Twenty-Five Elegant Cocktails for a Stylish Halloween

It has been raining for the past few days, and it has really lifted my mood. I am not a dark or moody person, but a rainy day’s gloominess makes me feel good. It is the perfect time to stay in and create elegant cocktails for a stylish Halloween. We are in October, and it is a special month for me. The ninth is the day I moved to NYC, and the seventeen is the day my forever love was born—I am still in awe of him every day and can not believe he will be two in less than two weeks. I am excited to see his costume this year; he and his mom will be in matching costumes.

Disclaimer

This article is specifically for readers twenty-one years and older.

I am most of all enjoying the declining temperatures; this really is my season, and I love everything about it. So, before I forget Happy before Halloween, while I will not be in NYC this year to celebrate, I have started my celebration by creating tasty cocktails, and I am reading a scary book [well, my kinda scary]. And although I rarely watch television, I have three solo date nights planned with a few feel-good Halloween classics and a bottle of wine [on each night of course]. In case you are wondering, I am reading Alice Hoffman’s “The Book of Magic,” and I am enjoying it. It is the fourth book in The Practical Magic series.

Halloween is entirely nonreligious for me. I love getting dressed up—the allure of becoming anyone you want to be is quite exciting. It is also an excellent time to entertain small groups of friends with a few elegant cocktails and eat as much candy corn as I would like.

Here is our list of twenty-five Elegant Cocktails for a Stylish Halloween

Nightmare on Bourbon Street

Ingredients

Cinnamon sugar for rim (optional)
1 1/2 ounces bourbon
One ounce of fresh lemon juice
Quarter cup apple cider
One to two teaspoons of real maple syrup more or less, to taste
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger (or a quarter teaspoon ground ginger)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5-ounces sparkling hard Honeycrisp apple cider
Cinnamon sticks, rosemary, and apple slices, for serving

Instructions

1. Rim a cocktail glass with cinnamon sugar.
2. Fill with ice.
3. In a cocktail shaker, combine the bourbon, cider, lemon juice, maple syrup, ginger, and cinnamon, and shake to combine.
4. Strain into the prepared glass.
5. Top with hard cider.
6. Serve with cinnamon sticks, rosemary, and apple slices, if desired. And enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of Half-Baked Harvest

Apple Cider Mimosas

Ingredients

Two tablespoons of granulated sugar
One tablespoon of ground cinnamon
One cup of apple cider
A [750-ml.] bottle of prosecco or Champagne

Instructions

1. On a small plate, combine sugar and cinnamon.
2. Dip champagne flutes in water to wet the rims, then dip in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
3. Fill champagne flutes a quarter full with apple cider,
4. And then top off with Champagne or prosecco and enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of Delish

Grilled Orange Old-Fashioned

Ingredients

Navel orange
Four dashes of Angostura bitters
Five maraschino cherries
8-ounces bourbon or rye
Large marshmallows

Instructions

1. Heat a grill or griddle pan to medium-high.
2. Grill one sliced navel orange occasionally turning, just until charred, for two to four minutes.
3. In a pitcher, muddle oranges, four dashes of Angostura bitters, and four maraschino cherries until the fruit is slightly mashed.
4. Stir in eight-ounces of bourbon or rye. Thread four large marshmallows on skewers and grill, turning, until charred, about one minute.
5. Serve drink over ice garnished with the roasted marshmallows and enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of Country Living

THE FRANKEN PUNCH

Ingredients

Two liters of ginger ale
46-ounces pineapple juice
Two cups tequila
One quarter lime sorbet
Lemon and lime slices

Instructions

1. Combine the ginger ale, pineapple juice, and tequila in a punch bowl.
2. Top with scoops of lime sorbet and slices of lemon and lime.
3. Serve in glasses filled with ice.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of Delish

Walker Blood Sangria

Ingredients

A [750 ml.] red wine Merlot
Two cups of pomegranate juice
¼ cup Cointreau or any orange liqueur
Two cups of sparkling water
Two cups of ice if desired
One cup of pomegranate arils
Two oranges sliced

Instructions

1. Pour the Merlot into a pitcher, add the pomegranate juice and the Cointreau, and stir well.
2. Put the mixture in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
3. Remove the mixture from the fridge and add the sparkling water. Stir well. Add ice if desired.
4. Add some pomegranate arils and sliced oranges for garnish.
5. Serve and enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of Cravings of a Lunatic

