Spooky season is officially on the horizon (I mean, if you've been in a HomeGoods or Michaels recently, you know). And if you're reading this, chances are you're either considering taking on, or have taken on, the role of hosting the most important function of the year—the Halloween party. A big responsibility, yes, but I know you can do it. Here’s why: You’ve already come to the right place.
Planning a big, boo-tiful (sorry, had to) bash can be well, a little terrifying at first. But once you realize all you need are some scary good decorations, a killer costume or two, and some devilishly delicious food and drinkies (no pressure at all, right?), the party is already half-planned. Lucky for you, I've already taken care of a portion of that planning, and a very important portion at that: the Halloween cocktails.
Below, I’ve rounded up some of the most festive potions for this year's spooky season—and honestly, they’re all pretty damn easy to make. We're talking a lot of “combine” and “pour over ice” situations using ingredients you may already have on your bar cart (although if you wanna go all out and get some dry ice, be my guest). I’ve also included a large selection of recipes, so you’ll be sure to put a spell on anyone at the party, no matter their palate, from sweet and smoky old fashioneds to light and bubbly spritzes. Yum! For! Everyone!
And with that, I’ll leave you to scroll through with just one tip: go heavy on the boo-ze.
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1. Drunken Peanut Butter Cups
Parker Feierbach/Delish
In a mason jar, combine 1 cup vodka and ½ cup Reese’s Pieces. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and shake. Refrigerate overnight, then strain. The next day: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice then pour over 3 oz strained Reese's-infused vodka, 3 oz milk, and 2 oz chocolate liqueur. Shake until chilled. Put ¼ cup peanut butter on one small plate and ½ cup crushed Reese's Pieces on another. Dunk tops of two cocktail glasses in peanut butter, then roll in crushed Reese's Pieces. Drizzle about a tablespoon of chocolate syrup into each glass. Divide cocktail mixture between glasses and garnish each with a large Reese's peanut butter cup.
Recipe from Delish
2. Apple Cider Doughnut Slushie
Parker Feierbach/Delish
Pour 3 cups apple cider, 2 oz vodka or whiskey, juice from one lemon, and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon in a loaf pan, whisking to combine. Freeze for 1 hour. Remove the cider mixture from the freezer and use a fork to scrape the slushy mixture, so it doesn't turn into a giant ice cube. Once fully scraped and stirred, return it to the freezer for 1 more hour. Remove the cider mixture from the freezer once again, using a fork to scrape and stir it into a consistency like shaved ice. If it's not frozen enough for your taste, pop it back in the freezer for another 45 minutes. Otherwise, spoon into 2 glasses and garnish each rim with a mini cinnamon sugar doughnut.
Recipe from Delish
3. Zombie Brain Shot
The Spritz Effect
Pour 1 oz peach schnapps about halfway into your shot glass, then very gently layer 1 oz Baileys on top. It should float! Carefully add grenadine one drop at a time (just a couple drops total!) and watch it create this creepy zombie-brain effect.
Recipe from The Spritz Effect
4. Hocus Pocus Jello Shots
Chelsea Lupkin/Delish
Into three separate bowls or measuring cups, add 1 package orange Jell-O, 1 package purple Jell-O, and 1 package green Jell-O. Into each bowl add 1 cup boiling water plus 1 cup vodka and whisk until Jell-O mixture is fully dissolved. Pour into plastic cups and place in the refrigerator to harden, 3 to 4 hours. Meanwhile, make witch's hats. Make sure all cream is removed from 15 Oreo cookies and place smooth side down. Take 30 unwrapped Hershey Kisses and dip in 1 cup Cool Whip, and then into the orange, purple, and green sanding sugar of your choice. Press a chocolate Kiss in the center of the cookie to join the two. When Jell-O is hardened, top with Cool Whip and a witch hat cookie. Serve.
Recipe from Delish
5. Nightmare on Bourbon Street
Half-Baked Harvest
Rim a cocktail glass with cinnamon sugar. Fill with ice. In a cocktail shaker, combine 1½ oz bourbon, ¼ cup apple cider, 1 oz fresh lemon juice, 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger, and ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and shake to combine. Strain into the prepared glass. Top with 5 oz sparkling hard honeycrisp apple cider. Serve with cinnamon sticks, rosemary, and apple slices, if desired.
