Halloween Cocktail Menu

[dropcap2]C[/dropcap2]oming up with a cocktail menu for All Hallow’s Eve is a devilish task. Finding beverages that do not mimic blood, guts, or unnatural ghoulish greens proved difficult. Most Halloween cocktails fall on a scale between saccharine and gimmicky, putting me dangerously close to my personal hell which is laced with candy corn and a chaser of Skittles-flavored vodka. So, if you come trick or treating around my door, I will be sure to provide you with a few suitable adult beverages that celebrate the season but don’t seem like they were made for kids.

If you want something easy to make that fits the festive bill, pick up the new Owl’s Brew. I was recently invited to their West Coast launch party to taste this new tea based mixer. Owl’s Brew is made with all natural ingredients and makes easy delicious drinks. I love The Classic, with its blend of English Breakfast tea, lemon and lime juice, sweetened with agave. Equally delicious is the Pink & Black, which is a base of Darjeeling tea and flavored with all natural ingredients like hibiscus, lemon peel, strawberry and agave. Most of their recipes call for one part booze to two parts mixer. You can even make non-alcoholic spritzers using sparkling water, which we have been making around the Move office, since Autumn has a little one on the way.
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Haunted Forest

This cocktail is a spiked Arnold Palmer or a tea twist on a classic Tom Collins. I used 3 oz of  The Classic Owls Brew with 1.5 oz Beefeater Gin. You’ll want a gin that will hold up to the strong tea flavor, so look for a London dry gin. I am a loose leaf tea junkie, so adding tea to cocktails is a no-brainer. (Especially if you’ve been attacked by a zombie.)

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Apple Brandy Cocktail

Now this cocktail is Fall in a glass. Honestly Yum posted this recipe and the pictures are mouth-watering. This one takes a wee bit more work but will ultimately be worth it in the same way that homemade apple pie always tastes better than the store-bought kind.  The oven-baked apple chips lend beautiful texture and crunch, and the complexity of the DIY cordial will make you think that you have Grandma’s apple pie in a glass.

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La Llorona (The Weeping Woman)

I have always found the story of La Llorona, or the Weeping Woman, to be one of the more terrifying ghost stories. Perhaps because it is the stuff of children’s nightmares, since mothers used this story to scare their kids straight. If you’re not familiar with the story, Muy Bueno Cookbook tells their own version on the blog where you can find the recipe for this Pisco-based cocktail alongside the twisted tale. I love the use of dry ice to add an element of mystery and intrigue. Just be sure that it is all gone before you sip your cocktail, or you might end up with a nasty ice burn.
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Are you making any fun drinks for Halloween? Let us know in the comments below!

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