Witches’ Brew Lemonade

Ingredients

Ice
2-ounces Empress 1908 Gin
Two ounces of sparkling lemonade
2-ounces Blue Curacao
One rosemary sprig

Instructions

1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Pour the Empress 1908 Gin and top with sparkling lemonade.
3. Very carefully and slowly pour the curacao into the glass, letting it settle on the bottom.
4. Garnish with a rosemary sprig and enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of Delish

Creamsicle Punch

Ingredients

Two quarts of orange juice
2 cups of vodka
One liter of ginger ale
A [750 ml.] bottle of prosecco
One quart of vanilla ice cream
An orange, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Combine orange juice, vodka, ginger ale, and prosecco in a large bowl
2. Carefully add scoops of vanilla ice cream and orange sliceSpoonadle into glasses, serve and enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of Delish

Sleepy Hollow Cocktail

Ingredients

A quarter cup of honey
One sprig of fresh rosemary
Zest from of an orange
Cinnamon sugar to rim glass
Quarter cup pomegranate or cranberry juice
2-ounces tequila or Mezcal
Orange bitters a couple of dashes
One dash of ground cinnamon
Sparkling water, for topping

Instructions for the Honey Syrup

1. Combine in a small pot, bringing half a cup of water, honey, and rosemary to a boil over high heat.
2. Boil for two to three minutes, add the orange zest, then remove from the heat. Let cool. The syrup can be kept in a glass jar for up to two weeks.

Instructions for the cocktail

1. Rim glasses in cinnamon sugar, if desired.
2. Combine the pomegranate juice, tequila, a couple of dashes of bitters, a pinch of cinnamon, and one to two tablespoons of honey syrup in a cocktail shaker.
3. Add ice and shake to combine.
4. Strain into glass.
5. Top with sparkling water.
6. Garnish with rosemary. If desired light on fire for a smoky effect and enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of Half-Baked Harvest

Blood Orange Sangria

Ingredients

Six blood oranges
Two [750 ml.] bottles of pinot grigio
One cup of club soda
Half cup brandy
Twelve ounces of strawberries, sliced
One pint of raspberries
An apple, chopped
Half cup sugar, for glass rimming

Instructions

1. Zest one blood orange and combine it with the sugar in a small bowl.
2. Rub the sugar and zest together with your fingers until fragrant.
3. Juice four of the blood oranges, discarding any seeds or pith.
4. Chop the remaining blood oranges into pieces.
5. In a large pitcher, combine the wine, brandy, blood orange juice, club soda, apples, strawberries, raspberries, and blood oranges. Stir well to combine.
6. Place the orange sugar on a plate, then run a lemon, lime, or orange slice around the rim of each glass.
7. Dunk each glass in the sugar, coating well.
8. Fill each glass with a few ice cubes, then add some of the fruit from the sangria.
9. Pour the sangria into each glass, serve and enjoy.

Note

This definitely gets better as it sits, so you can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of How Sweet Eats

Black Widow Smash

Ingredients

Eight fresh blackberries, plus more for topping
One to two teaspoons of fresh rosemary, plus a sprig for serving
Juice from half of a lemon
One to two tablespoons of honey
1 1/2 to 2-ounces tequila or Mezcal
a couple of dashes of orange bitters
sparkling water, for topping

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker or glass jar, add blackberries, rosemary, lemon juice, and honey.
2. Muddle all of the ingredients together, squishing everything to release the juices.
3. Add the tequila and orange bitters.
4. Add ice to your glass and strain the drink over the ice.
5. Top the glass with a little more ice, pour the sparkling water over, and gently stir to combine.
6. Garnish with fresh rosemary and enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of Half-Baked Harvest

Hocus Pocus Punch

Ingredients

Six cups of apple cider
Two cups of cranberry juice
2 [12-ounces] cans of orange seltzer
Half cup maraschino cherry juice
Two oranges, sliced
2 apples, sliced
1/3 cup maraschino cherries
One cup of ginger ale or ginger beer

Instructions

1. Combine the apple cider, juice, orange seltzer, ginger ale, and maraschino cherry juice in a pitcher or large bowl.
2. Add the cherries, orange slices, and apple slices.
3. Stir, serve and enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of How Sweet Eats

Pumpkin Cider

Ingredients

Ice
Two parts New Amsterdam vodka
Half part lemon sours
A half-part real pumpkin syrup
Apple cider
Ginger beer
Blood orange
Apple slices

