10 Halloween Cocktails: From the White of a Ghost to the Black of Night

Cocktails with an unsettling name or a very dark colour suit Halloween best, from the Corpse Reviver No. 2, Death in the Afternoon and Zombie to the Obituary, the Witches' Cauldron and the Black Manhattan. A good selection runs from light to dark, starting with the pale, citrusy Corpse Reviver No. 2 and ending with almost black drinks such as the Black Manhattan, which swaps sweet vermouth for Averna amaro. In between sit the Obituary, a Martini variation of gin, dry vermouth and absinthe, and the Witches' Cauldron, made with Strega, an Italian liqueur whose name means witch.

Halloween is one of those moments of the year when a cocktail can be more than just a combination of alcohol, ice and a few ingredients. Colour, name, presentation and the story you can tell with the first sip all matter. So instead of another list of drinks with a plastic spider hanging from the rim of the glass, it is worth turning to cocktails that have something unsettling about them all on their own.

Among the classics, we find corpses, zombies, devils, witches, black widows and even an obituary. There are also drinks that do not need a dark name at all – their almost-black colour or blood-red hue is enough. Below are ten suggestions arranged from the lightest to the darkest, allowing the selection itself to move from innocent appearances to a truly dark finale. Many of them also feature in current Halloween cocktail selections from Difford's Guide and other contemporary bar sources.

1. Corpse Reviver No. 2 – Something That Should Have Stayed Dead

We start innocently – at least judging by the colour. Corpse Reviver No. 2 is light, citrusy and elegant. The problem only appears when you read the name. “Corpse reviver” is one of the most natural candidates for a Halloween menu.

The classic recipe combines gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc or Cocchi Americano, and fresh lemon juice, while the glass is rinsed with absinthe. This combination makes the drink fresh, dry, citrusy and slightly herbal at the same time. The cocktail has a long history, and its recipe was popularised by Harry Craddock in The Savoy Cocktail Book.

The name is not accidental either – the Corpse Reviver family emerged as a group of cocktails that were reputed to have the ability to “bring you back to life” after a heavy night. For Halloween, it is hard to find a more appropriate way to start the evening.

2. Death in the Afternoon – Death in a Glass

The next drink remains light in colour, but its name is considerably less friendly. Death in the Afternoon combines absinthe with dry sparkling wine, creating a slightly cloudy, pale-greenish cocktail.

The name comes from Ernest Hemingway's book and fits the drink surprisingly well. Absinthe brings an intensely herbal, anise-like character, while the sparkling wine gives the cocktail a certain lightness. It is a proposition for those who want to treat Halloween more as an elegant evening with a touch of decadence than as a costume party.

It looks innocent enough on the table. Its name, however, contains the word “death”, and there is absinthe in the glass. Sometimes that is enough.

3. Zombie – A Tropical Apocalypse

The colour becomes more intense. Zombie is one of the best-known tiki cocktails and, at the same time, one of the most obvious choices for Halloween.

The classic recipe brings together different types of rum – including high-proof rums – along with falernum, Pernod or absinthe, pineapple, lime and grapefruit juices, and grenadine. The result is a fruity, tropical drink with considerable intensity.

Zombie is interesting partly because its reputation is almost as strong as its name. It may taste deceptively innocent thanks to the fruit and spices, but it should definitely not be treated like an ordinary rum punch.

It is best served in a tall tiki glass, with plenty of ice and an eye-catching garnish. At that point, “Zombie” stops being merely a name and becomes a fully fledged character on the Halloween table.

4. Blood & Sand – The First Sip Looks Like Blood

If the previous drink was a tropical zombie, Blood & Sand takes us into a much more classic world of whisky.

The cocktail combines Scotch whisky, sweet vermouth, cherry liqueur and orange juice. The result is reddish-orange, while the name – “Blood and Sand” – immediately gives it an appropriately grim character. It is one of the few classic cocktails to use Scotch whisky in such a fruit-forward construction.

In a Halloween selection, it works on two levels. First, it looks like something we would probably rather not find at a crime scene. Second, it is a great example of how whisky does not have to be served exclusively in a tasting glass to show its character.

