Halloween is almost upon us. What better way to kick off the most spooktacular time of year than with a top-five list of classic cocktails with evil monikers?
Our top pick has both a great name and a fantastic flavor. A surprisingly light and tasty combination of gin, Lillet Blanc, Cointreau, and lemon juice with a dash of absinthe, the Corpse Reviver looks good with any costume.
Make a Corpse Reviver #2 at home
Where to have it made for you: Presidio Social Club
Bonus: Presidio Social Club's bar manager, Tim Stookey, also has a Last Word on the menu, a runner-up for this list.
Zombie
If you spend enough time making Corpse Revivers, horror-movie law says you'll end up with Zombies. This tiki classic is a remorseless monster with a full 5 ounces of rum, nearly twice as much liquor as your standard Manhattan. It's no surprise that most establishments enforce a strict two-drink maximum.
Where to have it made for you: Smuggler's Cove
Bonus: In addition to the zombie, Martin Cate, Smuggler's Cove owner, offers an assortment of punches served in flaming skull bowls to share with your friends.
Death in the Afternoon
This drink, a simple combination of absinthe and sparkling wine, is said to have been one of Hemingway's favorites when he was living in France. He would enjoy three to five of these in one sitting (yeah, writers like to drink). The drink's milky appearance and herbaceous flavor will certainly loosen enough of your inhibitions to leave the house wearing that Lady Gaga meat outfit.
How to make a Death in the Afternoon at home: All you need is a bottle of your favorite absinthe (we recommend Marilyn Manson's Mansinthe, naturally) and bubbly. Add 1/2 to 1 ounce of absinthe to a champagne flute and fill with sparkling wine.
Where to have it made for you: Rye
Bonus: Jon Gasparini is adding other spooky cocktails for the Halloween season at Rye.
El Diablo
Easily one of the best tequila-based cocktails, this tall, pink, refreshing drink works on both a cold day as well as a hellish one. Traditionally a mixture of tequila, lime juice, crème de cassis, and ginger beer; it's spicy and tasty enough to get you into plenty of trouble.
How to make an El Diablo at home
Where to have it made for you: Beretta
Bonus: What makes Ryan Fitzgerald's version at Beretta superior is his use of homemade ginger syrup and soda water in place of ginger ale. The handmade touch yields a spicier and more complex manifestation of Old Scratch.
Blood & Sand
Named after a Rudolph Valentino movie of the same name, the blend of Scotch whisky, orange juice, Cherry Herring, and sweet vermouth makes for a lightly sweet and balanced -- yet blood-red -- cocktail. Perfect for any thirsty ghoul.
Where to have it made for you: Comstock Saloon
Bonus: Jonny Raglin at Comstock will also happily make you his favorite Halloween cocktail, the Monkey Gland, a concoction made of gin, orange juice, absinthe, and grenadine.
