5 Black Cocktails for Wicked Halloween Entertaining

Chill your guests to the bone with these black as night cocktails for All Hallows’ Eve.

These chic cocktails already sport a little black dress and would be welcome at any cocktail party. But be warned, with bewitching ingredients like squid ink and activated charcoal, these pitch black and deep, dark brown, boo-zy bevies may so delight your guests that you have them haunting your hallways ever more…

The Black

Courtesy of Cory James, Goldie’s, Los Angeles

The Black joins The Pink, The Green, and The Amber as part of Goldie’s new menu which is cheekily arranged by color. A bright easy drinker that belies the dusky color, the orange garnish echoes the citrus notes in the Cio Ciaro and the fresh mint complements the Fernet Branca. Even though this is the richest drink on their menu, The Black is actually a low ABV cocktail, which despite being so savory is perfect any time day or night.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Carpano Antica
• 3/4 oz. Cio Ciaro Amaro
• 1/4 oz. Fernet Branca
• 8 Mint Leaves
• 1 pinch of Smoked Maldon Salt

Preparation: Combine ingredients. Press mint to express oil. Stir, strain over fresh ice into a small rocks glass. Garnish with a large plume of mint, and expressed orange peel and a pinch of smoked Maldon salt.

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Give Back the Nights

Courtesy of Michael Webster and Robin Goodfellow, Bar Raval, Toronto, Canada

With a mix of amaro and rye, this riff on a Black Manhattan is actually black. The addition of squid ink makes this a touch more savory and lends itself to contemplation. Toronto bartender Josh Lindley ruminates, “This drink, maybe because of the name and color, makes me feel reflective. It is smooth and rich and makes me think of the nights I’ve enjoyed and then I think about whether I will ever be able to live that way again. Would I even want to?”

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Lot 40 Canadian Rye
• 1 oz. Amaro Lucano
• 1 oz. Gentian-Infused Casa Mariol Vermouth
• 1 bars poon of Squid Ink Tincture (or Squid “Inkture”)

Preparation: Stir and strain into an Old Fashioned glass on a large block of ice. Garnish with a grapefruit zest and a cherry.

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Final Burn

Courtesy of Josh Suchan, Los Balcones, Los Angeles

A smoky riff on a Last Word, with equal parts mezcal, yellow chartreuse, alpine liqueur and lime, this cocktail’s bright flavor belies its dark exterior. The activated charcoal can be found in health food stores it is often used to aid digestion or in detoxification. Detox and re-tox with this pitch-dark tippler.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 oz. El Silencio Espadin Mezcal
• 3/4 oz. Leopold Bros. Alpine Herbal Liqueur
• 3/4 oz. Yellow Chartreuse
• 3/4 oz. Lime Juice
• Absinthe Rinse
• 1 Activated Charcoal Capsule

Preparation: Open the charcoal capsule and pour charcoal into the shaker. Add the other ingredients. Shake and fine-strain into an absinthe-rinsed coupe. No garnish.

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For the Watch

Courtesy of Greg Bryson, The Wallace, Los Angeles

“Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death.”

No spoilers here, but Game of Thrones fans know it doesn’t end well. Especially, if your name ends with Snow. Luckily for you, like revenge, this is a drink best served cold. Join the black brothers in a toast with this inky black cocktail, for winter is coming.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Iawai Japanese Whiskey
• 1/2 oz. Amaro Cio Ciarro
• 1/2 oz. Cointreau Guignolet (Cherry)
• 3/4 oz. Grapefruit Juice
• 1/4 oz. Squid Ink-Rosemary Syrup

Preparation: Shake and strain into a coupe. Garnish with a sword through a cherry.

*Squid Ink-Rosemary Syrup

Equal parts sugar and water, simmer with a handful of rosemary. Cool off and add squid ink syrup (see below) until 200% opaque.

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Seasons Change

Courtesy of Brett MacDonald, Dutch Kills, American Whiskey, and Basik, New York

With notes of coffee and caramel, this after dinner sipper was conceived by New York bartender Brett MacDonald, for those nights when you need an escape from the daily grind. His advice for these changing seasons: “Try this alternative to an old fashioned, for sipping at the bar or to curl up with in bed.”

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 oz. El Dorado 8 year Rum
• 1/4 oz. Borghetti Cofee Liqueur
• 1 bar spoon of Agave Syrup
• 3 dashes of Bittercube Blackstrap Bitters

Preparation: Combine all ingredients into an old fashioned glass. Add ice. Stir for dilution.