11 Sinfully Sensational Cocktails To Savor This Halloween

Hilton mixologists share tricks for creating Halloween‑inspired treats

Halloween is almost here, and Hilton mixologists are sharing recipes for tasty cocktails that are sure to be a hit at your Halloween party. Ingredients like iridescent purple edible glitter and charcoal simple syrup create eye-catching colors, while garnishes like chocolate spider webs and pumpkins made from orange peels add to the fun. Read on for the ingredients and step-by-step instructions on how to make each drink at home.

Hilton Bogota knows a thing or two about celebrating the season, serving up the mysterious Hallo-Gin at Sky 15 Rooftop’s annual Halloween party. “It brings out the sweetness of our Halloween festivities,” said Bartender Maria Ospina.

Hallo-Gin from Hilton Bogota 

Makes 1 DrinkPrint

Ingredients

• 8 oz black raspberries
• 16 oz sugar
• 2 oz gin
• 0.5 cup tangerine juice
• 2 dehydrated orange slices 
• ice

Directions

1. Prepare the homemade syrup, mixing the black raspberries and sugar in a pot on low heat and stirring until it reaches a jam-like texture. Withdraw from the heat and blend. If the texture is not to your desire, you can strain it.
2. Fill a rocks glass almost to the top with ice cubes.
3. Pour in 0.5 oz of homemade black raspberry syrup.
4. Gently add in gin and tangerine juice, the objective is to differentiate the dark color from the orange.
5. Garnish with dehydrated orange slices.

The Ray Hotel Delray Beach, Curio Collection by Hilton’s Bartender Randy Rapposelli created this warm, well-balanced, and spicy twist on an Old Fashioned, just in time for Halloween.

Uzumaki from The Ray Hotel Delray Beach, Curio Collection by Hilton

Makes 1 drinkPrint

Ingredients

• 2 oz infused Toki (Arbol Chili, cinnamon sticks, Szechuan Peppercorns)
• 0.5 oz pumpkin syrup
• 3 dashes Mole bitters
• BLK alkaline ice cube
• orange peel pumpkin cutout

Directions

1. Freeze BLK alkaline water into ice cube mold of choice.
2. Pour infused Toki into Yari glass, then pumpkin syrup, then dashes of Mole bitters.
3. Stir and strain over BLK Alkaline ice cube in rocks glass.
4. Create a cutout of a pumpkin using orange peel and use for garnish.

Cook’s Note

Infused Toki Ingredients:
-2 cinnamon sticks
-1 Arbol Chili (No Seeds)
-5 Szechuan Peppercorns
-1 liter of Toki

Infused Toki Directions:
-In a dry pan, toast 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 Arbol Chili (No Seeds), and 5 Szechuan Peppercorns.
-Add to one liter of Toki.
-Steep overnight.
-Strain.

Inspired by bewitching brews and potions, Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach Bartender Sabari Kanth created the smoky red Terror on Terramar “potion,” adding glitter to provide a bit of enchantment to those who imbibe.

Terror on Terramar from Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach

Makes 1 drinkPrint

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz. Montelobos mezcal
• 0.5 oz. Cointreau
• 0.5 oz. lime juice
• 0.5 oz. prickly pear puree
• 0.25 oz. Grenadine
• Edible glitter
• 2 lychee
• 2 blueberries
• ice

Directions

1. Add ice and edible glitter into glass. Pour in mezcal. 
2. Create lychee eyeball garnishes by placing blueberries into lychees. Add the lychee eyeball garnishes to the glass. 
3. Mix all other ingredients into a shaker and shake well. 
4. Pour the well-mixed drink into a serving pot. If you really want to have some fun, use a smoke gun, if you have available, to add magical flare. 
5. Pour the drink from the pot into the cocktail glass and serve.

If you are as “spirited” about Halloween as Hilton Americas-Houston’s Food & Beverage Manager Jennifer Scott, you’ll love this bewitching Witches Brew that is pure magic.

Witches Brew from Hilton Americas-Houston

Makes 1 drinkPrint

Ingredients

• 0.5 oz orange juice  
• 1 oz Amaro Nonino 
• 0.5 oz Monin White Peach Syrup  
• iridescent purple edible glitter
• Prosecco
• black sugar

Directions

1. Rim a flute glass with black sugar.
2. Carefully pour orange juice, Amaro Nonino and Monin White Peach Syrup into the flute.
3. Add a sprinkle of the iridescent purple edible glitter.
4. Top with Prosecco to mix and create the glitter swirl.

