Blackberry Bourbon Cocktail for Halloween

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It's a Halloween Happy Hour! This blackberry bourbon cocktail is perfect for getting you in the Halloween spirit bringing maximum taste and spooky color without using any food coloring or hard-to-find ingredients.

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Ingredients
How to Make a Blackberry Bourbon Cocktail
Recipe Tips
Don't Miss These Bourbon Cocktails
FAQs and Substitutions
Happy Hour Snack Pairings
More Delicious Cocktail Recipes You'll Love
Print the Recipe
Blackberry Bourbon Halloween Cocktail

A blackberry bourbon cocktail is perfect for your Halloween festivities - whether you're walking trick-or-treaters around the neighborhood, passing out candy to costumed kiddos, or watching your favorite scary movie. Themed cocktails make any event more festive, and a Halloween Party definitely needs Halloween cocktails.

When it comes to Halloween drinks, this is a simple cocktail. Let's skip the dry ice and punch bowl in favor of a more individualized Halloween drink experience. In my world Halloween events are nighttime festivities, and I want the kind of drink that doubles as a nightcap - not something green and overflowing with sugary garnishes.

Bourbon is my go-to spirit for evening drinks, so for this cocktail recipe I paired it with two of my favorite fruits - juicy blackberries and fresh orange. Both lend a sweetness to the drink, but we're using the orange for both its juice and zest, letting the citrus oil combine with the orange bitters to keep this from becoming an overly sugary sip.

Ingredients

Bourbon
Honey syrup
Ginger liqueur
Orange bitters
Fresh blackberries
An orange

How to Make a Blackberry Bourbon Cocktail

Combine blackberries and orange juice in a mixing glass. Using a muddler, crush the blackberries completely.

A hand crushing blackberries with a muddler.

Add bourbon, honey syrup, ginger liqueur, and orange bitters to the mixing glass.

Bourbon being poured into a mixing glass.

Fill the mixing glass half full with ice.

Ice falling into a mixing glass with cocktail.

Stir for 10-15 seconds to chill the cocktail.

A hand stirring a mixing glass filled with cocktail.

Double strain through a fine mesh strainer into a rocks glass filled with ice.

Cocktail being poured from a mixing glass through a strainer into a rocks glass.

Express a piece of orange peel over your cocktail.

Orange oil from a peel being expressed over a glass of blackberry bourbon cocktail.

Garnish with the orange peel and/or fresh blackberries.

Enjoy!

Blackberry Bourbon Cocktail with smoke swirling around it.

Recipe Tips

Don't have a mixing glass? Use a mason jar or the bottom part of a cocktail shaker instead.

Can't find ginger liqueur? Leave it out when mixing your cocktail, then add a splash of ginger beer or ginger ale to your spooky cocktail before enjoying!

Fresh squeezed orange juice is important in this recipe! Buy the fruit, not the bottle of juice. Besides, you need the orange peel for your drink anyway.

Don't Miss These Bourbon Cocktails

FAQs and Substitutions

What kind of bourbon should I use?

Use your favorite bourbon, just not one that's flavored (honey, apple, etc.). I like Bulleit Bourbon or Buffalo Trace in this drink.

Can I use frozen blackberries?

Yes! If you can't find fresh berries, frozen blackberries are a great choice. Just make sure you thaw them first before crushing in your mixing glass.

Where do I buy honey syrup?

You make it! Combine ½ cup honey with ½ cup hot water. Stir until the honey is dissolved. Place in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Chill the mixture for at least 2 hours before using in your cocktail. Get more tips and syrup information on my DIY Simple Syrup page.

How is this different than a bourbon smash recipe?

Bourbon smashes are delicious on a hot summer day, but this cocktail isn't a smash cocktail in large part because of its lack of fresh herbs. Similar to a mint julep, a blackberry bourbon smash contains a lot of mint leaves. Crushing that fresh mint gives the cocktail an entirely different flavor than what this recipe has. Which is also why this drink doesn't have a mint sprig for garnish. This delicious recipe is the perfect way to enjoy a cozy (or spooky!) fall night. A whiskey smash or bourbon smash is better for a warmer time of year.

Happy Hour Snack Pairings

More Delicious Cocktail Recipes You'll Love

Print the Recipe

Blackberry Bourbon Halloween Cocktail

Print Recipe

This blackberry bourbon cocktail was developed for maximum taste and spooky color without using any food coloring or hard-to-find coloring ingredients.