I made one of these once and a boozy Halloween party and it was the hit of the evening. I highly recommend that you set it up outdoors if using a real pumpkin. They look beautiful and work well as a bowl but … pumpkins leak; I found that one out the hard way the next a.m.. Mopping up a floor covered with sticky Halloween punch while suffering a hangover is not the way to kick off November.

Here we go -

• Half Gallon Apple Cider
• Close to a fifth of dark or gold Rum
• 3 regular or one large bottle(s) of Ginger Beer
• One med-sized, hollowed out, pumpkin

Close to party time, fill your hollowed out pumpkin or pumpkin punch bowl with the cider, rum and ginger beer, stir and add a frozen block of ice to keep things cold. Have your guests ladle the punch into punch cups.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a chilly week around Halloween, mix up a batch of Hot Spiced Cider. In the evenings before Halloween, I’ll pull out an old television set, hook up my DVD player and gather neighbors for Monster Movies out in the car (bar) port.  Sure it gets cool, but that’s fall. This drink will set things right.

Here we go –

• 2 quarts apple cider
• 4 cloves
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 5 shots Applejack or Apple Brandy

Heat cider with cloves and cinnamon, add booze and stir. Pat the rims of mugs in brown sugar and serve the cider in them.

I’m certain Freddy Kruger, Jason and Michael Myers sit back and enjoy one of these before a night of coed killing. It has an autumn appeal, and really tastes like an October cocktail.

Here we go –

• 1 ½ oz Bourbon
• ½ oz. Cherry Brandy

Combine ingredients in an Old-Fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

While usually considered a tropical cooler, this summer classic can and should be dusted off the week around Halloween. It’s all about the name, and drinking a Zombie while watching a zombie tare the guts out of some poor unfortunate in an old movie is just too fun an experience to pass on. This drink does call for an assortment of rums so plan ahead.

Here we go –

• ¾ oz 90 proof Rum
• 1 ½ oz Gold Rum
• ¾ oz Light or White Rum
• ¾ oz pineapple juice
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tsp super fine sugar
• 1 tablespoon 151 proof Rum

Mix al the ingredients except the 151 rum in a shaker with cracked ice. Shake ‘til cold and pour it all into a tall (hopefully Halloween appropriate) glass or mug. Float the 151 rum on top by softly pouring it over the back of a spoon slightly above the drink. Dust the drink with powdered sugar and turn on a zombie movie.

One of the few “modern cocktails” I’m including, this is a tasty, fun drink to enjoy while celebrating Halloween. This recipe comes from the Red Brick Tavern in Lafayette, Ohio where the ghost of a scorned young woman is said to roam the bar.

Here we go –

• 2 oz of mixed Cranberry and Pineapple juices
• 2 oz 7-Up soda
• 1 ½ oz Malibu, coconut Rum

Mix the 7-up and juices in a double old-fashioned glass with ice. Pour the rum down the inside of the glass right before serving.

I have this one listed over in my Autumn Cocktail list too, but I have to also include the AJ Rabbit on my Halloween Drink List. It’s just such a fall drink and Halloween is such a fall festival, the two are a perfect paring. Try and find real maple syrup for this one. The kid’s Mrs. Butterworth won’t do at all.
Here we go –

• 2 oz Laird’s Applejack
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 2 oz orange juice
• 3/4 oz real maple syrup

Shake all ingredients with cracked ice in a shaker. Serve up and ice-cold in a cocktail glass, garnish with an apple slice, light the jack-o-lantern up and enjoy.

They’re a true seasonal sensation and can only be found for around two months. Pumpkin ales, unlike other Harvest Ales and Oktoberfest beers are really brewed to be enjoyed at Halloween time. I’ve tried plenty and here are three that I found to be excellent.

• Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale
• Post Road Pumpkin Ale
• Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale (i.m.o., the best one out there)

If you can’t find these three, I urge you to purchase a six of one you can. The pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon flavors combine to really provide you with a unique drinking experience.