Embrace the flavors of fall with our spooktacular cocktail guide for 2026. Pick your poison, whether it be whisky, vodka, gin, tequila, rum or a dash of mystery with a spirit like Velvet Falernum. With warming ingredients like pumpkin, nutmeg, and butterfly pea tea, you’ll find a new favorite drink to serve, enjoy, and scare away the chill next to a fireplace.
Pumpkin Martini
2 oz Villon
1 oz Bumbu Crème
1 oz pumpkin liqueur
Whipped cream and cinnamon for garnish
METHOD: Add Villon, Bumbu Crème, and pumpkin liqueur to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well for 10–15 seconds until chilled. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with whipped cream and a light dusting of cinnamon. Serve.
Howling Margarita
1 1/2 parts Hornitos Plata Tequila
1/2 part JDK & Sons O3 Premium Orange Liqueur
1 part Lime Juice
1 Jalapeno Slice
Splash of Orange Bitters
METHOD: Muddle one jalapeno pepper slice in a cocktail shaker. Add remaining ingredients and shake over ice. Strain and serve in a margarita glass. Multiply ingredients for more servings.
Luc Belaire Spellbound Spritz
3 oz Luc Belaire Gold sparkling wine
½ oz elderflower liqueur (such as St. Germain) )
½ oz lime juice
2 oz butterfly pea tea
1 oz. club soda
METHOD: Pour the butterfly pea tea and lime juice into a glass with ice and stir with a bar spoon to combine. Add the elderflower liqueur and club soda, then top with Luc Belaire Gold and serve.
Midnight Haunt
2 oz Old Elk Straight Wheat Whiskey (Vanilla Bean Infused)
.5 oz. Averna Amaro
.5oz Chilled Espresso
1 oz Dubonnet
2 Dashes of Angostura Bitters
Cold Foam
.5 oz Luxardo cherry syrup (to drizzle on top)
METHOD: Three steps.
Infused Old Elk: In a lidded jar, place two vanilla beans and 4 oz of Old Elk. Close lid and let it rest overnight at room temperature.
Cocktail: Add all ingredients (except for the cold foam and Luxardo) to a stirring glass. Top with ice land stir for at least 30 seconds. Strain over fresh ice in serving glass and top with cold foam and Luxardo syrup.
Cold Foam: Add 2 oz of whole milm, 1/2 cup sugar-free Cool Whip, and 1 tbsp of pumpkin spice mix (store-bought or homemade) to an ISI canister. Alternately, you can add to a shaker Tim with a whipping spring to provide volume to the mixture.
Pumpkin Spiced Float
0.5 oz Blue Chair Bay Pumpkin Spiced Rum Cream
1 oz Blue Chair Bay Vanilla Rum
4 oz Root Beer
Grated Nutmeg or Pumpkin Spice, for garnish
METHOD: In a highball glass or tall mug, add Blue Chair Bay Pumpkin Spiced Rum Cream and Blue Chair Bay Vanilla Rum. Add in ice and then slowly pour in the root beer. Garnish with grated nutmeg.
The Vampire’s Kiss
All ingredients in this recipe are made by Premium Blend, a family-owned company founded by brothers Henry and Gino Santos. They collaborated with La Rosalías Kitchen on a Halloween cocktail series.
3 oz Klir Red 24% by Premium Blend
1 oz Grand Ma’ Triple L’ Orange 24%
1 oz Santos Grenadine
Top with Off The Hook Sparkling Wine
METHOD: Shake with ice, pour into a rocks glass, and finish with a cherry and red sugar rim if you dare.
Pumpkin Spice Matcha
2 oz Yoshi Matcha Liqueur
1.5 oz Vodka
3 oz Milk of Your Choice
1 barspoon Vanilla Simple Syrup
METHOD: Heat milk. Combine Yoshi Matcha Liqueur, vodka, vanilla simple syrup, and warm milk in a glass.
Pumpkin Spice Cold Foam:
2 oz Heavy Cream
1 oz Whole Milk
0.25 tsp Vanilla Extract
0.25 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
Pinch of Cinnamon
Pinch of Nutmeg
METHOD: Combine all ingredients and froth until thick and airy but still pourable. Spoon or pour over the finished cocktail.
The 5 O’Clock Spell
Created at Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resor’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar & Grill by Leroy de Lannoy, this cocktail is a trick and a treat. The drink transforms from blue to purple when the citrus is added due to anthocyanin pigments from butterfly pea flower tea acting as a natural pH indicator.
1.5 oz Pink Gin (Pursuitist favors Malfy Gin Rosa from Italy)
1 oz Lavender Syrup
2 oz Lemonade
1 oz Butterfly Pea flower tea/infusion
Dried pineapple garnish
METHOD: In a tall glass with ice, add pink gin, lavender syrup, and lemonade. When you add the Butterfly Pea Flower tea, the drink transforms from blue to a striking purple.
Wrath
The Wrath (Spicy Mango Margarita) and Gluttony (Zombie-inspired) cocktail recipes below are from Kimpton Everly Hollywood’s “Seven Deadly Sins” menu for seven Halloween concoctions. The special menu is presented as seven tarot cards from which to pick your poison, or you can draw blind and let fate decide.
2 oz Tequila
1 oz Lime
1 oz Mango Syrup
3 dashes Fire Bitters
METHOD: Add ingredients to a shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled. Wet the rim of a coupe cocktail glass with a slice of lime and dip into volcano rock salt (or regular cocktail salt) to coat the rim. Strain cocktail into the prepared glass and serve.
Gluttony
1 oz Aged Rum
½ Smith & Cross Rum
½ Wray & Nephew High Proof Rum
½ Velvet Falernum
½ Grapefruit Juice
½ Grenadine
¼ Lime Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters
METHOD: Add the first eight ingredients to a Hurricane Glass over pebbled ice. Whip until blended and frothy. Garnish with a cinnamon stick or a sprinkling of ground cinnamon. Fill the 1/2 lime with Absinthe and light on light on fire just before serving.