Instructions

1. In an ice-filled punch bowl, combine two parts New Amsterdam Vodka, half part lemon sours, and half part real pumpkin syrup,
2. then fill with equal parts apple cider and ginger beer to taste.
3. Garnish with blood orange and apple slices and enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of New Amsterdam

The Vampire’s Kiss Cocktail

Ingredients

Mumm Napa Cuveé
Half part hibiscus syrup
One part mezcal
Half part lemon juice
Candied hibiscus flower

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker, add half part hibiscus syrup, one part mezcal, half part lemon juice, and shake.
2. Place candied hibiscus flower into the bottom of a champagne flute [for a spooky effect]
3. top with Mumm Napa Cuveé and enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of Mumm Napa Cuveé

Pomegranate Cider Mimosas

Ingredients

Salted caramel sauce for the rim
A [750 ml.] bottle of chilled Champagne
1/3 cup pomegranate juice
1/3 cup apple cider

Instructions

1. Rim each champagne flute with a small teaspoon of salted caramel.
2. Add about an ounce or so of pomegranate juice to the bottom of a champagne flute.
3. Add another ounce of apple cider.
4. Fill it up with Champagne, serve and enjoy

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of How Sweet Eats

Spiked Jolly Rancher Punch

Ingredients

Three cups of pineapple juice
64-ounces cranberry juice
One bottle of Sparkling apple cider
One liter of ginger ale
24-ounces passion fruit or raspberry-infused Skyy vodka

Instructions

1. In a punch bowl, mix three cups of pineapple juice, a sixty-four-ounce bottle of cranberry juice, 1 bottle of sparkling apple cider, a one-liter bottle of ginger ale, and twenty-four ounces of raspberry or passionfruit vodka.
2. Serve with black licorice candy straws to make it even sweeter and enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of Sugar and Charm

Haunted Graveyard

Ingredients

½ cup bourbon
⅓ cup maple syrup
Four orange slices
Four to six splashes of bitters
One sprig rosemary
One cup ice
[To serve]
large ice cubes
Two sprigs rosemary

Instructions

1. Pour the bourbon and maple syrup into a cocktail shaker.
2. Add the ice, orange slices, bitters, and sprig of rosemary.
3. Shake well for at least thirty seconds.
4. Add the ice to a short whisky glass and strain over the prepared cocktail.
5. Garnish with a fresh stem of rosemary and use a kitchen blow torch or long match to set it on fire, then enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of Sprinkles and Sprouts

Pumpkin Spice White Russian

Ingredients

3-ounces two shot glasses of good quality vodka
3-ounces two shot glasses pumpkin spice creamer
1.5-ounces one shot glass Kahlua
Whipped Cream and pumpkin pie spice for garnish
One teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon sugar or sparkling sugar
Three tablespoons of crushed graham crackers

Instructions

1. Mix the ingredients for the rim together on a shallow plate.
2. Dip the edge of two glasses in water and then dip into the graham mixture.
3. Press to coat.
4. Set the two glasses aside.
5. Pour vodka, creamer, and Kahlua into a large cocktail shaker filled with ice.
6. Shake lightly until combined and cold.
7. Pour into glasses and top with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice.
8. Then enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of The Cookie Rookie

Spiced Orange Pumpkin Bowl

Ingredients

Medium-size pumpkin
Ice
Four to eight bottles of Crabbie’s Spiced Orange Alcoholic Ginger Beer
Oranges
Two tablespoons cinnamon
A quarter cup of sugar
One tablespoon allspice

Instructions

1. Hollow out a medium-size pumpkin and fill halfway with ice.
2. Depending on its size, pour in four to eight bottles of Crabbie’s Spiced Orange Alcoholic Ginger Beer.
3. Top with sliced oranges.
4. Serve with citrus ice cubes, which you can make by adding an orange zest curl and an orange quarter to each cube of your ice tray before you fill it with water and freeze.
5. You can also decorate your glasses by dampening the rims with an orange slice, then rolling in a mixture of two Tablespoons cinnamon, a quarter cup of sugar in the raw, and one Tablespoon allspice.
6. Then enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of CRABBY’S ALCOHOLIC GINGER BEER

Black Cauldron Cocktail

Ingredients

1½ parts Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila
¾ part fresh lemon juice
¼ part agave syrup
¼ part sage simple syrup
Two dashes of Angostura bitters
One capsule activated charcoal
Lemon slice

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine one and a half parts Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila, three-quarters part fresh lemon juice, a quarter part agave syrup, a quarter part sage simple syrup, two dashes Angostura bitters, and one capsule activated charcoal.
2. Shake vigorously.
3. Strain into a coupe or martini glass, garnish with a lemon slice, and enjoy.