Recipe from Half-Baked Harvest
6. Apple Cider Mimosas
Ethan Calabrese/Delish
On a small plate, combine 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Dip champagne flutes in water to wet the rims, then dip in cinnamon sugar mixture. Fill champagne flutes ¼ full with 1 cup apple cider, then top off with 1 bottle of champagne or prosecco.
Recipe from Delish
7. Grilled Orange Old-Fashioned
BECKY LUIGART-STAYNER/Country Living
Heat a grill or griddle pan to medium-high. Grill one sliced navel orange, turning occasionally, just until charred, 2 to 4 minutes. In a pitcher, muddle oranges, 4 dashes Angastura bitters, and 4 maraschino cherries in a pitcher until the fruit is slightly mashed. Stir in 8 oz bourbon or rye. Thread 4 large marshmallows on skewers and grill, turning, until charred, about 1 minute. Serve drink over ice garnished with roasted marshmallows.
Recipe from Country Living
8. Apple Cinnamon Cider Cups
Mike Garten/Woman's Day
For each apple cup, cut off the top quarter of a large apple, then remove and discard the core. (If the apple seems unstable, cut a thin slice off the bottom.) Using a melon baller, scoop out the center of the apple, leaving a ¼-inch rim. (Reserve apple centers for another use.) To serve, fill each cup with 1 oz of your favorite liquor (bourbon or whiskey would be great here) and then fill the rest with apple cider. Top with a star anise pod and a cinnamon stick for sipping.
Recipe from Woman's Day
9. Witches' Brew Lemonade
Brandon Bales/Delish
Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour 2 oz Empress 1908 Gin and top with 2 oz sparkling lemonade. Very carefully and slowly, pour 2 oz curacao into the glass, letting it settle on the bottom. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.
Recipe from Delish
10. Creamsicle Punch
Parker Feierbach/Delish
In a large bowl, combine 2 quarts of orange juice, 2 cups of vodka, 1 liter of ginger ale, and 1 bottle of prosecco. Carefully scoop 1 quart of vanilla ice cream and add one orange, sliced. Ladle into glasses and serve.
Recipe from Delish
11. Poison Apple Cocktail
Parker Feierbach/Delish
In a cocktail shaker, combine ⅓ cup apple cider, ⅓ cup cranberry juice, 2 oz Fireball, 1 oz grenadine, and ¼ teaspoon edible gold glitter, and then fill the shaker with ice. Shake until contents are mixed and the shaker is cold, about 30 seconds. Pour into glass and serve.
Recipe from Delish
12. Apricot Bourbon Brew
Danielle Occhiogrosso/Good Housekeeping
Combine 1 ½ oz (3 tablespoons) bourbon, 6 oz apricot nectar or tropical fruit juice, and a dash of bitters. Pour over ice.
Recipe from Good Housekeeping
13. Tart Cherry Eyeball Punch
Brian Woodcock/Country Living
Drain 2 15-oz cans of lychees, reserving 1½ cups of lychee syrup. Carefully stuff blackberries from a 6 oz container in each lychee; chill. In a large pitcher, stir together reserved lychee syrup, 4 cups tart cherry juice, 1 cup fresh orange juice, and 1½ cups vodka or light rum; chill. Add stuffed lychees and 3 12-oz cans of chilled sparkling water to punch. Serve over ice.
Recipe from Country Living
14. Cider Sidecar
Brian Woodcock/Country Living
Place 2 oz fresh apple cider, 2 oz cognac, 1 oz Cointreau, and 1 oz lemon juice in a cocktail shaker; top with ice. Shake until the shaker starts to frost and feels very cold to the touch, 20 to 30 seconds. Strain into a coupe and top with a strip of lemon zest and brandied cherries.
Recipe from Country Living
15. Sleepy Hollow Cocktail
Half-Baked Harvest
To make the honey syrup, in a small pot, bring ½ cup water, ¼ cup honey, and 1 sprig of fresh rosemary to a boil over high heat. Boil 2 to 3 minutes, add the zest of one orange, then remove from the heat. Let cool. The syrup can be kept in a glass jar for up to 2 weeks. To make the cocktail, rim glasses in cinnamon sugar, if desired. Combine ¼ cup pomegranate juice, 2 oz tequila, a couple of dashes of orange bitters, a pinch of cinnamon, and 1-2 tablespoons of the honey syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake to combine. Strain into glass. Top with sparkling water. Garnish with rosemary.
