3 Halloween Cocktails That Steal the Show (Plus a Mocktail That Changes Color in the Glass)

Okay, friends, pull up a stool.

Every October, someone asks me the same question: "What should I make for my Halloween party?" And every year I give the same answer. Pick drinks that look amazing, taste like fall, and don't keep you stuck behind the counter all night.

So here are my three favorites for the season, plus a mocktail that does a magic trick. I'll walk you through each one the way I'd teach you in my own kitchen, with the little details that make the difference between a fine drink and the one everyone talks about the next day.

Before we start: your mini bar kit

You don't need a fancy setup. You need five things:

• A shaker. A two-piece tin shaker is what most bartenders use, but a mason jar with a tight lid works in a pinch.

• A jigger. Measure everything. Eyeballing is how a great margarita becomes a sour mess.

• A strainer. To keep ice chips and seeds out of the glass.

• Fresh citrus. This is the one I'll fight you on. Bottled lemon and lime juice will flatten every drink on this list. Squeeze it fresh, the same day.

• Good ice. Lots of it. Ice is an ingredient: it chills and adds just enough water to balance the drink.

One rule to remember: if a drink has citrus, shake it. If it's all bubbles and spirits, build it in the glass. Shaking mixes and aerates. Bubbles hate being shaken.

1. Haunted Orchard Punch

Fall in Georgia means apple season up in Ellijay, and this drink is my love letter to it.

Fresh cider and bourbon, warmed up with a cinnamon-sorghum syrup that tastes like the Southern cousin of a caramel apple.

You'll need:

• 1.5 oz bourbon

• 2 oz fresh apple cider

• 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice

• 0.5 oz cinnamon-sorghum syrup

• 2 oz ginger beer

• An apple slice and a cinnamon stick to garnish

How to make it: First, the syrup. Stir equal parts sorghum syrup and hot water, drop in two cinnamon sticks, and let it steep for 20 minutes. Then shake the bourbon, cider, lemon and syrup with ice for about 10 seconds. Strain over fresh ice and top with ginger beer. The ginger beer goes in last and never in the shaker.

My tip: Making it in a punch bowl? Float apple slices studded with whole cloves on top. From across the room they look like tiny floating skulls, and the whole kitchen will smell like fall.

2. Black Widow Margarita

The margarita is the most reliable crowd-pleaser there is, so I gave it a costume. Blackberry turns it a deep violet, black lava salt makes it look like it crawled out of a haunted house, and a plastic spider ring hooked on the stem finishes the look. Your friends will wear those rings all night. I promise.

You'll need:

• 2 oz blanco tequila

• 1 oz blackberry purée

• 0.75 oz fresh lime juice

• 0.5 oz agave syrup

• Black lava salt for the rim

• A fresh blackberry and a spider ring to garnish

How to make it: For the purée, blend a cup of blackberries with a spoonful of sugar and push it through a fine strainer to catch the seeds. Salt the rim the same way you did the sugar rim above. Shake everything hard with ice for a good 12 to 15 seconds, then strain over fresh ice.

My tip: Only salt the outside of the rim. Salt that falls into the drink makes every sip saltier than the last.

3. Vampire's Kiss Spritz

This is the showstopper. A light, bubbly blood-orange spritz that looks innocent until the final step, when you pour grenadine down the inside of the glass. It sinks and streaks toward the bottom like something out of a vampire movie. People will ask for this one just to watch you make it.

You'll need:

• 3 oz prosecco

• 1.5 oz blood orange juice

• 0.5 oz elderflower liqueur

• 0.25 oz grenadine

• A blood orange wheel to garnish

How to make it: Fill a wine glass with ice. Add the blood orange juice and elderflower liqueur, then gently pour in the prosecco. Give it one slow stir. Then pour the grenadine slowly over the back of a spoon held against the inside of the glass, and watch it "bleed" down.

My tip: Use a clear stemless glass so the drip shows from every angle. Grenadine is heavier than everything else in the glass, which is why it sinks instead of mixing in.

Bonus: Potion No. 0 (the mocktail that changes color)

This is my favorite thing to show people. Butterfly pea flower tea is naturally deep blue, and when you add something acidic like lemonade, it turns purple right in front of your eyes. It's science, but it feels like magic.

You'll need:

• 3 oz chilled butterfly pea flower tea

• 3 oz lemonade

• A splash of simple syrup, to taste

• A lemon wheel to garnish

How to make it: Brew the tea, let it cool completely, and pour it over ice. Then hand the lemonade to your guest and let them pour it in themselves. That's the whole fun.

My tip: Make plenty. Your designated drivers will love you for it, and so will anyone not drinking that night.

A few things I tell every host

After years of running bars at big events, here's the advice I give my own friends before any Halloween party:

• Plan the ride home before the first pour. Pick a designated driver or plan on a rideshare. Halloween weekend is one of the busiest nights for rideshares, so expect waits and plan ahead.

• Slow down in neighborhoods. Trick-or-treaters are out in the early evening, often in dark costumes and crossing mid-block. Drive slowly and watch every driveway.

• Measure, don't free-pour. Those spec amounts aren't just for flavor. They help you and your guests keep track of how much everyone's had.

• Keep the mocktail front and center. Drivers and anyone under 21 deserve something fun in their hand too, and alcohol is strictly for guests 21 and over.

• Put out food and water. Something to snack on and a water station keep the night fun for longer.

• Swap real candles for LED ones. Flowing capes and open flames don't mix. Battery candles in jack-o'-lanterns look just as good.

• Keep dry ice out of the glass. Fog looks amazing on a Halloween bar, but dry ice should never go into a drink. Keep it in a separate bowl at the display.

• Keep candy away from pets. Chocolate and sugar-free candy with xylitol are dangerous for dogs.

That's it, friends. Pick your favorites, practice them once before the big night, and have the best Halloween party on the block.

Cheers, and happy Halloween!

The Hero Journal Team