Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. From spooky costumes to over-the-top décor, Halloween is all about creativity, and your cocktail lineup should be no exception.
I’ve picked three cocktails that are sure to steal the show at any Halloween party. They’re easy to make, budget-friendly, and don’t require a shelf full of fancy liqueurs you’ll never use again. They also have overlapping ingredients, so that you could make all three at the same event!
Even better, if you ditch the spooky ingredients, you can enjoy these drinks all year long. Each recipe also includes a mocktail version so that everyone can be a part of the fun.
I have also made all of these recipes myself, so I will be adapting traditional recipes based on what I have learned while making them.
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker: If you don’t have this, no need to buy it! You can follow this video on how to make a shaken cocktail without it; the shaker will just make the process easier! Unlike her video, though, for the first 2 recipes, you will need to strain the ice out.
- Strainer (if not attached to shaker)
- Cocktail Jigger: If you have a shot glass, you can use this, but be wary that standard shot glasses range from 1, 1.5, and 2 oz – so your recipe may be imperfect and could have more alcohol than you intended. Always drink responsibly.
Witch’s wake-up call
AKA: Pumpkin Spice Espresso Martini
The Witch’s Wake-Up Call is a classic espresso martini, made with pumpkin spice espresso (or cold brew), depending on what tools you have. This recipe is catered towards coffee-lovers, as drinking this is like drinking your morning coffee if it were chilled, sweeter, and had a bit of a burn. The pumpkin spice in this makes it the perfect treat for a cozy fall evening.
I made this recipe last fall for a few friends during our cozy movie night. The fresh-brewed pumpkin spice espresso smell filled the room, and it felt like instant autumn. One sip in, my friend declared the drink “dangerously good,” and I’ve been tasked with making them ever since.
Ingredients
- Ice
- Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate or Pumpkin Spice Espresso
- Vodka – I have linked to a cheap(ish) option, you may choose whatever vodka you like!
- Kahlua Coffee Liqueur – many stores sell shooters of this, so you can save money and not have excess ingredients.
- Optional: Pumpkin Spice cold foam topper
Prep time: less than 5 minutes
Instructions
- Add ice, 1.5 oz of vodka, .5 oz Kahlua, and 1 oz espresso OR cold brew coffee concentrate to the cocktail shaker (ensure coffee is cold before pouring in).
- Shake vigorously for about 10 seconds.
- Pour into your glass.
- Add cold foam topping, if you like, and enjoy!
My tips
Without the cold foam, some of the pumpkin spice flavor gets lost, so I recommend using that or dusting the top with pumpkin spice seasoning if you prefer a less-sweet cocktail. Also, if you do go without the cold foam, those who love a sweet cocktail may be disappointed. To remedy this, add .5 oz of simple syrup before shaking. An easy simple syrup tutorial can be found here.
This recipe is best served in a martini glass, but any vessel will do, as long as it is cold. I recommend this drink for a cozy night in. You can batch this cocktail (make multiple at once) by multiplying the recipe by 2 or 4, depending on how large your shaker is.
Ways to modify it for year-round: A traditional espresso martini
This cocktail is very easy to modify. Instead of pumpkin spice, opt for plain cold brew or espresso, and forgo the cold foam.
If you want to make this for the winter holidays, you can use peppermint variants of the cold brew, espresso, and cold foam. For an added treat, you can crush candy canes on top and voila!
Ways to modify it to be a mocktail
There are two ways to make this a mocktail. The first is to simply forgo the alcohol and shake 2 oz espresso, .5 oz of simple syrup, 1 oz of water, and ice. This will make a chilled coffee drink that will look almost identical to the alcoholic version.
The second is to purchase non alcoholic spirits and follow the original recipe. This is a good nonalcoholic vodka, and this is a good NA coffee liqueur.
Both options are viable: the first will taste less like the real thing but be cheaper, and the latter will taste more like the original but also cost more.
Cost
Cost will change based on local prices. For me, buying a full bottle of vodka (which will last months, likely), the coffee, the cold foam, and a few Kahula shooters cost about $30 in NYC. If you knew you were only making this for a few people, you could go the shooter route for the vodka as well.
Poison Apple Martini
The Poison Apple Martini is the beloved apple martini – just with a bit of spooky food coloring! There are other ways to turn your classic apple martini into something spooky, but they are a bit more complex and require far more random ingredients. This recipe is your most basic, so you can still make a fun, spooky cocktail even if you don’t have traditional bartending experience. This version is also far cheaper, so you can do more with less.
The Poison Apple Martini has a candy-like flavor (that can taste artificial to some) and a tart green apple bite. The sugared rim adds a touch of sweetness to each sip, helping mask some of the drink’s bite.
I made this recipe for a Halloween party I hosted last year. We had extra apple schnapps lying around, so I decided to make use of it while also doing something on theme by making Poison Apple Martinis. I created a cocktail station with the batched cocktails and pre-decorated glasses, and they were all gone before everyone could even have one!
Ingredients
- Ice
- Food coloring
- If you’re against food coloring, I recommend a brightly colored juice, like cherry juice, to add in for a spooky color. To not alter the flavor, use about .5 oz.
- Vodka
- Green Apple Schnapps
- Optional: Sugar for the rim
- You can get any color, but I linked a black one for an extra “poisonous” effect.
- When I made it, I used normal sugar and it still looked great!
Prep time: Less than 5 minutes
Instructions
- Add 1.5 oz of vodka, .5 oz of green apple schnapps, .25 oz of lemon juice, and 1 drop of blue food coloring to the cocktail shaker.
- Shake vigorously for about 10 seconds. And put to the side – briefly.
