Tipsy Witch Halloween Cocktail Recipe

Halloween is on the way, and if you want to get into the spirit, why not give this delicious tipsy witch cocktail a try? It is super easy to throw together and makes a real statement. Whether you're hosting a Halloween drinks party, or simply sipping an elegant cocktail between trick-or-treat visits, you're sure to love the great mixture of autumnal flavors and spooky Halloween styling.

Halloween is one of the US's most popular times of the year, and people really do go all out, dressing up in scary costumes, heading out trick or treating, and throwing big parties. This Halloween-themed cocktail makes for an excellent option to add to your party's offerings.

When devising this tipsy witch Halloween cocktail, Tasting Table Recipe Developer Jennine Rye wanted to offer a nod to the kind of ingredients that one of the three witches from Macbeth might throw into their cauldron. She decided to go with rosemary, which introduces a mature savory herbal undertone to the sweet and fruity flavors, common to a lot of cocktails. So crack out your witch's cauldron (or just a glass) and your sorcerer's mortar and pestle (or just a muddler), and get brewing (or mixing). Chanting incantations at the same time is optional.

To begin this tipsy witch Halloween cocktail recipe, first, you will need to gather the ingredients. You will want some fresh blackberries and a few sprigs of rosemary. From the drinks cabinet, you will need blue curaçao, vanilla vodka, and some grenadine (for that extra kitchen-witchy vibe, you could even brew your own). Lastly, you'll need a handful of ice and some soda water.

After gathering the ingredients, the next step in any cocktail recipe is to decide which glass to use. It's an important decision, and some cocktail recipes have specific glasses associated with them. Cocktails that would need to be kept at room temperature are usually served in glasses with stems, so they keep the drink away from the warm fingers of the drinker. Rye has used a short tumbler for this cocktail because it maximizes the contact between the liquid and the ice, chilling it thoroughly. It also provides a pleasing aesthetic and is the perfect length for a sprig of rosemary as a garnish. 

First up, muddle together the blackberries and the rosemary. Muddling is a common enough technique when it comes to making cocktails, but it's worth taking some time to think about how to do it properly. You need to make sure you're using either the right kind of glass, or a cocktail shaker, as some glasses are the wrong shape, and some are too fragile. Because this recipe uses a herb, don't mash the muddler up and down, but rather press and twist, otherwise you'll risk making the rosemary bitter.

With the blackberries and rosemary nicely muddled together, it's time to add the liquids. Add in the vanilla vodka, blue curaçao, and grenadine, then top the glass off with a handful of ice. The addition of the blue curaçao and the grenadine helps to create the beautiful deep purple hue of this drink, as well as leaning into the fruity freshness of the flavor. For a bit of variation or to lean into the Halloween theme even more, you could always use some fun ice shapes instead of standard ice cubes. Then top up with chilled soda water, or if you prefer your drinks sweeter, you can substitute it with a lemonade.

Your drink is now ready to garnish and serve. This drink is garnished with a smoking sprig of rosemary. While it is not a necessary addition to the flavor as the rosemary is already muddled into the drink itself, the extra sprig adds both a dramatic witchy flair when served, making it look more like a witches brew or potion, and also adds to the enjoyment and autumnal, or maybe even woodland witch, sensory experience with the aroma of smoking rosemary.