10 ghoulish cocktails for Halloween

Pumpkin Bellini at Sexy Fish

No Halloween would be complete without hollowed out pumpkins with ghoulish faces, but what to do with all the pulp? The clever cocktail gurus at Sexy Fish in Mayfair have come up with a cunning plan to make the most of the leftovers, and will be serving pumpkin Bellinis over Halloween weekend, replacing the traditional peach with the orange squash and lacing it with smoky mezcal to boot.

Those with a sweet tooth can also tuck into a Poisoned Apple dessert filled with chocolate sponge and green tea ice cream and covered in dark 
chocolate. Served
 on chocolate soil, for the final flourish the pud is doused in rum and lit with a match into a flaming wonder. We’re informed that staff will be donning “chilling 
underwater headpieces” over Halloween. You have been warned.

Corpse Reviver #2 at Balthazar

Over Halloween, Keith McNally’s brasserie Balthazar will be transformed into a den of petrifying pumpkins. Pastry chef Régis has concocted the Witches Hat Parfait made with praline on a bed of hazelnut sponge served on pistachio soil.

Legendary shaker Brian Silva meanwhile, will be serving Harry Craddock’s classic, the Corpse Reviver N°2; a twist on the Corpse Reviver that traditionally blends Cognac, Calvados and sweet vermouth and serves as a “hair of the dog” hangover cure, hence the morbid epithet.

The #2 consists of equal parts gin, lemon juice, Cointreau, Kina Lillet and a dash of absinthe garnished with a Morello cherry. Craddock warns: “Four of these taken in swift succession will un-revive the corpse again.” Terrifying tarantula optional.

Ant cocktails at Sager + Wilde

While the idea of sipping a cocktail crawling with ants sounds ghastly, certain species of ant share a chemical component with lemongrass, giving them an appealing citrus flavour. Sager + Wilde in Bethnal Green has latched onto this and will be serving cocktails made with vermouth, Hobgoblin beer and ants this Halloween.

On pour until 6 November, the cocktail features wood ants frozen in a blend of Hobgoblin Gold, grapefruit, pink peppercorn, bay leaf, white tea, wormwood and strawberry. The drink is topped up with Hobgoblin Gold and a squeeze of lemon. “This recipe really has legs. As the ice cubes melt, the bugs are released into the cocktail providing drinkers with a high protein Anti-pasti,” jokes Hobgoblin senior brand manager Joanne Wyke.

Stranger Sours at the Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen

In honour of ’80-themed American sci-fi horror Stranger Things starring Winona Ryder, which became an instant hit when it aired on Netflicks recently, Nightcall is hosting an evening of alien encounters, which will see the Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen transformed into a secret den decked out with fairy lights belting out synth pop, where Stranger Sours will be in full flow.

Dead Cool at Dirty Bones

The blood red Dead Cool currently on pour at hog dog specialist Dirty Bones is made with Montelobos Mezcal, Belsazar Rosé, lemon juice, beetroot plum soda and ebony lime served long over ice.

Sip among skulls at Wahaca’s Day of the Dead

Mexican restaurant Wahaca will go all out this Halloween with an outlandish Day of the Dead celebration under the arches near Waterloo station. Held slightly after Halloween on 3-5 November in honour of the Mexican festival, the event will include live bands, DJ sets, immersive theatre, Lucha Libre wrestling, Mexican street food, Patty & Bun burgers, and oodles of smoky mezcal cocktails.

Mr Hyde Potion at Midnight Apothecary

Hosting campfire cocktails at the Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe, the Halloween edition of Midnight Apothecary will feature a sea of carved pumpkin lanterns, a fire pit, toasted marshmallows, apple bobbing, batty bar staff and a blue fire. Spine-chilling potions include the Halloween Squawky, The Bitter Pumpkin, Mr Hyde Potion and the PearyScary Brandy Punch. Guests will be invited to descend into Brunel’s spooky underground chamber. 

Ghostly Shadow at Buddha Bar

This chilling drink is fittingly made with ghost vodka, lime juice, elderflower, cucumber, apple juice, sugar syrup, mint and egg white garnished with a spooky skull.

Eye for an Eye at Scarfes Bar

Cartoon-filled Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood hotel will be transformed into a haunted library for Halloween on 29 October. Hosted by cabaret star Dusty Limits, guests will be treated to an immersive experience of circus performers, tarot readings and treasure hunts. Music comes from The Hounds of Hell and cocktails take a turn for the creepy. Look out for the ghost of Dante’s long-dead lover.

The Eye for an Eye cocktail features Snow Queen vodka, roasted pumpkin purée, lime, ginger beer and homemade brown syrup, garnished with an jelly eyeball and edible raspberry blood, natch.

Jack O’Lantern at Rivington

Modern British restaurant Rivington in Shoreditch is getting into the spooky spirit with its Jack O’Lantern cocktail, which blends Plymouth gin with house spiced pumpkin, mandarin cordial, ginger liqueur, cardamom bitters and lemon juice.

Zombified at Pennethorne’s

Paying homage to the widow Veuve Clicquot, Pennethorne’s at Somerset House will be serving flutes of Veuve for £12 and Zombified cocktails this Halloween, with black lace masks given to those keen to get into the spirit of things. The person in the best costume will win a bottle of fizz.

Black as crude oil, the Zombified features black vodka, pomegranate juice, lemon juice, cassis liqueur, strawberry liqueur and blackberries.