Wicked wines and crafty cocktails for a howling Halloween
These spooky serves are tailored to costume dramas, says Sam Wylie-Harris.
When it comes to fright night tipples and delving into the dark side, Halloween parties and an evening of nocturnal naughtiness deserves a screaming good drinks list to tie-in with your fancy dress.
To help you raise the bar and set the scene for some good-hearted skulduggery, these tipples have trick-or-treat written all over them…
Wicked wines
19 Crimes Red Wine Glow In The Dark, Australia, £9.99, The Bottle Club.
The label is a hoot in itself with a grizzly green skeleton to set the scene… it’s generous and a crowd pleaser, with an inviting nose of blackberry and vanilla, ripe and juicy flavours of berries and cassis unfold on the palate with a hint of milk chocolate riding on the lingering finish. Very smooth and easy drinking.
Locos Muertos by Seb De Martino, Carménère, Maipo Valley, Chile, £15.99, Virgin Wines.
Another bone-chilling label, Chile is doing some wonderful things with carménère, and this is a great example of its signature grape. Locos Muertos translates to ‘dead crazy,’ and while it’s not dead cheap, this more than delivers for the price. Hauntingly fragrant and well-cushioned, delectable dark fruits, savoury characteristics, spice, herbs and green pepper come into play with a touch of coffee on the vivid finish.
The Velvet Devil Merlot, Washington State, USA, £17.99, Virgin Wines.
This impressive red from award-winning winemaker Charles Smith offers rich, black cherry fruits galore with depth and concentration; devilishly delicious, subtle nuances of plums, cedar, tobacco and spice make themselves known, finishing long and velvety smooth. Super seductive for spooktacular shindigs.
Crafty cocktails
Silent Pool Pumpgin Spice Cocktail
Pumpkin spice and all things nice… this seasonal gin cocktail with Silent Pool Gin (£42.50, 70cl, Silent Pool), is sure to sharpen your palate with its pumpkin flavours and subtle spice…
Ingredients: 50ml gin, 25ml lemon juice, 15ml pumpkin spice syrup, 10ml sugar syrup.
Method: Half-fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the ingredients, shake vigorously and strain into a chilled Nick & Nora Glass.
Patrón El Diablo
Terrifyingly thirsty? Take Patrón Silver Tequila (£46.50, 70cl, Tesco) and spice up the Blue Weber agave with the fiery heat of ginger beer to make a Halloween reaper grin…
Ingredients: 45ml tequila, 30ml fresh lime juice, 30ml ginger beer, 7.5ml crème de cassis, lime wedge for garnish.
Method: Half-fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the tequilia, lime juice and crème de cassis, shake vigorously and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with ginger beer and drizzle a little cassis over the top, garnish with a lemon wedge.
Crystal Head Bone Bloody Mary
A new release, Crystal Head Vodka Bone, (£48.99, 70cl, Backtomine) is the perfect incarnation of a ghostly skull in bone white – and will look brilliantly ghoulish sat alongside a carved out Jack-O’-Lantern…
Here’s their blood-curdling recipe to capture the spirit…
Ingredients: 50ml vodka, 10ml fino sherry, 15ml fresh lemon juice, 150ml tomato juice, spice mix (Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, rock salt, black pepper, Sriracha), Tajin Mexican Chilli and Lime salt rim.
Method: Half-fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the vodka, sherry, lemon juice and spice mix. Shake vigorously and strain into a highball glass garnished with a Tajin rim and filled with ice. Top with tomato juice, garnish with an olive, dried thyme sprigs and a lemon wedge.
