This Halloween, scare up some creepy concoctions and devilish drinks.

[AJE]

Halloween Happy Hour (ADULTS)

What's a Halloween party without spooky cocktails? In addition to making guests feel more comfortable about wearing that leopard leotard with cat ears, holiday-themed drinks add extra flair to your fete. The simplest approach is to take a classic recipe and give it a creative name. A White Russian can instantly transform into a White Ghostini by adding phantom stickers to your martini glass. Or a Bloody Mary can evolve into a Dracula's Blood by substituting gummy teeth for a stick of celery.

If you're feeling more adventurous, I nabbed these recipes for specialty concoctions from some of the top bars in the city that parties best on Halloween: Las Vegas.

***JägerMonsters
Partygoers at Jet nightclub and Caramel Bar & Lounge will be slurping down these crazy libations.

1 oz. Jägermeister
1 oz. grenadine
4 oz. orange juice
Candy corn

Combine all ingredients into a shaker, and add ice. Shake thoroughly, pour into a highball glass—and garnish with candy corn.

***Tangerine Crush
Not feeling the call of Jäger? Then stir up the signature drink from Treasure Island's Tangerine Lounge & Nightclub and make it unique by serving the cocktail in a carved miniature pumpkin. This works great for Halloween-hued nonalcoholic drinks like soda and orange-flavored punch.

First, carve out miniature pumpkins and discard all the seeds and pulp. Plunge them briefly in boiling water for one to two minutes to remove any lasting flavor. Next, create the cocktail with the following ingredients:

1 oz. Stoli O or any orange-infused vodka
3/4 oz. Amaretto
2 oz. tangerine puree
Sprite

Put the first three ingredients into a shaker, and add ice. Shake thoroughly, then pour into hollowed-out pumpkins. Top with Sprite, and add a black straw. Cheers!




For the Chillins: Bubbling, Foamy, and Frothy Punches

If your Halloween bash is in need of some child-friendly Halloween drinks then prepare yourself for some Bubbling Witches Brew, Poison Potion, Classic Halloween Punch and some ghouly bits and pieces to add to your punch bowl.

***Bubbling Witches Brew
This Halloween drink can be made in a bowl or cups but needs to be prepared JUST before serving for the maximum effect.

Ingredients
Mountain Dew, Sprite, Gingerale, or Club soda (COLD)
Marshmallows (small) - used as teeth
Lime sherbert

Pour the cold soda into a serving bowl or cups.
Add marshmallows (for teeth).

When guests arrive (or before they have a drink of the brew) add the frozen lime sherbert.
The sherbet will bubble and fizz like a real witches brew!

***Bloody Hands
This dead easy recipe yields six ghouly red Halloween hands to add to your favorite punch. These are easier to make if you have a helper who can help you tie the wrists.

Ingredients
1 Gallon/ 5 litres Red Fruit Punch
6 surgical gloves
Twist ties

Fill a glove with the fruit punch. Twist the wrist portion of the glove then wrap tightly with a twist tie. Freeze over night.
Use orange, cranberry, or grapefruit juices as substitutes to the fruit punch.

When ready to serve cut small holes in the gloves with a scissors and float the "hands" in
your favorite punch bowl. The hands can slowly melt into the punch.

***Creepy Ice
Another easy addition to your Halloween drinks punch bowl.

Ice trays
Gummy worms (or similar)
Food coloring or cordial (optional)

Place a gummy worm or other creepy chewy sweet in each space of an ice tray. Add the water and food coloring, freeze and you have ice cubes with a sweet treat inside for your Halloween punch bowl.

***Poison Potion
This Halloween drink is as black as night, making it extra creepy!

Ingredients
1 package Kool-aid grape unsweet
1 package Kool-aid orange unsweet
2 cups Sugar
3 quarts/ 3 litres cold water
1 quart/ 1 litre Ginger ale- chilled

Mix the Kool-Aid and sugar in pitcher; add water and iceand stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the ginger ale
just before serving.


****Fruity Halloween Punch

Ingredients
3 (48-ounce) cans pineapple juice
1 (2-liter) bottle lemon lime soda
1 large package strawberry or cherry flavored drink mix
Crushed Ice /Ice-cream (optional)

Mix all ingredients together, except ice. You can add ice-cream to your punch to give it a foamy and creamy finish or crushed ice for an icy drink.
Makes about 1 1/2 gallons/ 7 litres.