- Optional: put sugar for the rim on a plate. Wet the rim of your glass and place it face down on the plate, and twist, creating a sugar rim.
- Pour your drink into the prepared glass and enjoy.
This recipe is best served in a martini glass, but any vessel will do, as long as it is cold. I recommend this drink for a Halloween bash. You could create the cocktail and put it in a pitcher beforehand, and then decorate your glasses for an easy self-service cocktail station!
Ways to modify it for year-round
The Poison Apple Martini is just a colorful apple martini, so if you want to make it beyond spooky season, just don’t add food dye or the sugar rim!
If you want to make it with a holiday twist, but not a Halloween twist, you can add .5 oz of butterscotch schnapps to create a caramel apple martini.
Ways to modify it to be a mocktail
If you want to make a virgin Poison Apple Martini, the steps are pretty simple. You’ll need apple juice, lemon juice, Granny Smith apple syrup, food coloring, sugar for the rim, and ice. Add 1.5 oz of apple juice, 1 oz of lemon juice, 1 oz of Granny Smith green apple syrup, ice, and 1 drop of blue food coloring into a cocktail shaker. Shake and enjoy after doing the above process to create a sugared rim on your glass. This is not my recipe; the original can be found here.
Cost
Cost will change based on local prices. For me, buying a full bottle of vodka (which will last months, likely), the food coloring, the sugar, the lemon, and a few apple schnapps shooters cost about $35 in NYC. If you knew you were only making this for a few people, you could go the shooter route for the vodka as well.
Children’s Tears
Children’s Tears is a white tea shot in cocktail form with a little bit of blue food coloring to make the drink look like the tears of children. If you’ve never heard of this before, it’s because I formulated this recipe a few years ago after a strange series of events.
Children’s Tears is sweet, smooth, and fruity, with the taste of peach upfront and citrus notes from the lemon juice and Sprite. Famously, the white tea shot tastes a little bit like tea, despite there being none in it, so don’t be surprised if you taste something like that when you make this recipe.
I accidentally created Children’s Tears on Leap Day 2024 and my recipe was inspired by A Beautiful Mess’ Recipe. My friends and I were throwing a party to celebrate, and we Googled what people do on Leap Day. We learned about this mythical creature, Leap Day William, who trades candy for the tears of children. To celebrate, you also wear blue and yellow, eat rhubarb, and cry for candy from Leap Day William. We threw a party with these themes, and I created the drink for the event: Children’s Tears.
At the end of the night, we learned something shocking. Leap Day Williams was a 30 Rock bit. We had just thrown a party for a fictional character created to be a part of a sitcom. But, even though the traditions weren’t real, the drink I made was, and ever since then, I have made Children’s Tears whenever I get the chance.
Even though I made this drink for Leap Day, it fits well with spooky season.
Ingredients
- Ice
- White sugar, or premade simple syrup
- Vodka
- Peach Schnapps
- Sprite
- 1 Lemon
- Food coloring
- If you are against food coloring, the drink will end up a cloudy(ish) white without intervention, which still has a spooky look.
- Optional: Sugar for the rim
- I linked to black because of the spooky vibe, but any color will work!
Prep time: 10 minutes if you make your own simple syrup; if not, 5 minutes.
Instructions
Making a large batch of simple syrup
- Combine 1 cup of white sugar with 3/4 cup of boiling water and 2 drops of food coloring.
- Mix until cool. Once mostly cool, add the juice of ¾ of the lemon. Save the lemon for later and put the mixture aside
Preparing store-bought simple syrup, 1 serving
- Combine .5 oz of simple syrup with .5 oz of lemon juice and add 1 drop of blue food coloring.
To make the drink
- Combine 1.5 oz of vodka, 1 oz of peach schnapps, and 1 oz of simple syrup mixture, and stir.
- Optional: put sugar for the rim on a plate. Use the lemon from before to wet the rim of your glass and place it face down on the plate, and twist, creating a sugar rim.
- Add ice to your sugared glass and pour the drink over it. Top with Sprite and enjoy.
This drink is very sweet. If that is not your vibe, just use 1 oz of lemon juice, not simple syrup, and lemon juice to cut back on sweetness. You could also skip the candy rim.
This drink is best served in a normal glass, ideally a pint glass, as you drink it over ice. Children’s Tears suits all occasions, but it is very easy to prepare in bulk, so it would be great for a party.
Ways to modify it for year-round
If you remove the food coloring and candy rim, you are left with the white tea drink. While sweet, it is actually a really nice summer drink. You could even add fresh fruit to add to the summer vibes of this white tea concoction.
Ways to modify it to be a mocktail
This mocktail, unfortunately, won’t taste exactly like the alcoholic version, but it will be delicious. Combine 2 oz of lemonade with 1 oz of peach syrup, top off with Sprite, add a drop of blue food coloring, stir, and add ice to your pre-sugared glass and enjoy.
Cost
Cost will change based on local prices. For me, buying a full bottle of vodka (which will last months, likely), the food coloring, the sugar, the lemon, the Sprite, and a few peach schnapps shooters cost about $35 in NYC. If you knew you were only making this for a few people, you could go the shooter route for the vodka as well.
If you knew you were making these recipes together, or within a short period of time, you wouldn’t have to rebuy the overlapping ingredients, and the cost for all three recipes’ ingredients would be about $56, which is not cheap, but much better than some recipes.
Conclusion
These Halloween drinks will be the talk of all of your spooky season get-togethers. These recipes are also a great way to learn the basics of drink-making, so that you’ll be prepared to make whatever viral cocktail is circulating on TikTok next.
Please remember to always drink responsibly.