Smoked Pumpkin Cocktail

Ingredients

1-ounce Ketel One Orange
A quarter ounce of lime juice
1-ounce Illegal Mezcal
Two bar spoons of pumpkin butter
Two dashes of orange bitters
Ice cubes
Orange twist
Flake smoked salt

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice,
2. add one ounce of Ketel One Orange, a quarter ounce of lime juice, one-ounce of Illegal Mezcal, two heaping bar spoons of pumpkin butter, and two dashes of orange bitters.
3. Shake and strain into a glass with ice cubes.
4. Garnish with an orange twist and a sprinkle of flake smoked salt and enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of The Rickey at Dream Midtown

Sangria

Ingredients

A [750 ml.] Barefoot Cellars Sweet Red Blend
One cup of orange liqueur
1 cup pomegranate juice
One cup of tart cherry juice
1 cup pitted dark cherries [frozen or fresh]
Half cup pomegranate seeds
Dry ice for serving [optional]

Instructions

1. Mix together pitted cherries, pomegranate seeds, and orange liqueur in a large mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
2. In a glass carafe or serving pitcher, stir together the wine, pomegranate juice, and tart cherry juice.
3. Add the fruit and liqueur mixture into the carafe and stir.
4. Place back into the refrigerator [covered] and let sit overnight.
5. Serve over ice individual glasses, in a large punch bowl, or with spooky dry ice, and enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of Grandbaby Cakes

Haunted Highball

Ingredients

1-ounce of vanilla vodka
One-ounce white chocolate liqueur
1-ounce white creme de cacao
An ounce of half-and-half
Splash of hazelnut liqueur
Black dry-erase marker for making the garnish

Instructions

1. Draw a ghost face on a highball glass with a dry-erase marker. Then, fill the glass with ice.
2. In a separate glass, combine vodka, chocolate liqueur, white creme de cacao, half-and-half, and hazelnut liqueur.
3. Stir to combine.
4. Pour over a prepared glass filled with ice and enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of Shari’s Berries

The White Pumpkin Cocktail

Ingredients

1½ ounces white rum
Three ounces of unsweetened vanilla/almond milk
One teaspoon honey syrup [two parts honey and one part water]
Pumpkin spice [a teeny, tiny dash]

Instructions

1. Pour one and a half ounces of white rum and three ounces of vanilla almond milk into a shaker with ice and add one teaspoon of honey syrup.
2. Shake vigorously and pour into a frosted coup glass.
3. Sprinkle with a teeny bit of pumpkin spice.
4. Garnish with a lovely, delicate, wispy flower sprig, and enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of She Keeps a Lovely Home

Rosemary Gin Gimlet

Ingredients

For the Rosemary simple syrup:
Half of a cup of sugar
A half cup of water
One sprig of fresh rosemary
For the cocktail:
2-ounces of gin
One ounce of fresh lime juice
Half of an ounce of Rosemary Simple Syrup
Smoldering rosemary, for serving

Instructions for Rosemary simple syrup

1. In a small saucepan, simmer sugar, water, and rosemary until the sugar has dissolved, about twelve minutes.
2. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
3. Strain.

Instructions for cocktail

1. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake gin, lime juice, and rosemary syrup.
2. Strain into a glass filled with ice and garnish with smoldering rosemary if desired and enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of Good Housekeeping

Sparkling Ginger Sangria

Ingredients

Three cups of red or black seedless grapes, divided
A quarter cup of brown sugar
Two tablespoons of grated fresh ginger plus one, three-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced
A [750-ml.] bottle of prosecco

Instructions

1. In a pitcher, muddle one cup of grapes with sugar and grated ginger.
2. Add the remaining two cups of grapes and top with prosecco.
3. Line sides of glasses with sliced ginger, fill with ice and top with sangria.
4. Enjoy.

Cocktail Recipe Courtesy of Good Housekeeping

A fabulous cocktail glasses and a tasty recipe are all that are needed to create perfect elegant cocktails for a Stylish Halloween. I love scouring cocktail bloggers’ websites for new and interesting cocktail recipes. I figure the wheel does not need to be reinvented, it is fun to recreate these recipes and add a personal touch if needed. Please enjoy these recipes responsibly.

Comment below and tell us about your favorite Halloween cocktail.

Nat C.

CREATOR + EIC OF BROOKLYN'S LIFESTYLE