As we bid farewell to October and prepare to welcome winter, Halloween, with all its ghoulish glamour, is our annual chance dress up and have lavish cocktails. From dressing your house to deciding what drinks to serve, you can still achieve elegance with a strong, visual theme. Here’s how to enjoy Halloween the Clos19 way.
Hallowen cocktails that aren't that tricky
1. Old Fashioned
Warm, spicy and deep, dark orange, the Old Fashioned cocktail is autumn in a tumbler. Place a brown sugar cube in the glass with a splash of water or club soda and a dash of orange bitters. Crush the sugar, then squeeze in the oil from a twist of orange peel. Tip ice cubes into the glass with a large measure (50 mL) of Glenmorangie The Original, stir and garnish with maraschino cherries to taste.
2. Perfect Mahattan
If you want to go even darker and smokier, a Perfect Manhattan cocktail is your go-to Halloween tipple. Fill a shaker with ice and mix 50 mL of the famously peat-smoky Ardbeg Uigeadail whisky with 25 mL each of red and white vermouth and three drops of orange bitters. Stir well, then strain and top off with a cocktail cherry or lemon-peel twist.
3. Long Zest
Add 50 mL of Glenmorangie The Original whisky and 3 drops of Angostura bitters into an old fashioned/rocks glass over ice, and stir. Top with 75 mL of ginger ale. Flame an orange peel to express the oils with ½ flat barspoon of molasses sugar, and add as a garnish.
4. Life in Venice
For a slightly more elegant cocktail, with a gentle nod to the Halloween theme thanks to its subtle red colour, try the Life In Venice. It features Moët Ice Impérial poured into a large wine glass over ice, with a dash of Italian bitter digestif and another of grapefruit bitters.