Halloween Cocktail Recipes

Adults can enjoy the thrill and fantasy of Halloween-themed events as much as children. Add some spooky fun to your grown-up Halloween get-together with chilling and delicious Halloween cocktails.

Black Midnight Drinks

Midnight is a popular Halloween theme. Drink in the blackness of a moonless night with these two dark and mysterious drinks:

• Lonely Midnight Lagoon: Combine two ounces of black vodka, an ounce of orange syrup and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Garnish with a black licorice stick.
• Shy Ghost: Combine two ounces of black vodka and two ounces of chocolate liqueur. In a separate serving glass, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and then pour the alcohol mixture over the ice cream. Top with whipped cream.

To blacken your other favorite drinks, try adding black ice cubes. Black ice cubes have a subtle licorice flavor and will gradually turn your drinks black as they melt. Here is how you make them:

1. Bring two tablespoons of fennel or anise seeds to a boil in about four cups of water.
2. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool for about a half hour.
3. Strain off the seeds.
4. Add four drops of black food coloring.
5. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze.

Leftover Human Remains

Death gets more than a respite from being a taboo subject on Halloween; on this holiday the macabre is openly celebrated in a spirit of scary fun. Bring some dismembered "body parts" to your party by serving these spooky cocktails:

Aztec Temple Sacrifice: This drink seems like a standard martini until you notice the tiny, bleeding heart in your glass.

1. Chill four martini glasses in your freezer until frosty and remove.
2. In a shaker filled with ice, add eight ounces of gin plus one ounce of dry vermouth and shake until chilled.
3. Pour into frosty glasses.
4. For the bleeding heart, add a small pickled beet on a drink skewer or miniature plastic sword to each glass.

Shrunken Head Brew: Imagine yourself on a remote island being served a drink by the locals. You dip your cup into the cauldron only to find it is filled with shrunken human heads. To create the effect you'll need:

• Eight large apples
• Two cups of fresh lemon juice
• Two tablespoons of coarse sea salt
• 32 cloves
• Two gallons of apple cider
• One quart of pear cider or other fruit juice
• Cinnamon to taste
• Two cups of rum (if desired).

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix two tablespoons of coarse sea salt with two cups of lemon juice in a bowl and set aside.
3. Peel eight large apples, cut each in half lengthwise, removing the seeds and core.
4. On the rounded side of each apple half, carve a face with a sharp knife.
5. Soak "heads" in the lemon/salt mixture for one minute.
6. Place "heads" on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 90 minutes, until the faces are brown around the edges.
7. Remove from oven and press a clove into each eye socket.
8. Combine juices in a cauldron or punch bowl and add rum if desired.
9. Float apple heads in the mixture and serve.

For the look of other body parts in your favorite drinks:

• Pomegranate seeds make great "bloody teeth."
• Lychee nuts stuffed with blueberries become lost eyeballs.

Mad Scientists and Swamp Monsters

Stir up a delicious drink that looks like dangerous swamp sludge with Swinging Swamp Juice. All you need to do is add a squeeze of lime and some tequila to a bottle of healthy green juice blend and serve over ice. For a Fizzy Frankenstein Formula, simply add some flavored club soda to this mixture and serve in glass beakers.

Vampires

What Halloween would be complete without vampires and witches? Invite these creatures of the night to your party with these dangerous looking drinks:

• Vampire's Kiss: First prepare the bloody stemmed glasses by gently mixing three tablespoons of corn syrup with a quarter teaspoon of red food coloring. Dip each glass into the "blood" mixture to coat the rim. Then, combine two cups of pineapple juice, one cup of orange juice, a half-cup of mango juice, a can of cream of coconut and eight ounces of rum in a blender with two and a half cups of ice. You may have to add the juice mixture in stages until the ice is crushed down. Pour into "bloody" stemware and serve.
• Steamy Witches Brew: Get a large metal cauldron and add some dry ice. (Remember never to touch dry ice with your bare hands!) Fit a metal bowl inside the cauldron and fill with cream soda. Serve in mugs with pumpkin or vanilla ice cream.

Dressing Your Favorite Drinks for Halloween

Turn any drink into a Halloween-themed beverage by costuming it. You may want to try:

• Skeleton, vampire or monster stirrers
• Stirrers that look like knives or stakes
• Drinks served in test tubes or beakers
• Halloween themed punch bowls and glasses
• Red, orange or black food coloring for drinks or ice cubes.

Halloween cocktails add spooky fun and atmosphere to any party. With a little imagination and some delicious Halloween drinks, you'll create an event your friends will be talking about years.