Each year dwindling daylight hours and pumpkins appearing on front doorsteps mark the arrival of spooky season. Halloween is a holiday that offers fun and excitement for participants young and old. While you might have gone trick or treating as a child, as an adult you’re hosting ghoulish gatherings with friends and family. According to Statista, 73% of Americans plan to participate in Halloween activities this year.
If you’re a part of that majority, developing a festive drinks menu is a great way to set the tone for the evening. Whether you’re planning on enjoying a scary movie marathon or a large get-together, offering themed beverages is a simple yet effective way to create an evening that stands out.
Canned cocktails, in particular, are ideal because they create a sophisticated atmosphere yet are incredibly easy to serve and customize. Compared to other drink options like beer or hard seltzer, cocktails just elevate the party. And when it comes to Halloween, there are virtually endless opportunities for being creative. If you’ve been searching for party inspiration, keep reading for new and easy ideas for crafting frighteningly good cocktails at home.
Plan Your Party Like a Pro
Spider webs, jack-o-lanterns, flickering candles—setting up a Halloween party seems simple at first. But like any event, creative consideration must go into the menu and how it will be served. Creating a truly special evening requires a bit more effort than a cooler full of basic beer and hard seltzers. Halloween-themed cocktails are fun and impressive to offer guests, but they can also present some challenges:
- Do you have the proper cocktail-making equipment?
- Is your equipment sufficient to mix up multiple drink options?
- Are you okay with playing bartender during the gathering, or hiring someone else to do so?
- Will multiple spirits, mixers, and garnishes fit into your budget?
If you want to create an impressive party atmosphere while saving money and actually enjoying yourself, stocking up on high-quality canned cocktails can be the perfect solution. The best RTD cocktails come in many mouthwatering varieties and are fast and simple to serve.
Related: Unveiling the Secrets of the Best Canned Alcoholic Drinks
They’re also a great solution for creating an elevated party atmosphere when you aren’t very skilled at mixing cocktails yourself—or when you want to get in the game and show off that amazing costume instead of standing behind a makeshift bar. By adding some of the spooky customizations we’ll cover letter, you achieve stunning results your guests will love, with minimal effort.
No Tricks Here: The Latest Canned Cocktails Are a Treat to Experience
When you order a cocktail in a bar, you know you’re going to get high-quality liquor, 100% real ingredients, and perfectly balanced flavors. Now, thanks to industry innovators, you can enjoy the same experience from home. When you make sure you’re choosing a brand that won’t compromise, you can offer your guests a bar-quality experience, without the hassle.
Here are some qualities to look for to be certain you’ve found an RTD cocktail brand you can trust:
- Perfect pours: The standard size for a cocktail is 100ml. Look for canned varieties that stick to this tried and true pour.
- No preservatives: Top brands offer 100% real ingredients. Real lime juice—not lime flavoring or citric acid—and zero artificial ingredients.
- Full strength: Depending on the cocktail, this may range from 24-37% ABV.
- The right proportions: Look for the recipe on the can to verify it’s authentic.
Selecting Your Drinks Menu
While it’s hard to go wrong with a great-tasting cocktail, you may want to narrow down your drinks menu to a few options. If you’re not sure what you’d like to serve, start by considering how your finished drink will look in the glass. Halloween is all about aesthetics, after all.
Cosmopolitans, for example, with their 1/2 oz. of cranberry juice, look lively and pink. They’re an easy option for dressing up in a spooky costume using some creative garnishes. With its naturally golden, amber hue, the Old Fashioned is reminiscent of fall and would fit in at any autumn table. Another option is the espresso martini, which looks rich and mysterious.
Of course, you can also simply pick the cocktails you enjoy drinking the most and get creative. With the right brand, you’ll be well on your way to finalizing your party plans. The next step is to add some fun and frightening personalization to your drinks.
