Potions & Poisons

15 Spooky, Instagram-Worthy Halloween Cocktails To Get You In The Spirit

Boil, boil, very little toil or trouble required.

Hosting a Halloween party this year, or cozying up to watch a classic movie for date night? If you’re a fan of spirits (both the haunting and boozy varieties), then it’s only natural to hunt down the best Halloween cocktails to make this year. An eerie-looking adult beverage can make even the simplest movie night in feel so fun, or make your party guests feel extra special. And for most of these, you just need a few key ingredients and a good shaker.

The fun of Halloween cocktails is all in the presentation — while a purple, bright green, or black cocktail might turn you off any other time of year, they’re perfect in October. You can use cool pumpkin- or skull-shaped glassware to serve them, or focus on fun garnishes, like gummy fingers and eyeballs, plastic spiders, or holiday picks. And don’t forget the edible pearl dust and dry ice chips, both of which will make your drinks look more like magic potions.

So margarita lovers and martini fans, just know you can decorate your old standby with some cute garnishes and make it Halloween-y that way. Or, you can lean in to spooky season and make an easy Halloween cocktail that’s totally new to you. Whether you’re prepping to host a Halloween party or just searching for spooky cocktails to make for yourself, there’s definitely something on this list for everyone.

1

A Harry Potter-themed cocktail

Inviting all the witches and wizards over for a gathering? This goblet of fire cocktail from Half-Baked Harvest is a real showstopper. You’ll need fresh blackberries, gold rum or bourbon, and some 151 proof rum to light the whole thing on fire. (You can even sprinkle some cinnamon on top to create embers.)

2

A spicy Halloween cocktail

21SEEDS

If a Bloody Mary is one of your go-to drinks, just spice it up and add a cute garnish to make it Halloween-y. This recipe from the cocktail experts at 21SEEDS Tequila calls for:

  • 1.5 oz 21SEEDS Cucumber Jalapeño Infused Tequila
  • 1/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
  • 4 oz Tomato Juice
  • 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 dashes Tabasco sauce
  • 3 dashes black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp ground coriander

Just add all these ingredients into a cocktail shaker with a cup of ice. Shake for 30 seconds and strain into a tall glass over ice. For garnishes, rim your glass in lime juice and Tajin, and top with chili pepper devil horns and a spooky eyeball candy.

3

A “black widow” Halloween cocktail

DIY Candy’s black widow cocktail is such a pretty, upscale take on a spooky Halloween cocktail. Muddle six fresh blackberries in a shaker, then pour in 2 ounces of bourbon, an ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and half an ounce of simple syrup. Shake, shake, shake, then strain into a glass. Drop in a tiny piece of dry ice before serving to get that eerie mist on top. One note: let the ice dissolve completely before drinking, or remove it, so no one gets hurt.

4

An espresso-based Halloween cocktail

Arthur’s Catering in Orlando, Florida is behind this cute cocktail, which doesn’t require any special glassware or wild garnishes — just whatever Halloween picks you find at the store. Shake together 1.5 ounces gold rum, a half-ounce of Kahlua, one shot of espresso, and a half-ounce of chocolate syrup.

5

An easy Halloween punch recipe

21SEEDS

Want to make a big batch of punch for your party? This pumpkin pie punch from 21SEEDS will definitely be a crowdpleaser. You’ll need:

  • 8 oz. 21SEEDS Valencia orange-infused tequila
  • 64 oz. apple cider
  • 16 oz. ginger ale
  • 1 can pumpkin pie mix
  • A few dashes of pumpkin pie spice

Add all of the ingredients to a pitcher or punch bowl with ice and mix well, then serve. To garnish, use dried or fresh orange slices and ghost marshmallows.

6

A “blood and guts” Halloween cocktail

If you’re not put off by drinking something that actually does look kind of gory, then this drink is pretty awesome. Here’s what you’ll need to pull it off:

  • Raspberry Jell-O, prepared
  • Grape Jell-O, prepared
  • 2 oz. vodka
  • 12 oz. lemon lime soda
  • 1 tbsp grenadine

Add some prepared Jell-O to a collins glass. Don’t be afraid to mush it up a bit and make it imperfect — that gives the drink its, um, choppy appearance. Top that with vodka, soda, and ice, then gently stir. Pour in the grenadine over the back of a spoon so it clings to the Jell-O foam for the perfect, if R-rated, look.