Recipe from Half-Baked Harvest
16. Cinnamon Apple Margarita
Lalo
Combine 2 oz LALO tequila, 1½ oz apple cider, ¾ oz lime juice, ¾ oz agave nectar, and a dash of ground cinnamon in an ice-filled shaker tin. Shake to chill and dilute. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass, rimmed with a mixture of equal parts turbinado sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Garnish with apple slices, a cinnamon stick, and star anise.
Recipe from LALO Tequila
17. Blood Orange Sangria
How Sweet Eats
Zest one blood orange and combine it with ½ cup sugar in a small bowl. Rub the sugar and zest together with your fingers until fragrant. Juice four more blood oranges, discarding any seeds or pith. Chop 2 more blood oranges into pieces. In a large pitcher, combine 2 bottles pinot grigio; ½ cup brandy; blood orange juice; 1 cup club soda, 1 apple, chopped; 12 oz strawberries, chopped; 1 pint raspberries; and chopped blood oranges. Stir well to combine. Place the orange sugar on a plate, then run a lemon, lime, or orange slice around the rim of each glass. Dunk each glass in the sugar, coating well. Fill each glass with a few ice cubes, then add some of the fruit from the sangria. Pour the sangria into each glass and serve!
Recipe from How Sweet Eats
18. Black Widow Smash
Half-Baked Harvest
In a cocktail shaker or glass jar, add 8 fresh blackberries, 1-2 teaspoons of rosemary, juice from half a lemon, and 1-2 tablespoons of honey. Muddle all of the ingredients together, squishing everything to release the juices. Add 1½ oz tequila and a couple dashes of orange bitters. Then, add ice to your glass and strain the drink over the ice. Top the glass with a little more ice, pour a splash of sparkling water over, and gently stir to combine. Garnish with another sprig of fresh rosemary before serving.
Recipe from Half-Baked Harvest
19. Hocus Pocus Punch
How Sweet Eats
In a pitcher or punch bowl, combine 6 cups apple cider, 2 cups cranberry juice, 2 (12-oz) cans orange seltzer, ¼ cup maraschino cherry juice, and 1 cup ginger ale or ginger beer. Add 2 oranges, sliced; 2 apples, sliced; and ⅓ cup maraschino cherries. Stir and serve!
Recipe from How Sweet Eats
20. Blood Moon Cocktail
The Sexton
In a shaker filled with ice, combine 1½ oz of The Sexton Single Malt, 1 oz fresh beet juice, ¾ oz fresh lemon juice, and 2 dashes orange bitters. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with blood orange peel.
Recipe from The Sexton
21. Pumpkin Cider
New Amsterdam
In an ice-filled punch bowl, combine 2 parts New Amsterdam Vodka, ½ part lemon sours, and ½ part real pumpkin syrup, then fill with equal parts apple cider and ginger beer to taste. Garnish with blood orange and apple slices.
Recipe from New Amsterdam
22. The Vampire’s Kiss Cocktail
Mumm Napa
In a cocktail shaker, add ½ part hibiscus syrup, 1 part mezcal, ½ part lemon juice, and shake. Place candied hibiscus flower into the bottom of a champagne flute (for that spooky effect) and top with Mumm Napa Cuveé.
Recipe from Mumm Napa
23. Blood Rising Cocktail
Jameson
In an iced rocks glass, combine 1⅔ parts Jameson Black Barrel, 1⅔ parts Lillet Rouge, 1¼ parts berry syrup, and 1⅔ parts orange juice. Stir and garnish with a handful of fresh blackberries and an orange wedge.
Recipe from Jameson
24. Pumpkin Punch
Aura Bora
Combine 12 oz apple cider, 4 tablespoons pumpkin purée, ¾ teaspoons vanilla, 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice, ¼ cup sugar, and the juice of 2 oranges and 1 lemon in a saucepan. Cook on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, then cool. Once cooled, shake 4 oz of your pumpkin mixture with 2 oz of gin. Top off with some Honey Pumpkin Aura Bora sparkling water and enjoy!
Recipe from Aura Bora
25. Ghost in the Orchard Cocktail
The Inspired Home
In a glass with one large ice cube, combine 1 oz of mezcal, 1 oz of Applejack, ½ oz of Benedictine, and 1 bar spoon of maple syrup. If you’d like, garnish with cinnamon or star anise.
Recipe from The Inspired Home
26. Mummy White Russian
The Spritz Effect
Wrap your highball glass with gauze and fill it with ice. Add 2 oz vanilla vodka, 1 oz coffee liqueur, and 2-3 oz heavy cream or sweetened coconut milk and sire to combine.
