Halloween Cocktails and Shots: Spooky Drinks for Your Party

Halloween is the one night of the year when a drink named after a brain injury or a vampire’s lunch is exactly what the party needs. Good Halloween drinks do double duty. They have to taste good, but they also need to look the part: blood red, witchy green, jet black or layered into something that makes your guests lean in for a closer look.

Our archive is full of drinks with names that were practically made for October 31. Here are the best of them, from proper cocktails to party shots, big-batch punches and alcohol-free options for the kids, designated drivers and anyone taking the night off.

Spooky Cocktails

These are real cocktails with Halloween names, the kind you can hand to a guest who actually cares what is in the glass.

Zombie: The tiki legend. Donn Beach created it in the 1930s at Don the Beachcomber and famously limited guests to two, because the stack of rums makes it far stronger than it tastes. Pineapple, orange and lime keep it dangerously easy to drink. It is still one of the bestselling classics at the world’s top bars.

Satan’s Whiskers: A genuine pre-Prohibition classic hiding behind a devilish name. Gin, dry and sweet vermouth, orange juice and Grand Marnier make a bright, orange-tinged drink that is far more elegant than it sounds.

Corpse Reviver: Corpse Revivers were originally hangover cures meant to raise the dead the morning after. This version stirs brandy with crème de menthe and a bracing splash of Fernet-Branca. It is not to be confused with the gin-based Corpse Reviver No. 2, though both will wake you up.

Black Widow: Citrus vodka and black sambuca, shaken and strained into a martini glass. It pours inky black with a sharp licorice bite, which is about as on-theme as a drink can get.

Witch’s Brew: Blue curaçao and yellow Chartreuse turn this one a murky potion green, and a dusting of allspice, clove and nutmeg gives it a properly witchy spice. It is strong and herbal, so sip it slowly.

Vampire’s Kiss: Vodka, gin, a splash of tequila and dry vermouth, shaken with tomato juice and a pinch of salt. It looks like blood and drinks like a savory, spirit-forward cousin of the Bloody Mary.

Phantom: A ghostly white drink of Licor 43 and vodka topped with milk. It is creamy, vanilla-sweet and easy to make for a crowd.

The Mummy: Vodka, triple sec and lemon over ice, topped with club soda. It is light, citrusy and refreshing, a good one to keep people pacing themselves.

Black Magic: Vodka and coffee liqueur with a squeeze of lemon, which brightens what is basically a Black Russian and keeps it from getting too sweet.

Neon Green and Toxic Orange

For the party crowd, bright colors do most of the work. These are sweet, fun and unapologetically loud.

Green Goblin Cocktail: Vodka, coconut rum, peach schnapps, sour apple and sweet and sour mix, shaken and poured over ice. It glows a vivid apple green and tastes like candy.

Toxic Waste: Triple sec and blue curaçao stretched with orange juice over ice. Blue and orange mix into a hazardous-looking green, and it could not be easier to batch.

Pumpkin Eater: Light rum, orange curaçao, triple sec, orange juice and a splash of cream, blended with ice. It comes out a creamy pumpkin orange and tastes like a boozy creamsicle.

Halloween Shots

Layered shots are the stars of any Halloween party. Pour slowly over the back of a bar spoon so each layer settles on top of the last.

Brain Hemorrhage: The Halloween shot. Peach schnapps goes in first, then a little Irish cream is poured slowly so it curdles into brain-like clumps, and a few drops of grenadine finish the gruesome look. It sounds terrible and tastes like peaches and cream.

Bloody Brain: A close cousin served in a cordial glass, with Irish cream floated over peach schnapps and the grenadine added in separate drops so it bleeds through the layers.

Candy Corn: Licor 43, orange curaçao and cream, layered in that order to mimic the famous Halloween candy. Vanilla, orange and cream, exactly like the real thing.

Pumpkin Pie: Cinnamon schnapps, coffee liqueur and Irish cream layered in a large shot glass. It tastes remarkably like a slice of spiced pie.

Vampire: Vodka, raspberry liqueur and cranberry juice, shaken cold. It is blood red and easy to make by the dozen.

Poison Apple: Vodka and apple schnapps, shaken and strained. Snow White never stood a chance.

Caramel Apple: Butterscotch schnapps and sour apple, chilled and served in a shot glass. It tastes just like the fair treat.

Party Punches

If you are hosting a crowd, a punch bowl saves you from playing bartender all night.

Devil’s Blood: Vodka, white rum, hard cider, cranberry juice and apple juice, mixed in a big bowl with plenty of ice. It is fruity, red and deceptively strong, so label it clearly.

Green Monster Party Punch: A seriously big batch built on vodka, fruit juice, lime drink mix and a gallon of sherbet. It turns a foamy, slimy green, which is exactly the point.

Alcohol-Free Options

Halloween parties often mix ages, so it pays to have something everyone can enjoy.

Halloween Punch: Grape juice and fizzy soft drinks poured over scoops of lime and orange sherbet. The sherbet melts into a foamy, colorful float that kids love.

Warm Witch’s Blood: Cranberry and orange juice simmered with cinnamon, allspice and clove. It is a cozy, mulled drink for a chilly night of trick-or-treating, and the recipe even suggests muttering incantations while you stir.

Monster Slime Juice: Orange juice and blue drink mix stirred together until the whole pitcher turns green. It is simple, silly and a guaranteed hit with younger monsters.

Tips for a Better Halloween Bar

• Label everything. When spiked and alcohol-free punches sit side by side, clear labels keep the wrong cup out of the wrong hands.
• Be careful with dry ice. It makes a great spooky fog, but never put it in a glass someone will drink from. Swallowing a piece can cause serious injury. Set the punch bowl inside a larger bowl of dry ice and water instead, and handle it with gloves.
• Let color do the work. Black sambuca, blue curaçao and grenadine can turn almost any drink into something ghoulish without changing the flavor much.
• Practice your layers. Pour a test round of layered shots before guests arrive. A bar spoon and a slow, steady hand are all it takes.
• Have a grown-up option. For guests who want something more refined, our fall cocktail trends roundup has spiced, smoked drinks like the Smoked Cinnamon Whiskey Sour that suit a candlelit Halloween just as well.

However you celebrate, have a frightfully good time.

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Please drink responsibly. Drinks.wiki is intended for adults of legal drinking age. Never drink and drive, keep alcoholic drinks clearly separated and labeled at parties where children are present, and never add dry ice directly to a drink.