How to Create the Most Memorable Halloween Cocktails
There are a wide variety of options for creating spooky cocktails, whether you choose to labor over each individual drink, or you go for a canned variety. One option is to keep things simple and let your guests pour their cocktails themselves. You can create a special effect by creating a smoking cauldron to hold your canned cocktails, using dry ice. Simply put some dry ice into the bottom of a large cauldron or bowl and place the cans on ice in a separate bowl on top. Add some water to the dry ice for an instant Halloween atmosphere.
Another option is to set out a terrifying tray of beverages that have been custom-garnished for the occasion. This kind of presentation will certainly make a big impact on your guests. To customize your canned cocktails, from glassware to garnishes, try these tips:
1. Start with the Glassware
The vessel you serve your cocktail in makes a big impact. For Halloween, you can get away with really stepping outside the ordinary. Consider serving drinks in laboratory beakers, glasses shaped like skulls or pumpkins, or in vibrant autumnal-colored glasses.
2. Mix in Something Special
While a high-quality canned cocktail comes completely ready to pour over ice and drink as-is, you can make it extra special by adding something spooky. With a cocktail shaker, add edible glitter to create a swirling, eye-catching effect. You could also add a complementary liqueur, such as Baileys Irish Cream to an espresso martini, or maybe some sparkling wine to a cosmopolitan.
3. Don’t Forget the Ice
Personalizing your ice is a cheap, fast, and simple way of showing you’ve thought of all the details. With a fun silicone ice cube tray, you can create shapes like ghosts, skulls, spiders, or pumpkins. You could even add gummy worms or gummy eyeballs to the middle of ice cubes.
4. Get Creative with Garnishes
Garnishing your cocktails is where your creativity can really shine. Here are a few ideas:
- Dip the rim of your espresso martini glass in chocolate frosting and sprinkles for a decadent decoration
- Top your beverage with roasted marshmallows on a skewer
- Enhance the fruit flavors in your cocktail with apple slices cut using Halloween cookie cutters
- Color some white chocolate sauce with green or orange food coloring and drizzle it inside espresso martini glasses
- Add cherry juice, raspberry puree, or liqueur to a plastic syringe for guests to inject into their cocktail
- Garnish a blood-red drink with a pair of plastic vampire fangs on the rim
Beginning with a pre-mixed, canned cocktail makes creating a special Halloween drink just one or two simple steps. Since you can be certain that every cocktail will deliver a perfectly balanced bar-quality taste, you’ll only have the creative finishing touches to worry about.
Candy and Cocktails: The Perfect Pairing
Since candy and Halloween go hand-in-hand, another excellent way of making your cocktails special is to serve them with candy pairings. You’re no doubt already aware of how certain wines taste the best with specific foods, but did you know there are also candies that go with canned cocktails? For example, an old-fashioned, or other whiskey-based drinks, taste great when served with Snickers bars because of the way caramel and nuts suit the aged whiskey.
Related: The Perfect Pairing: Espresso Martinis and Desserts
Try complementing drinks that have a sour note, like margaritas, with Sour Patch Kids or other candies that deliver a sweet and sour flavor profile. CNBC recommends pairing daiquiris with York Peppermint Patties. Your guests will love the experience of trying new flavor combinations, and since you’re beginning with canned cocktails, the required prep work to pull this off is minimal.
Unforgettable Gatherings Begin with Canned Cocktails
Halloween is an excellent holiday for letting your creativity run wild. If you’d love to celebrate a memorable evening with your friends and family but are looking for simple ways to pull it off with style, canned cocktails are the perfect solution. With just a few customizations, you can serve a stunning Halloween-themed drink that will be the talk of the event. The right RTD cocktails offer the elegant cocktail experience and bar-quality taste you expect in your favorite mixed drink, but without the hassle or expense.
At Post Meridiem, we are redefining what quality means for canned cocktails. Using a unique, proprietary canning process, we protect the delicate fresh flavors of 100% real lime juice, premium spirits, and liqueurs—with no preservatives or artificial flavors. Use our canned cocktails to create stylish and delicious haunted beverages this Halloween. Browse through our selection of award-winning ready-to-drink cocktails and start planning your best party ever.
