Halloween Hooch

Now that we've sobered up from Columbus Day what's next?

Well you can make alcohol from just about anything organic, but I haven't come across any pumpkin based ones? Not even pumpkin wine.

Halloween is in the middle of cider (that'll be hard jack cider to you americans) season though, so that's not a bad place to start.

I don't know how prevalent real cider is over there but a bit of diligent searching here will get a lot of very small producers, with a small cask behind the bar.

Don't forget Perry either, though I find it too light for cold dark days when you need the greater body of a thick cider to keep you glowing.

I shudder to think of some candy corn flavored cocktail, but I'm sure they've come up with one. Now, THAT would be scary!

Although, I like the hard cider idea.

There was a very small producer selling wine-sized bottles (not casks, I'm afraid) of hard cider at my local farmers' market last weekend. As a general rule, I don't like hard cider that is super sweet, but their "dry" version was so bone dry it was hard to swallow. The sweet version could have been used for the base of that candy corn cocktail I fear. But the semi-dry was just right. I snagged a bottle and may save it for Halloween. Like an adult version of bobbing for apples.

Don't forget the pumpkin-flavored beer! This also the time of year one should be able to find a caramel beer. It's not as sweet as it sounds. Just really creamy-tasting.

#4 - I've recently learnt there are two forms of sweet cider.

Some cider apples are naturally sweeter than others.
Some producers add suger to the cider to produce a sweeter taste. This is often noticable because of the dry undertones. All I'll say if you're not used to drinking it is watch the alcohol content, it often doesn't taste anywhere as strong as it is. Perry is even more pronouced in this effect.

Forgot Pumpkin beer! can be very good.

Doesn't someone do a cranberry beer as well? Sam Adams, maybe?

Here's some suggestions for your party. We already gave a good Zombie recipe on another thread and everybody knows Bloody Mary. So here's a few more I dragged up from the crypt.

Vampire made with:
Chambord
Vodka
Cranberry juice

Witch's Brew made with:
Yellow Chartreuse
Blue curacao
Brandy
Cloves
Nutmeg
Alspice

Ogre Drink made with
Vanilla ice cream
Malibu Rum
Coca Cola

Neon Ghost made with
Vodka
Pisang Ambon (I don't know what this is)

Have fun.

There is a shot called a Snake-in-the-Grass that also makes a lovely sipping drink.

Midori
Tequila
7-up (just a little)
Sour Mix (a splash)

It's a very pretty, iridescent green.

Here's a link to some Halloween themed wines.
http://www.wsoctv.com/charlotteevents/14368093/detail.html

It's that time of year again and this crowd has been too quiet. Halloween is on a Friday this year so there's no work excuse getting in the way. Your plans?

Going to Vegas!

I like the witch's tit:

2 1/2 oz kahlua
1/2 oz cream
cherry
layered in a shot with the kahlua, then the cream, then the cherry floated on top. It's more fun to say the the title than it is to drink.

Wychwood brewery has a couple of good Halloween themed beers and ciders; some of them are organic. And yummy.

Yeah, I was always put off the "Sloe Comfortable Screw" by the childishness of the name.

I tried Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale. If you hold it on your tongue a few seconds you can taste a mild pumpkin/nutmeg flavor. I'm normally not a beer drinker but I love pumpkin and thought it was decent. My husband normally drinks Guinness and thought the pumkin ale was very spicy.

Here's a great article about Halloween cocktails from the Wall Street Journal, and who but their readers should be drinking the most these days? Satan's Whiskers sounds tasty. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122488188224167841.html