Get a “TASTE” of the bright red Bloodsucker cocktail created by Gary Shamblen, manager and mixologist at Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Downtown Convention Center’s TASTE Restaurant.

Bloodsucker from Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Downtown Convention Center

Makes 1 drinkPrint

Ingredients

• 2 oz Makers Mark bourbon
• 1 oz Amaretto Disaronno
• 0.25 oz Grenadine
• black cherries

Directions

1. Add ingredients into glass and stir for 30 resolutions.
2. Add black cherries as garnish.

The Grave Digger, served at Hilton Cabana Miami Beach’s signature Allison Restaurant, is a twist on the traditional margarita and will leave you feeling extra festive this All Hallows’ Eve. 

The Grave Digger from Hilton Cabana Miami Beach

Makes 1 drinkPrint

Ingredients

• 2 oz Dano’s Reposado tequila
• 0.5 oz orange liquor
• 2 oz organic apple cider  
• 0.5 oz fresh pressed lime juice 
• 1 bar spoon maple syrup  
• 1 cinnamon stick
• cinnamon sugar
• flaky sea salt
• lime wedge

Directions

1. Mix equal parts cinnamon sugar and sea salt. Run a lime wedge around the rim of the glass and coat in salted cinnamon sugar mixture.
2. Combine the tequila, orange liquor, apple cider, lime juice, and maple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake to combine.
3. Strain into the glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

This fun Trick or Treat cocktail will wow guests at your Halloween party. Created by Camilla Galeota and Vitor Souza at Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana, the bartenders add, “Be creative and make the same non-alcoholic version for the kids.”

Trick or Treat cocktail from Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana

Makes 1 drinkPrint

Ingredients

• 2 oz gin 
• 2 oz passion fruit juice
• 1 oz simple syrup
• ginger foam
• black edible food paint/ink
• 2.75 cup sugar
• 1.25 cups light corn syrup
• 1.5 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 15 drops red food coloring
• chocolate

Directions

1. Use the chocolate of your choice and melt it on low heat.
2. Search the web for a spider drawing or other scary drawing of your choice and print it out. Use transparent plastic to place over the drawing.
3. Place the melted chocolate in a cream pastry bag with a thin nozzle, and use it to draw an outline on the plastic on top of the image. Let it dry and put it in the fridge until it’s time to garnish the cocktails.
4. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and water. Heat slowly on low heat, stirring constantly.
5. Once candy mixture starts to boil, stop stirring and leave boiling until mixture reaches 300°F on a candy thermometer, or until a small amount of mixture dropped into cold water separates into breakable threads.
6. Remove from heat and stir in food coloring. Wait until mixture stops bubbling, then add vanilla, mix well.
7. Dip the rim of a glass into the mixture while the mixture is still hot, swirl to coat the rim uniformly. You will need to work quickly to dip all the glasses before the mixture becomes too stiff. Turn the glasses again in the correct position and let them stand until the caramel creates drops and dries into droplet shapes.
8. Add the gin, edible food paint/ink, passion fruit juice and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with two ice cubes. Shake for about 20 seconds.
9. Take the glass with the caramel and put 2 ice cubes in it, add the cocktail and finish with the ginger foam until the end. Finish the decoration with the spider web or another candy of your choice.

Dare to try the Witches Smoking Broomstick? It’s a mix of spellbinding ingredients and just one of the haunting Halloween cocktails found at Coq d’Or, the restaurant located on the arcade level of The Drake Hotel.

Witches Smoking Broomstick from The Drake Hotel

Makes 1 drinkPrint

Ingredients

• 3 oz white rum
• 1 oz Malibu
• 3 oz coconut or almond milk
• 1.5 tsp. honey
• 4-5 ice cubes (enough to fill a shaker)
• a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
• spritz of rosewater
• rum-soaked cherries
• raw brown sugar
• cinnamon

Directions

1. Rim a chilled glass with raw brown sugar and cinnamon.
2. Add 2 ounces of coconut or almond milk and 1.5 teaspoons of honey to your cocktail shaker and mix until the honey is mostly dissolved.
3. Add a few sprigs of rosemary and muddle in the coconut/almond milk.
4. Add the remaining 1 ounce of coconut or almond milk with 3 ounces of white rum and 1 ounce of Malibu with 4-5 large ice cubes to your cocktail shaker.
5. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds.
6. Pour drink into rimmed glass and finish with a spritz of rosewater.
7. Serve with a garnish of smoking rosemary and rum-soaked cherry.

