This year, we’re ditching the predictable pumpkin potions and embracing the thrill of spicy tequila cocktails for our Halloween festivities. We’ve conjured up a coven of cocktails that are as fiery as they are delicious, leaving your guests screaming for more.
Are spicy cocktails a trick or a treat? You be the judge.
Themed cocktails rule Halloween, and there’s no better Halloween party drink than a spicy cocktail. Set your best ghoul friends’ tastebuds aflame with jalapeño, habanero and cinnamon-infused tequila cocktails that will have them seeing red.
Keep reading for our six favorite spicy tequila cocktails to serve at your haunted Halloween party this year.
Do spooky, themed spirits bottles count as Halloween party decor? If so, this recipe is perfect for its flamin’ hot flavor and devilish ambiance enhancement. Don’t forget the jalapeño horn garnish for an ultra-Instagrammable libation.
2 jalapeño coins
2 ounces Jose Cuervo Devil’s Reserve Tequila
1 ounce fresh lime juice
Jalapeño cut into the shape of horns
Frozen habanero pepper, optional
In a glass, muddle jalapeño coins. Add ice, tequila and lime juice. Stir to combine and top with mineral water. Garnish with jalapeño horns and grate frozen habanero pepper on top.
Important note: Do not touch your eyes or face after handling the peppers.
“Spicy” doesn’t have to mean hot and spicy. If you’re a real Plain Jane who faints at the sight of a pepperoncini, try this spiced paloma made with cinnamon tequila for a delicious, autumnal cocktail without the heat.
Cinnamon sugar
2 ounces Fuegave Cinnamon Tequila
1 ounce grapefruit juice
½ ounce lime juice
½ ounce agave nectar
1 whole clove
Club soda
Grapefruit wedge
Cinnamon stick
Rim a rocks glass with cinnamon sugar. Set aside. Add tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, agave syrup and clove to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into the prepared glass and top with club soda. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge and cinnamon stick.
Who says tropical flavors belong only in the summertime? This spicy mango margarita’s pumpkin-orange hue will fit right in at your Halloween gathering. Consider serving in clear cups with Jack-O-Lantern faces drawn on in permanent market to really make your guests shriek with delight.
Black salt or Tajin
1 ½ ounces Ghost Blanco Tequila
1 ounce mango puree
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce agave syrup
Lime wedge
Rim a glass with black salt or Tajin and set aside. In a shaker with ice, add tequila, mango puree, lime juice and agave syrup. Shake and strain into prepared glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.
The golden rule for Halloween cocktails: if it doesn’t look like Morticia Addams would be sipping on it, it’s not fit to serve. This one is definitely Addams-approved. Jalapeño tequila is balanced by sweet melon liqueur and pineapple juice in a sweet ‘n’ spicy cocktail fit for a queen of the night.
Black lava salt/sugar (2:1 ratio)
1 ½ ounces Casamigas Jalapeño Blanco Tequila
1 1/3 ounces Midori Melon Liqueur
1 ounce fresh pineapple juice
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
Black faux spider
Wet ½ the rim of glass with lemon wedge or wheel and dip into salt/sugar mixture. Add tequila, liqueur, pineapple juice and lemon juice to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into rimmed glass. Add fresh ice and garnish with faux spider.
This pomegranate cocktail couldn’t be simpler, but the unusual flavor profile will make it seem like you were up brewing it in your cauldron all night. Drink up, witches!
Red and black salt
1 ½ ounces Avión Silver Tequila
½ ounce agave nectar
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce pomegranate juice
2 Thai Bird chili peppers
Rim a glass with red and black salt and set aside. In a shaker with ice, add tequila, agave nectar, lime juice and pomegranate juice. Shake well and strain into rimmed glass over fresh ice. Garnish with speared Thai Bird chili peppers.
Why is it called a Howling Margarita? Spice wimps will be howling for water...but spice fiends will be howling for more. (Also, it’s an old crone’s potion recipe that turns imbibers into monstrous beasts on All Hallow’s Eve, but that’s neither here nor there.)
2-3 jalapeño coins
1 ½ ounces Hornitos Plata Tequila
1 ounce fresh lime juice
Dash orange bitters
Dash agave nectar
Muddle jalapeño coins in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, tequila, triple sec, lime juice, orange bitters and agave nectar. Shake well and strain into a glass over fresh ice.