***Warm Apple Cider
If you are looking for a nice warm beverage for the fall and winter months, here's an easy Halloween drink.

Ingredients
1 quart / 1 litre apple cider
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tblsp whole cloves
1 small cinnamon stick
pinch salt

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.


****Orange Ooze

6-ounce container vanilla yogurt

1 cup orange juice

3 cups orange soda, divided

Whipped cream, optional

In a blender, combine the yogurt, orange juice and 1 cup of orange soda. Puree until creamy. Pour the mixture into ice cube trays (it should take about three) and freeze, at least two hours.

Once the mixture has frozen, place the cubes in the blender. Add remaining orange soda and puree to frappe consistency. If desired, serve topped with whipped cream.

Makes 6 servings. (Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens.)

***Haunting Hot Chocolate

2½ cups whole milk, divided

2 cups milk or white chocolate chips (about 1 bag)

1 teaspoon almond extract

Whipped cream

6 purchased marshmallow ghosts

In a medium saucepan, heat 1/2 cup of milk over a medium heat. Add the chocolate chips and cook until completely melted, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes.

Add remaining milk and almond extract and cook, stirring frequently, until very hot, but not boiling. Ladle into individual mugs, then top each with whipped cream and a marshmallow ghost.

Makes 6 servings. (Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens.)

****Black Halloween Punch

2 rubber gloves

One .16-ounce envelope unsweetened grape drink mix (such as Kool-Aid)

One .16-ounce envelope unsweetened orange drink mix (such as Kool-Aid)

2 cups white sugar

3 quarts cold water

1 liter ginger ale

1 liter cola

Fill the gloves 3/4 full with cold water. Tie the open end in a knot, as you would a balloon. Lay one flat in a small baking pan. Arrange the other palm down on a freeze-safe jar, allowing the fingers to hang down the side. Freeze both overnight.

Once the hands have frozen, combine the drink mixes, sugar and water in a large punch bowl. Stir until the mixes are completely dissolved. Stir in the ginger ale and cola.

Briefly run the ice hands under cool water then cut away the glove. Add the hands to the punch and serve immediately (the fingers melt quickly).

Makes about 20 servings.

[AJE]

Widow's Punch includes Kahlua, amaretto and chocolatey ingredients

1 oz. Apple Brandy
1/2 oz. Benedictine
1/2 oz. Yellow Chartreuse
Dash Angostura Bitters

Combine everything in a shaker with ice. Mix well and stain in to a chilled cocktail glass.


ALSO TRY THIS VERSION
1 oz. Kahlua
1 oz. dark crème de cocoa
1 oz. amaretto
1 tsp. chocolate syrup
6 oz. Grenadine
Splash of milk

Did you know that the female black widow spider will sometimes feed on the male after mating? So, consider yourself warned if you see a woman holding this crimson concoction. This cherry treat should be served in a 13 oz. hurricane glass almost full of ice. Place all of the ingredients in a mixing container with a lid and shake until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, then pour the contents of the container into the glass. If there is not enough room in the glass, remove some of the ice. Garnish it with an orange and cherry and enjoy. This drink tastes like a chocolate-covered-cherry when made correctly.

I hope these potions help you tap into Halloween creativity instead of simply tapping into a keg. Try experimenting with the recipes or combining them to create new sinister and spooky flavors. Maybe these drinks will stir up memories of parading down the suddenly haunted streets of your hometown high on sugar as you dared yourself to knock on that one darkened door.

[AJE]

Jack-O-Lantern Juice

1/2 oz. Malibu rum
1 oz. peach schnapps
1 tsp. peach-flavored syrup
1 1/2 oz. melon liqueur
6 oz. orange juice

This fruity concoction should be served in a 13 oz. hurricane glass mostly full of ice. All of the ingredients except the melon liqueur should be poured into a separate mixing container with a lid and shaken vigorously. After mixing, pour the contents of the mixer into the hurricane glass. Make sure you leave enough room in the glass to add the melon liqueur. If you have to make room in the glass, remove a few ice cubes. Then add the melon liqueur, but do not mix. The melon liqueur will sink to the bottom, giving the drink the appearance of an upside-down pumpkin. OK, maybe it doesn't really look like a pumpkin, but it might start to resemble one after you've had three or four. Garnish with an orange and cherry. If you're going to be eating all the trick-or-treaters' candy, you're going to need the Vitamin C.