This color-changing cocktail at Hilton West Palm Beach is inspired by vampire lore. The use of both red and white wine gives the cocktail a complex and balanced flavor profile.  

I’m Not a Vampire from Hilton West Palm Beach

Makes 1 drinkPrint

Ingredients

• 4 oz white wine (dry, mineral, pear) 
• 0.75 oz simple syrup 
• 0.5 oz fresh orange Juice 
• 2 red beets (peeled, chopped) 
• 17 oz water 
• 1 oz blood orange liqueur (Solerno) 
• 1 oz red wine (cherry, oak, medium body) 
• 0.25 tsp blue edible shimmer flakes (edible glitter)
• 12 oz white sugar 
• 10 blackberries 
• honey

Directions

1. For Ice Cubes: Combine beets and water into a medium pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for approximately 5 to 10 minutes, until a fork easily goes through the beets.
2. Remove from heat. Strain out water, saving 2 ounces for blending.
3. Combine beets and water in a blender and blend until smooth.
4. Combine beet puree with blood orange liqueur, red wine, 1 ounce of water and 0.25 tsp edible glitter together and mix until blended.
5. Pour into ice tray and place in freezer.
6. For blackberry sugar: Rinse blackberries. Place in a fine mesh strainer. Press the berries through the strainer with a spoon, separating the seeds and flesh from the juice.
7. Combine juice with sugar in a sealed container. Shake vigorously to coat the sugar. Use a fork to incorporate any remaining clumps.
8. Place evenly on aluminum foil and place in a dehydrator on medium for 2 hours to remove moisture. Alternatively, place on a baking sheet and allow to air dry, breaking clumps as needed.
9. Use a coffee grinder to grind the sugar for a better rim.
10. Rim the wine glass with blackberry sugar. Use honey for a premium adhesive, and a paint brush for detailed designs. Sprinkle the sugar over the glass to avoid clumping.
11. For cocktail: Combine white wine, simple syrup, and orange juice into a carafe/pouring vessel.
12. Place “Sanguine” ice cubes inside the wine glass. Pour the cocktail over the ice cubes when ready to serve.

Andi Mitchell, hospitality manager, Night + Market Las Vegas at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Curio Collection by Hilton, says the Reanimator is guaranteed to raise your spirits.

Reanimator from Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Curio Collection by Hilton

Makes 1 drinkPrint

Ingredients

• 1 oz Wild Root Cucumber & Grapefruit Gin
• 1 oz dry vermouth
• 1 oz Grand Marnier
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 0.5 oz lemongrass simple syrup 
• orange peel for garnish
• lemongrass for garnish

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker and shake vigorously.
2. Double strain into a coupe glass and garnish with orange peel and lemongrass.
3. Drop in dry ice* for smoke and to chill the cocktail.

Cook’s Note

*While the drink is prepared with dry ice for presentation and is fully dissolved before being served at the hotel, when making it at home, using regular ice is recommended. If using dry ice, make sure it is fully dissolved before consuming.

Margarita fans will love the Blacks Beach Margarita from Hudson & Nash at Hilton San Diego Bayfront.  This Halloween spin on the classic drink is served in a skull glass.

Blacks Beach Margarita from Hilton San Diego Bayfront

Makes 1 drinkPrint

Ingredients

• 1.75 oz Mezcal
• 0.5 oz Cointreau
• 0.5 oz Ancho Reyes
• 1.25 oz activated charcoal simple syrup
• 1.25 oz lime
• black salt
• muddled cucumber
• lime wheel for garnish

Directions

1. Rim Skull Glass with black salt.
2. Muddle cucumber in a tin.
3. Add all other ingredients to the tin and shake.
4. Strain over ice into the rimmed glass.
5. Garnish with a lime wheel.