7

A Halloween espresso martini

The Graveyard Shift cocktail by @garnish_girl is kind of like that dirt pudding dessert mixed with an espresso martini (so, you know, freakin’ delicious all the way around). You’ll need 1.5 ounces of Oreo-infused vodka, 3/4 ounces coffee liqueur, an ounce of espresso, and 1/4 ounce vanilla simple syrup. Then just shake it all together, strain, and top with whipped cream, crumbled Oreos, and a teeny tiny shovel.

8

An easy poison apple martini

A dangerous looking drink is so much fun to hand off to a guest at a party. For this Halloween cocktail from Half-Baked Harvest, you’ll need apple vodka, apple cider, pomegranate juice, and a bit of activated charcoal to get the color just right. Oh, and of course, a little bit of dry ice (remove or let dissolve completely before sipping). Read the full recipe on the blog.

9

A super cute ghost Halloween cocktail

This creamy vanilla cocktail recipe includes a little tutorial on making colorful sugar for the rim, in whatever hue you choose. Because of the ghostly color of this drink, and the adorable floating marshmallow eyes, black is an easy choice, but purple, green, or orange would be fun too.

10

A slightly unsettling Halloween cocktail

Mixologist and cocktail creator Marili Hellmund calls this drink The Watcher (for obvious reasons).

To a shaker, add 1 ounce gin or vodka, 1/4 ounce lemon juice, 3/4 ounce rambutan syrup, and ice. Shake and strain into a chilled glass, then top with sparkling nigori sake. Garnish with two watchful eyes, which you’ll have to make out of rambutans and blueberries, that honestly look like they could blink any second.

11

An easy Halloween cocktail recipe

A drink that’s easy, delicious, and easy to make spooky? Sign. Us. Up. The 21SEEDS green monster margarita does it all and would look so good served in little cauldron mugs or rimmed with purple salt.

  • 1.5 oz. 21SEEDS cucumber jalapeño-infused tequila
  • 4 oz. cucumber pureé
  • 0.5 oz simple syrup
  • 0.5 oz Lime Juice

Add all your ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake ‘em up for 30 seconds. Pour into a black salt-rimmed glass. Garnish with cucumber ribbons or whatever Halloween-y toppers you choose.

12

A Halloween mimosa recipe

Having a Halloween brunch or celebration of some sort? You need these bright orange cinnamon apple cider mimosas from DIY Candy. They take just a few minutes to throw together. Rim six champagne flutes with the sugar of your choice. Add 1/3 cup of apple cider to each, and then split the bottle of champagne between them. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top of each and you’re done.

13

A bloody blackberry bramble

Head over to Seasons & Serve for the full recipe for this delicious-looking, gin-based drink. It uses a quick homemade blackberry syrup that trickles oh-so-ominously into the rest of the beverage.

14

Spooky spiderweb martinis

This super creepy black martini from Emily Fabulous is topped with homemade meringue spiderwebs. Check out the full recipe on her blog. The drink itself only requires black vodka, raspberry liqueur, simple syrup, and fresh lime juice. The webs will take a little more time of course, but the impact is worth the effort.

15

A green margarita you can easily make spooky

Pop a creepy gummy worm garnish on this bad boy and you’ve got a poison potion, ready to serve. This recipe, from Food Heaven Made Easy, is perfect if you like an herbal cocktail. You’ll need:

  • 1/2 cup watercress
  • 1/2 medium cucumber, chopped
  • Juice of 2 small limes
  • 5 basil leaves
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 oz. white tequila

Add all of the ingredients (except the tequila) to a blender. Grab three glasses and fill with ice and one ounce tequila each, then strain the juice blend over top. Garnish, serve, and enjoy.

These Halloween cocktails are exactly the potion you need to celebrate spooky season. Now, enjoy! *Clink.*