Four Frightfully Fabulous Halloween Cocktails

Shake up your Halloween gathering with cocktails as eerie as they are delicious. These four recipes are designed to match their frightful looks perfectly, with easy-to-source ingredients and instructions in British measurements. Here’s how to add theatre and ghoulish glamour to your night.

1. The ‘Eyeball Martini’

This chilling cocktail delivers a burst of berry with a gruesome garnish. Lychees, stuffed with blueberries and a dab of red jam, create the unmistakable “eyeball” effect.

Ingredients:

• 50ml gin
• 25ml crème de cassis (or blackcurrant liqueur)
• 15ml fresh lemon juice
• 10ml sugar syrup (1:1 sugar and water)
• 1 lychee (tinned), 1 blueberry, ½ tsp seedless raspberry jam (for garnish)
• Ice

Method:

1. Pierce the lychee with a blueberry, dot the “eye” with raspberry jam. Set aside.
2. Add gin, crème de cassis, lemon juice, and sugar syrup to a shaker with ice.
3. Shake and strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass.
4. Skewer the lychee eye on a cocktail stick to garnish for gruesome effect.​

2. Smouldering Pumpkin Punch

This bright, smoky orange cocktail is the showstopper for your Halloween party—complete with fog if you want to add a little dry ice (handled with care).

Ingredients:

• 40ml vodka
• 30ml orange liqueur (such as Cointreau)
• 50ml fresh orange juice
• 25ml pumpkin purée (tinned or homemade)
• 10ml fresh lemon juice
• Orange sugar for the rim, and mini pumpkin for garnish (optional)
• Ice

Method:

1. Rub lemon around the rim of a martini glass and dip into orange sugar.
2. Shake vodka, orange liqueur, orange juice, pumpkin purée, and lemon juice with ice.
3. Double strain into the prepared glass.
4. Garnish with a cocktail pumpkin or pumpkin sweet for a Halloween finish.
5. Optional: Add a small piece of dry ice just before serving for dramatic smoke (never consume dry ice directly).​

3. Witch’s Elixir

Its vivid green colour is as menacing as it is inviting—making this cocktail a guaranteed conversation starter.

Ingredients:

• 35ml gin
• 25ml green crème de menthe
• 15ml fresh lime juice
• Tonic water, to top
• Mint and lime slice, for garnish
• Ice

Method:

1. Shake the gin, crème de menthe, and lime juice with ice.
2. Strain into a martini glass, top with tonic for a shimmering effect.
3. Garnish with mint and a lime wedge for full “witch’s potion” drama.​

4. Vampire’s Kiss

A dramatic blackcurrant float sets this blood-chilling drink apart, with citrus and autumn fruit notes.

Ingredients:

• 35ml spiced rum
• 25ml blood orange juice
• 15ml fresh lemon juice
• 10ml sugar syrup
• 15ml crème de cassis (float)
• Orange peel twist, for garnish
• Ice

Method:

You Might Also Like:

Food expert reveals four recipes to embrace the early autumn Gnaw launches four-flavour impulse chocolate bar range Four must-try spots for al fresco dining in Scotland  The original Elephant House Café set to reopen four years after devastating fire

1. Shake rum, blood orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar syrup with plenty of ice.
2. Strain into a coupe glass.
3. Carefully pour crème de cassis over the back of a spoon so it floats atop the drink in a gory layer.
4. Garnish with an orange twist, cut into a bat shape if you fancy, for full nocturnal effect.​

From ghoulish eyeballs to bubbling cauldrons and bright, witchy concoctions, these recipes will bring plenty of shock and awe to your Halloween spread while keeping the servings clear, precise, and packed with flavour.

Happy Halloween!