1/2 cups apple cider
1 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups seltzer water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup orange juice
Lemon slice and cinnamon sticks, for garnish
Directions:
Add water, sugar and ground cinnamon into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and stir to combine. Cook until sugar is dissolved, then remove from heat and set aside. Next, in a hollowed out pumpkin (or chosen punch bowl or vessel), add pumpkin, apple cider, orange juice, seltzer, lemon juice, vodka and rum. Whisk to combine. Pour in cooled cinnamon mixture and stir again. Garnish with lemon slice and cinnamon sticks.
Blood Moon Negroni
Ingredients:
1 part Diplomatico Mantuano
1 part sweet vermouth
1 part bitter Italian aperitif
Grapefruit peel, for garnish
Directions:
Add all ingredients into a mixing glass filled with ice; stir to combine and chill. Strain into a double old fashioned rocks glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with expressed grapefruit peel.
Bloody Maria
Ingredients:
2 oz Dulce Vida Lime Tequila
1/2 oz olive juice
Spicy Bloody Mary mix
Pickle, for garnish
Directions:
Add tequila and Bloody Mary mix into a cocktail shaker. Stir, then add olive juice. Mix well. Pour into a fresh glass over ice and garnish with a pickle.
Blood Moon
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Bacardi Superior
.5 oz Monin Blood Orange Syrup
.5 oz lime juice
2 oz ginger beer
Blood orange slice
Amarena cherry
Directions:
Combine rum, blood orange syrup and lime juice in a shaker with ice; shake vigorously. Strain into a highball glass and top with ginger beer. Garnish with a blood orange slice and cherry.
Jack-O’-Lantern Hot Toddy
Ingredients:
1.5 oz The Botanist
.25-.5 oz honey (if you prefer sweeter, add more)
.25 oz lemon
3 oz Earl Grey tea
Lemon wheel, for garnish
Directions:
Combine all ingredients into a heat-safe glass; mix until combined. Garnish with lemon wheel.
Blood and Sand
Ingredients:
1 oz Old Parr Aged 12 Years
.75 oz fresh blood orange juice
.75 oz Cherry Heering (or premium cherry liqueur)
.75 oz sweet vermouth
Cherry, for garnish
Directions:
Combine scotch, blood orange juice, cherry liqueur and sweet vermouth. Shake with ice; strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a brandied cherry.
Devil’s Margarita
Ingredients:
1.5 ounces Volcán Tequila Blanco
1 oz fresh lime juice
2/3 oz simple syrup
2/3 oz fruity red wine
Directions:
Pour tequila, lime juice and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker filled with ice; shake vigorously. Strain into a glass.
Witches Brew
- Makes eight servings
Ingredients:
8 oz St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
8 oz Grey Goose La Poire
6 oz cucumber-mint juice
2 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz absinthe
16 oz Prosecco or other sparkling wine
Dehydrated pear, mint crown, borage and grated nutmeg, for garnish.
Directions:
Add all ingredients into a large mixing vessel or Halloween punch bowl and stir. Add ice cubes and garnish.
Pumpkin Spice Carajillo
Ingredients:
1 oz Lalo Tequila
1 oz espresso
.1 oz Licor 43
1 tbs pumpkin puree
2 dashes mole bitters
Directions:
Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker; shake vigorously. Strain into a fresh glass.
Watermelon Jack-O-Lantern
Ingredients:
2 parts Kraken Gold Spiced Rum
6 parts fresh watermelon juice
1 part lime juice
1 part orange liqueur
Lime, for garnish
Directions:
Combine all ingredients inside a scooped-out watermelon. Add ice, stir and then pour into glass.