Recipe from The Spritz Effect
27. Mystic Moon Cocktail
Crazy Inspired Life
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Then, add 2 oz of GT’s Gingerade Kombucha, 2 oz of GT’s Mystic Mango Kombucha, 2 oz of gin, 2 oz of Thai basil simple syrup, and ½ of a lime (juiced). Then, pour in the powder from 1 capsule of activated charcoal and gently shake to combine. Strain into a martini glass and enjoy.
Recipe from Crazy Inspired Life
28. Bourbon Butterbeer
Gastronom Blog
For the buttered brown sugar syrup, combine ½ cup of water and ½ cup of light brown sugar. Bring to a boil and, when cool, add 1 teaspoon of butter extract. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate. For the Bourbon Butterbeer, combine 1½ oz of bourbon, 1 oz of buttered brown sugar syrup, 4 oz of apple cider, and 2 oz of ginger beer in a glass. Serve with dry ice for the complete Harry Potter effect.
Recipe from Gastronom Blog
29. Spellbound Cocktail
Crazy Inspired Life
Place 1 oz of Thai basil simple syrup in the bottom of a champagne flute. Then, fill the glass halfway with GT’s Gingerade Kombucha. Then, top off with prosecco. Gently stir, and serve.
Recipe from Crazy Inspired Life
30. Pomegranate Cider Mimosas
How Sweet Eats
Coat the rim of a champagne flute with about a teaspoon of salted caramel. Add about an ounce of pomegranate juice to the bottom of the flute and add about another ounce of apple cider to that. Top with champagne and serve.
Recipe from How Sweet Eats
31. Spiked Jolly Rancher Punch
Sugar and Charm
In a punch bowl, mix 3 cups pineapple juice, a 64 oz bottle of cranberry juice, 1 bottle of sparkling apple cider, a 1-liter bottle of ginger ale, and 24 oz of raspberry or passionfruit vodka. Serve with black licorice candy straws to make it even sweeter (but pace yourself when sipping this one).
Recipe from Sugar and Charm
32. Blood Wolf Moon
Montelobos
Combine 1 oz Montelobos Espadín, 1 oz Ancho Reyes Original, ½ oz cinnamon, ½ oz lemon juice, 1 oz blood orange juice, and shake together. Serve in rocks glass and garnish with dehydrated blood orange and cinnamon.
Recipe from Montelobos
33. Haunted Graveyard
Sprinkles and Sprouts
Pour ½ cup bourbon and ⅓ cup maple syrup into a cocktail shaker. Add 1 cup ice, 4 orange slices, and a sprig of rosemary to the shaker and shake for at least 30 seconds. Add ice to a short whiskey glass and strain the cocktail into the glass. Finish with a sprig of torched rosemary for enhanced aromatics and flavor.
Recipe from Sprinkles and Sprouts
34. Pumpkin Spice White Russian
The Cookie Rookie
Mix 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 3 tablespoons of finely crushed graham crackers on a shallow plate. Wet the rim and dip glasses into the graham mixture. Pour 3 oz of both vodka and pumpkin spice creamer, along with 1.5 oz of Kahlua, into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until combined and cold to the touch. Pour cocktail into glasses and top with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice.
Recipe from The Cookie Rookie
35. Monster Mash Margaritas
Freutcake
Combine 2 oz Silver Tequila, 4 oz blood orange juice, 1 oz lime juice, ice, and simple syrup to taste in a cocktail shaker and shake until well combined and chilled. Strain mixture over a glass of ice. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary, slice of blood orange and lime, and a gummy eyeball stir stick for an extra Halloween effect.
Recipe from Freutcake
36. Cacao Imperial Old-Fashioned Cocktail
Ron Barcelo
Pour 2 oz Ron Barceló Imperial, 2 drops Angostura bitters, 3 drops chocolate mole bitters, and ¼ oz sugar over ice, and stir. Top with shaved chocolate.
Recipe from Ron Barceló Imperial
37. Blood and Sand Cocktail With Lychee Eyeball
HelloFresh
Combine 1½ oz orange juice, 1½ oz sweet vermouth, 1½ oz Cherry Heering, and 1½ oz blended scotch in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass with ice. Make the lychee eyeball by placing a cranberry into the hole of each fruit. Slide each lychee onto a black plastic sword. Place the spooky fruit in your cocktail and enjoy.
