SPOOKY HALLOWEEN COCKTAILS
Spooky Halloween Cocktails
As the weather starts getting cooler (finally!) and the pumpkins come out, my mind immediately shifts from light spring/ summer cocktails to the flavors of fall. Halloween is of course the first in the string of upcoming holidays and such a fun opportunity to make whimsical themed drinks!! I also tend to lean towards any sort of punch because it is a time of year when most of us are entertaining at our homes. The last thing you want to do is have people over for a party and be stuck in your kitchen or bar making drinks all night.
Punch is a great communal beverage that can also be “self-serve”. That being said, how do you make a drink “spooky”? Here are a couple of fun ideas, incorporating rum of course!
Recipe for Redrum Cocktail
Recipe for Scofflaw Cocktail
Recipe for Zombie Punch
*Spiced simple syrup*
3 cups white sugar
3 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cool, and refrigerate.
*Large ice cube*
To make your large cube-- freeze water in a round or square Tupperware style container 24 hours prior to serving the punch (make sure it is the right size to fit in your punch bowl) when you are ready to serve, simply run lukewarm water over the plastic container and your large cube will easily come out.
*You can freeze anything you want in the water as well, whether that be chunks of fruit or creepy Halloween items like gummy worms, spiders, or fingers. This will keep your punch cold without diluting it, and adds to aesthetic and visual too.
-Article written by Cris Dehlavi, Muse of Mixology-
Cris Dehlavi
My name is Cris Dehlavi and I am a native of Arizona, but have lived in Columbus, Ohio for the past 13 years with my daughter, Desi. I have been running the bar program at “M”, of the Cameron Mitchell restaurant group since 2005. I am currently the President of Columbus USBG as well as a consultant for bars and restaurants nationally.
In 2013, I attended the rigorous B.A.R. 5 Day Spirits Certification and have been recognized as one of the top mixologists in the U.S.A. I am one of the senior managers of the prestigious apprentice program at Tales of the Cocktail and work as a mentor to many bartenders around Ohio.
My contribution to Got Rum? magazine will include everything from reviews of national cocktail events, articles on mixology, garnish trends, recipes and techniques, to interviews with some of the leading bartenders in the industry.