Halloween-themed cocktails and drinks could be just the trick pubs need to treat their customers this year, as the festivity becomes ever more popular in the UK.
From Witch’s Brews to retro Squashed Frog shots and the unofficial beer of Halloween, Hobgoblin, punters want the whole experience when spending fright night in the pub.
Below are some inspirational ideas for the perfect Halloween drinks list and events.
Cocktails:
Ghouls’ Goblet (1.5 units)
Ingredients:
35ml Smirnoff No.21 Vodka
150ml ginger ale
1 drop of ghoulish-looking food colouring
2 slices of orange
2 slices of lemon
Gummy worms to freeze in ice for effect
Method:
Place one gummy worm with water per space in an ice cube tray
Add the food colouring and freeze
Add a few cubes of gummy worm ice to a tumbler or martini glass
Pour in the vodka
Top with ginger ale
Garnish with the lemon and orange
The Red Widow (1.5 units)
Ingredients:
35ml Smirnoff No.21 Vodka
100ml tomato juice
Half teaspoon wasabi
Half clove of crushed garlic
Dash of soy sauce
2 cherry tomatoes
A wedge of lemon
Celery leaf to garnish
Method:
Take a highball glass or julep cup
Pour in the vodka
Add the garlic, wasabi and crushed garlic
Mix
Fill with ice
Top with tomato juice
Garnish with the lemon and tomato
Baileys Pumpkin Spice Latte (2 units)
Ingredients:
50ml Baileys Pumpkin Spice
100ml latte
Chocolate shavings and cream to garnish
Method:
Add the Baileys to a latte
Top with the cream and chocolate
The Botanist's Blackjack
Ingredients:
15ml Black Sambuca
15ml Grand Marnier
25ml Liquor 43
50ml apple juice
15ml lemon juice
15ml gomme
25ml egg white
Method:
Shake all ingredients together and strain over ice
For the non-drinkers
Blood Orange St Clements
Ingredients:
125ml blood orange juice
125ml of Schweppes Sparkling Lemon and Elderflower Juice
Blood orange slice
Crushed ice
Method:
Take a highball glass
Pour the blood orange juice over crushed ice
Top with the Schweppes Sparkling Lemon and Elderflower Juice.
Garnish with a slice of blood orange, and serve with a long straw
Apple Mint-Tiser
Ingredients:
5 fresh mint leaves
50ml cloudy apple juice
50ml Appletiser (apple flavour)
Crushed ice
Method:
Pour the cloudy apple juice into a tall glass
Add five freshly torn mint leaves
Top with crushed ice, followed by the Appletiser
Stir gently, and garnish with a sprig of mint
Beer, cider and gin
Treacle Treat
Devizes-based brewer and pub operator Wadworth has injected a little treacle into its Halloween beer for this year.
Dark ale Treacle Treat will be available across the pubco’s estate throughout October.
It has an ABV of 4.2% and is brewed using Target hops, Pale Ale, Crystal, Brown and Black Malts. As the name suggests, the beer has been sweetened with black treacle syrup, along with liquorice root.
An eye-catching pump clip and bottle design themed around Mexican holiday Day of the Dead finishes off the seasonal brew.
Head brewer Andy Weaver said: “We are really looking forward to offering this unique-tasting ale to our customers.
“The addition of treacle syrup makes it one of the sweetest and most distinctive tasting Wadworth beers to date.”
Spooky tour
Norfolk-based Woodforde’s Brewery has created a tailor-made brewery tour and pub meal package for its visitors this Halloween.
For £25 each, visitors will be guided around the brewery where there will be several spooky surprises.
They will then be able to calm their nerves by sinking their teeth into a two-course meal served at the adjoining Fur and Feather pub, all washed down with the rich spice and citrus fruit aroma of copper beer Once Bittern.
Head of marketing Natalie Douglas said: “The celebration of Halloween in the UK is growing in popularity and we felt this package offered a great grown-up trick or treat alternative.”
Haunted gin
Gift card website Moonpig is selling ‘haunted’ gin this year that is infused with apples and mint and has been ‘cursed’ by a witch.
White witch Julianne White, who has practiced witchcraft for two decades, ‘blessed’ the gin so drinkers’ hearts could have whatever they desired – whether good or evil.
The gin is 40% ABV and has a warning label on it advising drinkers of the ‘curse’.
Haunted Circus
Global beer giant AB InBev is hosting several Nightmare Circus Troupes across London to surprise Halloween punters in 16 venues.
Each of the selected venues will be visited by a troupe with ringmasters, contortionists and other terrifying characters to bring the Nightmare Circus to bars across the capital.
Party guests will be immersed in the Budweiser Halloween spirit with merchandise and trick-or-treat wheels of fortune.
Those favoured by ‘fortune’ will be awarded with Budweiser and a special, ‘blood-red’ food colouring for consumers to add to their drink, which will fade into the beer (without affecting taste) and then disappear, creating a unique ritual for drinkers.
Those who land on a ‘trick’ will have to wait and see what is in store.
Budweiser UK senior brand manager Sascha Cordes said: “Halloween is quickly becoming one of the key celebration moments of the year, with people going out in search of fun, unique and immersive events.”
