Skip to content

6 Classic Cocktails That Look the Part on Halloween

By Alec Espiritu · · 4 min read

Bloody Mary, The Last Word and Dark and Stormy cocktails by candlelight with pumpkins, under the title 6 Halloween Cocktails.

Quick answer: the best classic Halloween cocktails to make at home are the Bloody Mary, Vampiro, Corpse Reviver, Zombie, Dark and Stormy and The Last Word. The easiest is the Dark and Stormy, with two ingredients.

Halloween is only a few days away, and this year it lands on a Saturday. Which means one thing: the universe has given you permission to drink whatever the heck you want, long after the candy has been handed out.

Whether you're hosting a full-on haunted party (complete with costume contest and questionable playlist), or you're sitting on your porch in the dark handing out individually wrapped candy to a steady stream of tiny vampires and overpriced Disney characters, this list has your back.

These drinks are crafted for every kind of Halloween energy: some are bold enough for a party crowd, some are quiet enough for a single person with a blanket and a cat, and all of them are properly seasonal. Orange, purple, black, blood-red: if it stains your lips, it's doing its job.

So grab a glass. The dead are restless, and so are the recipe cards.

Red Halloween cocktails

A tall red Bloody Mary beside a Vampiro in a rocks glass with a salted rim, on a dark background with candles and cobwebs.

Bloody Mary

The obvious pick, and obvious for a reason. It's already blood red, so there's very little to do.

What you need: 1½ oz vodka, 3 oz tomato juice, a dash of lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, a few drops of Tabasco and a lime wedge.

Vampiro

Same blood-red idea, different spirit. The name is Spanish for vampire. It's brighter and a little less savory than a Bloody Mary, so it works for anyone who doesn't love tomato drinks.

What you need: 2 oz tequila, 1 oz tomato juice, 1 oz orange juice, ½ oz lime juice, a dash of simple syrup and a pinch of salt.

Halloween cocktails with spooky names

A Zombie in a hurricane glass with mint and lime beside a pale yellow Corpse Reviver in a stemmed glass, in a dark, foggy setting.

Corpse Reviver

I picked this one mostly for the name, and because it comes out pale and a little strange in the glass. It's a small drink, so it's easy to make a few.

What you need: ¾ oz each of gin, triple sec, Lillet Blanc and lemon juice, plus a dash of absinthe.

Zombie

Three kinds of rum in one glass, which makes it the strongest drink on this list, so pace yourself. Serve it in a tall hurricane glass.

What you need: 1½ oz rum, 1½ oz gold rum, 1 oz 151 proof rum, plus Pernod, grenadine, lime juice and a drop of Angostura bitters.

Dark and green Halloween cocktails

Dark and Stormy

Two ingredients, so it's the easiest drink here, and the dark rum floating on top looks like a storm cloud. If you're making one thing for a crowd, make this.

What you need: 1⅔ oz dark rum and 3⅓ oz ginger beer, over ice.

The Last Word

The color is the whole point: an eerie green. It's strong and herbal, so I'd give it to someone who already likes that kind of thing.

What you need: 1 oz each of Green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur and lime juice.

How to make Halloween cocktails look the part

  • Rim a glass with black or red sugar, or use a dark salt on the Vampiro.
  • Serve the Dark and Stormy in a clear glass so the layers show.
  • A cocktail pick with a gummy worm or a plastic spider costs almost nothing and does a lot.
  • Hosting? Pour the Dark and Stormy to order so the ginger beer stays fizzy, and set the rest up as a small menu.

More spooky Halloween drinks to try

Want more than six? Here are ten more from our Halloween list, with what goes in each.

  • Black Russian: 1½ oz vodka and ¾ oz coffee liqueur, dark as the night.
  • Bloody Maria: the Bloody Mary's tequila cousin. 1 oz tequila and 2 oz tomato juice, with lemon, Tabasco, celery salt and a lemon slice.
  • Death in the Afternoon: absinthe topped with Champagne.
  • Midnight Cowboy: 2 oz bourbon, 1 oz dark rum and ½ oz heavy cream.
  • Blackthorn: 1½ oz sloe gin and 1 oz sweet vermouth, with a lemon twist.
  • Grasshopper: ¾ oz each of green creme de menthe, white creme de cacao and light cream.
  • Green Goblin: half a pint each of hard cider and lager, with a shot of blue curacao.
  • Hunter's Moon: vermouth, maraschino, sugar syrup and lemonade with two blackberries, named for October's full moon.
  • Halloween Punch: a punch bowl for the party, with cherry juice, ginger, cloves and vodka.
  • Alcohol-Free Halloween Punch: contains no alcohol as written. Check the labels on anything you buy.

Halloween cocktail questions

What is the easiest Halloween cocktail?

The Dark and Stormy. It's dark rum and ginger beer over ice, so there are only two ingredients.

What is the strongest cocktail on this list?

The Zombie, which uses three kinds of rum, one of them 151 proof.

Which Halloween cocktails are red?

The Bloody Mary and the Vampiro, both made with tomato juice. From the longer list, the Bloody Maria is red too.

Is there an alcohol-free Halloween drink?

Yes, the Alcohol-Free Halloween Punch on our Halloween page contains no alcohol as written. Check the labels on anything you buy.

If you want more, the full list is on the Halloween cocktails page, including a punch bowl for the party and an alcohol-free punch for anyone skipping the booze.

Cheers, and happy Halloween.

Cocktails in this story