5. Devil's Margarita – The Devil Likes Tequila

The red remains, but now the devil enters the picture. Devil's Margarita is a Halloween variation on the classic Margarita, with its most distinctive feature being red wine added in a way that creates a darker layer on the surface of the drink.

The base remains tequila, lime and sweet orange liqueur, so the cocktail still retains the essential character of a Margarita. The red wine, however, changes its appearance and adds depth.

This is one of those drinks where colour is part of the recipe. There is therefore no need for artificial blood, red sweets or plastic props. The red colour does all the work by itself. Devil's Margarita also appears in current Halloween cocktail selections from Difford's Guide.

6. Black Widow's Bite – The Kiss of the Black Widow

The next drink is distinctly darker. Black Widow's Bite draws on the motif of one of the most ominous spiders.

Modern versions of Black Widow often use mezcal, berries or blackberries, along with ingredients that give the cocktail a deep red-purple colour. One popular Halloween version combines mezcal with ginger beer, while a garnish of blackberries and black spiders completes the effect.

This is a proposition for those who want their drink to look like poison served in an elegant glass. You can, of course, leave out the plastic spider – the colour and the name are expressive enough on their own.

7. Witches' Cauldron – An Elixir from the Cauldron

Now we move towards purples and deep colours. Witches' Cauldron sounds like a cocktail recipe taken straight from an old book of spells.

The recipe features mezcal, Strega, aromatised wine, lemon juice, absinthe and a small amount of saline solution. Particularly interesting here is Strega – an Italian liqueur whose name simply means “witch”.

This is a drink for those who prefer Halloween to have the atmosphere of an old apothecary, herbs, smoke and mysterious potions rather than something sweet and candy-coloured. In the right glass, it can look like an elixir whose ingredients are better left unexplored.

8. Obituary – An Obituary Instead of a Toast

Time for one of the most direct titles in the entire selection. Obituary means exactly what it sounds like: an obituary.

The cocktail itself is a variation on the Martini: gin, dry vermouth and absinthe. It is strong, dry and intensely herbal, and its history is associated with New Orleans. The drink was popularised in the 1940s at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, and today it can still be found on the menus of several New Orleans bars.

This is definitely a proposition for people who do not need red colouring and a plastic skull to feel the Halloween spirit. Obituary looks like a classic, elegant Martini – until someone reads the name.

9. Black Manhattan – When Manhattan Gets Really Dark

We are approaching the finale. Black Manhattan is almost black, deep and considerably more mysterious than its classic predecessor.

It is a modern variation on the Manhattan in which sweet vermouth is replaced with amaro. A popular version uses rye whiskey or bourbon, Averna Amaro and bitters. The result is a dark-coloured drink with herbal bitterness and spicy notes.

It is one of those cocktails that demonstrates that Halloween can also be elegant. A Black Manhattan in a chilled lowball glass, with a single cherry or an orange peel, looks more like a drink from a dark hotel bar than something served at a pumpkin-filled party.

10. The Black Lagoon – A Finale in Black

Finally, we arrive at black. The Black Lagoon is a cocktail whose appearance requires virtually no additional explanation.

Its almost ink-black colour comes from a combination of blackstrap rum, Cynar 70 and crème de cacao. The result is a deep, dark drink with bitter, herbal and chocolate notes. The Washington Post included it in its selection of Halloween cocktails, highlighting precisely its almost-black appearance.

It is the perfect ending to the selection: we started with the light-coloured Corpse Reviver, which was supposed to bring the dead back to life, and end up in the Black Lagoon, where it is already difficult to see what is actually lurking at the bottom of the glass.

Halloween Starts with Colour

A good Halloween cocktail does not have to be overly sweet or covered in decorations. The most interesting options often rely on something much simpler: a name, a story and the natural colour of the ingredients.

The white of the Corpse Reviver suggests a ghost, the red of Blood & Sand evokes blood, the purple of Witches' Cauldron resembles a mysterious elixir, while the almost-black Black Manhattan and Black Lagoon take us into complete darkness.