Get into the Halloween spirit by experimenting with colorful drinks and ghastly garnishes. Spooky Halloween cocktail ideas abound, but it’s relatively simple to create a frightfully fantastic evening for you and your guests. Contrast classic Halloween colors using dark liqueurs, and transform everyday ingredients into garnishes. And just because Halloween is regarded as the sweet treat holiday, doesn’t mean you can’t include some whole-food elements.

Drinks

Whip up these to-die-for drinks in the Vitamix that will amaze your guests. These cocktails and mocktails incorporate the Halloween theme and work best when accompanied by a festive garnish.

Beware, this Spicy Bloody Mary will be sure to scare. It’s filled with whole veggies and fresh spices that will awaken your senses. Vary the sweet and spice to meet your desired taste.

For a blood-red refreshment, try an amazing whole food Cranberry Mocktail or Margarita. The Vitamix completely crushes the whole cranberries, natural sweetener, and ice into a spooky smooth drink you could enjoy at any time of year.

Garnishes

Try these bone-chilling additions to your drinks. We’ve outlined the best way to amaze and frighten your friends with these fun, whole-food garnishes.

Lychee fruit eyeballs: Separate the lychee fruit from the heavy syrup in the can. Insert a blueberry or raspberry into the hole of each lychee. Place the stuffed lychees in ice cube trays and pour the syrup over them. Freeze the lychees and add them to the drinks just before serving. Alternatively, skewer the eyeballs with cocktail swords instead of freezing them and dab a little raspberry or cherry preserve around the "irises" to give the impression of veins. Suspend the skewered eyeballs across the rims of the glasses before serving.

Bleeding heart beets: Trim a whole or halved pickled beet using a paring knife so it resembles a heart. Skewer each beet with a cocktail sword and drop it in the drink before serving. This garnish works best in light colored drinks like this delicious Kombucha Cocktail.

Jack-o'-lantern: Carve a jack-o'-lantern face into an orange peel using a channel knife or sharp paring knife. Do not cut through the skin completely; stop when you reach the white pith. Next, cut a circle around the face and pull that section of peel from the orange. Set the jack-o'-lantern orange peel in your drink, leaning it against the side of the glass. As light shines through the thin pith, it will give the impression of a lit jack-o'-lantern.

Other Halloween Touches

  • Add two to three chips of food-grade dry ice to each glass just before serving to make a thick mist. Handle dry ice with latex gloves and wait until the mist dissipates before drinking.
  • Use miniature glow sticks instead of cocktail stirrers to illuminate each glass.
  • Fill craft syringes with red, black or orange liqueur for your guests to squirt into their drinks to taste. The heavy liqueur suspends in the alcohol briefly before sinking to the bottom.

Looking for some healthier snacks to pair with your Halloween Drinks? Try these delicious ideas.