Recipe from HelloFresh
38. Fright White Cocktail
Malibu Rum
Add 1 part Malibu Original, 1 part coconut cream, and 1½ parts apple juice to a strainer and shake with ice. Pour into a martini glass. Garnish with white cotton candy.
Recipe from Malibu Rum
39. The Apparition Cocktail
Jameson
In an iced highball glass, combine ⅚ part blackberry syrup, 50 mL Jameson Black Barrel, ⅚ part lemon juice, ⅓ part orange juice, and ⅓ part sweet vermouth. Top with soda water and garnish with the zest of an orange and orange peel.
Recipe from Jameson
40. Dark and Stormy Cocktail
Thumbtack
Combine 2 oz gin, 1 oz pomegranate juice, and ½ oz simple syrup in a large shaker. Add ice to the shaker, and shake for at least 30 seconds. Serve with a small cube of dry ice.
Recipe courtesy of Thumbtack
41. Absolut Masquerade Cocktail
Tito's
In a mixing glass, add 1½ oz Absolut Vodka, 2 oz black currant juice, and ½ oz Chartreuse. Stir ingredients with ice, and strain into a chilled martini glass.
Recipe from Absolut
42. The Gravedigger Cocktail
Andrew Kist
Stir 1½ parts Cruz Reposado Tequila, ½ part mezcal, ¾ part fino sherry, and ½ part pear liqueur. Strain over a large ice cube (preferably in the shape of a skull, muahaha) in a glass. Garnish with an edible flower.
Created by Masa Urushido of Saxon + Parole
43. Sugarsnake Cocktail
Courtesy Image
Reduce 1 cup of Black Raspberry Sparkling Ice with 2 tablespoons of white sugar until it forms a thick syrup. Drizzle syrup over the interior and exterior of a cocktail glass. Chill with 1 part Wicked White Whiskey and 2 parts Kiwi Strawberry Sparkling Ice. Garnish with two kiwi slices.
Recipe from Sparkling Ice
44. Black Cauldron Cocktail
Courtesy Image
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine 1½ parts Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila, ¾ part fresh lemon juice, ¼ part agave syrup, ¼ part sage simple syrup, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, and 1 capsule activated charcoal. Shake vigorously. Strain into a coupe or martini glass and garnish with a lemon slice.
Recipe from Hornitos
45. The Boneyard Cocktail
Courtesy of Party City
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine 1 oz gin, 1 oz light rum, 1 oz silver tequila, 1 oz vodka, 1½ oz blue curaçao, and 2 oz sour mix. Shake and strain into a glass filled with ice. Top with La Croix sparkling water.
Courtesy of Party City
46. Heat of the Moment Cocktail
Courtesy Image
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 2 slices Fresno chili pepper, 2 oz Espolón Reposado Tequila, 1 oz Funkin’ Passion Fruit Puree, ½ oz fresh lime juice, and ½ oz agave syrup. Shake vigorously and strain into a rimmed glass with fresh ice. Rim half the glass with cinnamon sugar, Fresno chili “horns,” and a lime spiral.
Courtesy of Borracha in Las Vegas
47. Smoked Pumpkin Cocktail
Courtesy Image
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 1 oz Ketel One Orange, ¼ oz lime juice, 1 oz Illegal Mezcal, 2 heaping bar spoons pumpkin butter, and 2 dashes orange bitters. Shake and strain into a glass with ice. Garnish with an orange twist and a sprinkle of flakey smoked salt.
Courtesy of The Rickey at Dream Midtown
48. Midnight’s Shadow Cocktail
Andrew Kist
Infuse Sugar Island Spiced Rum with espresso by mixing ¼ cup ground espresso with Sugar Island Spice Rum at room temperature. Let the mixture soak for 30 minutes. Strain.
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 2 parts espresso-infused rum and ½ part fresh lime juice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass. Top with ½ part ginger beer. Garnish with a lime wheel and candied ginger.
Created by Masa Urushido of Saxon + Parole
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Hannah Chubb is the lifestyle editor at Cosmopolitan, covering all things home, travel, food, health, career, and more. She spends pretty much every hour of every day curating the internet for the best new products, trends, and travel destinations. You can typically find her looking for houses she can’t afford on Zillow or Airbnb, planning her next meal before she gets to the restaurant, or taking all of the Justin Bieber classes over and over and over again on Peloton. Follow her on Instagram.
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