Creepy Cocktails

We haven't finalized which recipe we'll be using this year, but here are the three creepy cocktail front runners that I'd highly recommend for your own Halloween festivities.

A variation of a flavored martini, this drink has strong herbal notes and a slight bite, which fits perfectly with its name. I used bourbon instead of the traditional Calvados, but you could also swap in Applejack as the main liqueur. 

Recipe

1 oz bourbon {or apple brandy}

3/4 oz yellow Chartreuse

3/4 oz Benedictine

2 dash Angostura bitters

Place all ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice and stir until cold. Strain into a martini glass/coupe.

The Last Word is my friends favorite cocktail, so it was only appropriate that I tried to incorporate it into this round up. I changed up the recipe slightly, by adding a touch of Absinthe and garnished it with a Luxardo cherry. This is a strong drink, so proceed with caution.

Recipe

1 oz gin {I prefer Plymouth}

1 oz Luxardo liqueur

3/4 oz Green Chartreuse

1/4 oz Absinthe

1 oz fresh lime juice

Luxardo cherry (optional garnish)

Place all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a tumbler or cocktail glass.

This is a variation on a classic Sidecar, but I wanted a slightly sweeter drink, so I swapped the lemon juice for orange juice and used a colored sugar for the rim.

Recipe

1 1/2 oz bourbon 

1 oz Cointreau {or your preferred orange liqueur}

1/2 oz orange juice

Moisten the rim of a cocktail glass with an orange {or lemon} slice, pour sugar onto a plate and dip the glass into the sugar to line the rim. Place glass into freezer. Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into cocktail glass.