5 Spooktacular Halloween Cider Cocktails

Halloween is nearly upon us, so make sure you’re prepared to impress your loved ones with spooky cider cocktails that you can easily concoct. Add cider to the mix and take your Halloween cocktails to the next level! 

1) The Corpse Reviver

Hit the wall at the party and feeling like a zombie? Woken up feeling like a member of the undead? These refreshing cider cocktails will make sure you remember your spooktacular Halloween night.

Makes two cider cocktails

• 1 bottle of  Craft Cider (330ml ) recommendation: Original Garden Cider (available in October's box) 
• 3 oz of Apple infused bourbon
• Sparkling water
• Lemon and apple wedges

Mix the cider and apple bourbon together, add two squeezes of lemon and a large splash of sparkling water. Pour into two glasses and garnish with apple and lemon. 

2) Bloody Good AppleTini

A drink the count himself would be proud of! A great twist on a classic means this spooky cider cocktail is sure to impress your guests with its bloody rim.

To create the bloody rim:

Simmer equal parts of grenadine and sugar until a syrupy consistency is reached.

Dip the rims of your glasses in the red syrup and turning each glass over quickly, letting the blood drip down.

For the Drink

• 1 ⅓ oz of vodka or gin
• ⅔ oz of craft cider | recommendation: Apple County Yarlington (available in pay day discovery pack)
• Red food colouring

Combine and mix with ice and enjoy these hauntingly good cider cocktails.

3) Apple-pumpkin Cider Fizz

Halloween wouldn’t be the same without pumpkins and this cider cocktail makes sure you won’t miss out on your pumpkin hit.

What you’ll need:

• 1 1/2 oz. pumpkin puree (homemade - diced pumpkin in a blender)
• 1 1/2 oz. vanilla vodka
• 2 oz. craft cider - recommendation: Crafty Nectar no.7
• 1 1/2 oz. ginger beer

Combine in a shaker with ice all the ingredients apart from the ginger beer. Shake and strain into a glass with ice. Top with the drink with the ginger beer, and enjoy!

4) SINISTER CIDER MARTINI

This sinister cider cocktail martini is the perfect addition to any Halloween gets together!

You’ll need

• Fine black sanding sugar
• apple
• Lime
• Maple syrup
• 3-ounces Cider - recommendation: Hewletts Mill Stone Broke (available in Somerset Cider box!) 

• 2 ounces of Vodka
• Ice
• Soda water

To make:

Wet the rim of the glass and dip the glass into the black sanding sugar.

Muddle together apple cubes and lime wedges, add the syrup, cider, vodka and ice.

Shake until well combined.

Strain into a martini glass and top with soda water.

5) Caramel Apple Cider Cocktail

Forget traditional caramel apples this Halloween and replace with this delightful cider cocktail.

• 2 oz. Caramel Flavored Vodka
• 1 1/2 oz cider - recommendation: Eastern Counties fine cider (available in our fine double fine cider box!)
• 1/4 oz lemon juice
• Caramel sauce for rimming
• Apple slices for garnish
• Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice.
• Shake well. Strain into a martini glass.
• Garnish rim with a bead of caramel sauce on the inside top edge 

6) Shrunken heads in spiced cider punch

This spiced cider punch just got a Halloween makeover with shrunken heads, the perfect Halloween addition. Great served warm or cold!

INGREDIENTS:

For the shrunken heads:

• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 8 Granny Smith apples

For the spiced cider:

• 4 litres of cider - recommendation: Crafty Nectar no.7 
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 8 whole allspice berries
• 6 cardamom pods
• 1 orange, quartered
• freshly grated nutmeg
• pinch of fine sea salt

To finish:

• whole cloves (2 per shrunken head)
• spiced rum, optional

Make the shrunken heads:

1. Preheat oven to 250° F. Line a baking tray with parchment. Combine lemon juice and salt in a bowl. Set out a fat wad of paper towels.
2. Peel apples and cut each in half through the stem; use a melon baller to remove the seeds and the core. Using a sharp paring knife and differently sized melon ballers, carve faces into the rounded sides of the apples. Dip each face in the lemon/salt mixture and set it on the paper towels while you carve the next face. Transfer the face on the paper towels to the lined baking tray and repeat with remaining apple faces until all of your apple faces are finished.
3. Put into the oven for approx 2 hours

Making the spiced cider:

1. Combine all of the cider ingredients in a pot over medium heat (use freshly grated nutmeg to taste). Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to the lowest heat. Allow simmering very gently for 30 minutes. Strain.
2. Hold the cider over very low heat to keep warm until apples are finished.