13 Halloween Cocktails To Serve For Parties & Ghouls’ Nights

If 2023 was the year of the negroni (sbagliato, with prosecco in it), then 2024 was undoubtedly our collective espresso martini era. If you’re on board with the trendiest drink in town, you need to try this pumpkin spice version this October. According to craft cocktail experts at Electric Shuffle, you’ll need 1.5 oz. vanilla vodka, 0.5 oz. Kahlua coffee liqueur, 1 oz. pumpkin spice syrup, and 2 oz. of espresso (the stronger, the better).

Also from Electric Shuffle’s recipe book: a delicious blackberry marg, whose purple color will look so good in fun glassware at a party. Mix up 3 oz. tequila, and 1 oz. each of Triple Sec, blackberry syrup, lime juice, and orange juice, andserve on the rocks. These are just as good frozen (hint hint).

Want to serve something seriously swampy at your Halloween party? Princess Pinky Girl’s recipe takes 15 minutes to make, fun foam topping and all. The blend of pineapple, apple, and lime juice with lemon-lime soda makes it fruity and fizzy, and you could easily enjoy it with no spirits or spike it.

This recipe from Simplistically Living, featured on Yummly, transforms your traditional Aperol spritz into this very photogenic Halloween cocktail. You’ll need vodka and Aperol, of course, as well as some ruby red grapefruit juice, vanilla extract, club soda, and black sugar crystals for the rim.

This recipe, originally published in Chilled magazine and now featured on Yummly, is a real show-stopper. It combines Grey Goose Le Citron vodka, Cointreau, fresh lemon and pineapple juice, and a littledrizzle of Crème de Mure blackberry liqueur on top for that blood effect.

Spiked hot apple cider is just plain good and never disappoints a crowd. It takes about 20 minutes to slice up your fixins and heat the cider for Brown Eyed Baker’s recipe, which you can then keep warm for a few hours set to low on the stovetop. Or, you know, enlist your trusty slow cooker.

Have you ever heard of kalimotxo? It’s a drink that’s equal parts red wine and cola originating from Spain, where it’s most often served with charcuterie and snacks. So, what better party drink could there be? The red color makes it perfect for Halloween, and the dry ice and gold leaf touches in this recipe (courtesy of Wander Spice/Yummly) make it very vampire-y indeed.

If Halloween makes you want to warm up inside Hogsmeade and maybe snog your new crush in the corner, butterbeer Jell-O shots will appeal to you. Princess Pinky Girl is the expert on festive Jell-O shots, and these are just as creamy, sweet, and delicious as the original beverage. Her layered candy corn shots are so cute for parties that aren’t Harry Potter-themed.

If you want the easiest of all fall drink recipes, look no further. All you need to make Budget Bytes’ mimosa recipe is, of course, sparkling wine of some kind, apple cider, and whatever you want to use as a garnish (she recommends rosemary sprigs).

Want to serve something as black as your wicked heart? *Witchy cackle* Well then, you have to try Climbing Grier Mountain’s recipe, as shared with Yummly. It’s essentially a classic margarita, but with a few drops each of red, green, and blue food coloring mixed in to turn it inky black. Don’t forget a black salt rim!

Hear me out: If you like the flavor of Jell-O but shooting it out of a tiny plastic cup is not for you, this cocktail (from Confetti And Bliss/Yummly) is for you. You’re going to crush up green Jell-O and mix in lemon-lime soda, reposado tequila, and a bit of melon schnapps. Rim your glasses with a colorful sugar, pour in your beverage, and top with some gummy eyeballs for added effect.

Sangria is such an easy drink to make in a big batch ahead of a party. Jessica In The Kitchen’s version calls for apples, cranberries, pomegranate, apple cider, cinnamon sticks, and just a bit of bourbon. It comes together to make a sweet, spicy drink that’s so good it’s dangerous.

Prosecco, blackberries, and a touch of grape juice and Chambord? Sign me up. Plunk a little dry ice into the top when you serve this drink, created by Linsfood and shared on Yummly, and your guests will fall right under its spell.