Photo: Midnight in Mexico, Kody Melton

Midnight in Mexico, San Antonio Texas

Día De Los Muertos (Day of The Dead) is celebrated on November 1 and November 2 throughout Mexico and US regions with large Mexican populations such as San Antonio, Texas. The Mexican holiday has honored spirits of families and friends for thousands of years. One of the most common ways to toast to a departed loved one is to do so with a proper cocktail.

While shades of bright orange and yellow marigolds, sugar skulls and photo-filled altars associated with Día de los Muertos are quite colorful, Downstairs at the Esquire Tavern in San Antonio honors the dead with a more shadowy take, that is the drink called Midnight in Mexico.

This dark, yet bright and alluring cocktail and was created by Houston Eaves to represent the balance of life and death that is traditionally celebrated during Día De Los Muertos, the traditional Mexican holiday following Halloween that honors the dead. Midnight in Mexico is only featured during the Dia de los Muertos holiday in honor of Mexican culture and traditions.

Midnight in Mexico

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz Mezcal Vago Elote
  • 0.75 oz Ancho Reyes
  • 0.75 oz Fernet-Vallet

Build:

  1. Stir well with ice in a mixing glass.
  2. train over a large piece of ice in a rocks glass.
  3. Express oil from a wide grapefruit swath, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.

Year round, Beverage Director Houston Eaves helps lead a beverage program that thoughtfully creates cocktails in ways that utilize Mexican ingredients in a timely way and pay homage to the rich Mexican history and traditions associated with San Antonio.

My Old Friend, Black Thai Gala, Waikiki, Hawaii

Halloween is creeping up, and in anticipation of the dark night, Hawaii’s Kō Hana Hawaiian Agricole Rum has teamed up with The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club/Mahina & Sun’s restaurant to create the ultimate in spooky cocktails, aptly called the Black List!

Based on Oahu, Kō Hana’s single-variety Agricole rum is steeped in Hawaiian tradition, demonstrating a genuine love of the land and its people along with an undeniable commitment to the craft of distilling. Showcasing the versatility of the white rum, Kea, both Kō Hana Rum and Mahina & Sun’s have each masterfully created a jet black cocktail using ingredients like cuttlefish ink and activated charcoal.

My Old Friend:

Created by mixologist Kyle Reutner, Kō Hana Rum

Photo: Kō Hana Rum

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz Kō Hana Kea white rum
  • .75 oz fresh lime juice
  • .5 oz Orgeat
  • .25 oz St. Germain
  • .125 oz cuttlefish ink
  • Garnish with edible flowers

Build:

  1. Combine all liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.
  2. Strain into a glass.
  3. Garnish with edible flowers.

Black Thai Gala

Created by Ross Lewis, The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club/Mahina & Sun’s

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz Kō Hana Kea white rum
  • .5 oz Fernet Branca
  • .5 oz Noval Port
  • .5 oz Ferrand Dry Curacao
  • .25 oz fresh lemon juice
  • .25 oz Thai-basil-infused Chareau (4 grams of Thai basil to 1 bottle Chareau infused for 24 hours)
  • 1/2 bar spoon activated charcoal

Build:

  1. Combine all liquid ingredients into cocktail tin.
  2. Add ice to cocktail tin.
  3. Add 1/2 bar spoon activated charcoal on top of ice.
  4. Shake cocktail.
  5. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass
  6. Garnish with skewered blackberry wrapped in Thai basil leaf

Goodbye Kitty, Fairfax, Vermont

Runamok Maple in Vermont is promoting its intoxicating spell with a video for patrons to share. Why read the cocktail ingredients and the build, when you can watch this cute guy create one for you?

Goodbye Kitty

Ingredients:

Build:

  1. Stir the first three ingredients together
  2. Add the lychee fruit garnish then add ice.

The Gin Tub, Fleur de Lis and The Northerner, New York City, NY

When it’s time to wrap up warm and get cozy and toast sugar, spice, and everything nice, Park Avenue Tavern, Boulton & Watt or Parker & Quinn have you covered.

For readers in the NYC area, make your windy way to one of their locations. It’s worth the trip for one of these almost medicinal essentials.

The Gin Tub

By Park Avenue Tavern, New York

Ingredients:

  • 1.5  oz of Spring 44 Gin
  • 0.5 oz of rosemary syrup
  • 1 oz of pomegranate juice
  • Dash of club soda

Build:

  1. Add all ingredients except garnishes to a cocktail shaker, add ice, and shake until well chilled.
  2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a few pomegranate seeds.

Fleur de Lis

Parker & Quinn, New York

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz of Grey Goose Cherry Noir
  • 0.5 oz of St Germaine
  • 0.5 oz of fresh lemon juice
  • 0.5 oz of honey simple
  • 0.5 oz of pomegranate blueberry juice
  • Top with Prosecco
  • 3 blueberries to garnish

Build:

  1. Combine ingredients, serve in a champagne flute, top with prosecco and garnish with 3 blueberries

The Northerner

By Boulton & Watt, New York

Ingredients:

  • 1.5  oz of Plantation Dark Rum
  • 1.5 oz of chai
  • 2 oz of almond milk
  • 1/2 of lemon juice, keep peel
  • 0.5 oz of simple syrup
  • 1 cinnamon stick for garnish
  • Ice

Build:

  1. Combine ingredients, and shake with ice, pour over ice in a Highball Glass and garnish with cinnamon, a lemon twist, and Angostura Bitters.

Vampire’s Essence

Recipe Provided by Bar Louie

Bar Louie’s Vampire’s Essence ($8) is a delicious beverage to find in your veins this Halloween season, featuring Monin Pomegranate, Pama, Deep Eddy Vodka, sour mix, Monin Pure Cane, Sprite, and a syringe to top it off. The Vampire’s Essence will be available at most Bar Louie locations from Oct. 25-31.

Vampire’s Essence

Ingredients:

  • Syringe: 0.5 oz Monin Pomegranate, 0.5 oz Pama
  • 1 oz Deep Eddy Vodka
  • 2 oz Sour Mix
  • 0.25 oz Monin Pure Cane Syrup
  • 1 oz Sprite

Build:

  1. Load syringe with Pama and Monin Pomegranate
  2. Add vodka, sour mix and Monin Pure Cane Syrup to mixing glass and fill to the top with ice
  3. Shake for five seconds and strain into a fresh glass over ice
  4. Top with Sprite and add syringe

In Fall Fashion, A Spicy Buck and The Casa Cosmo

Casa Noble is here to stay this fall, offering an array of expressions and cocktails for sophisticated sipping in the cooler temperatures.  

Casa Noble Tequila is made in small batches, using time-honored techniques to craft a tequila worth sharing. The certified organic, triple distilled tequila uses 100% blue weber agave resulting in a rich liquid with a smooth finish that is meant to be tasted, not shot.

In Fall Fashion

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz Casa Noble Reposado Tequila
  • 0.5 oz ancho chili liqueur
  • 0.25 oz simple syrup
  • 2 dashes orange bitters
  • 2 drops molé bitters
  • Orange peel

Build:

  1. Combine all ingredients, except orange peel, into mixing glass and stir.
  2. Strain into glass over ice.
  3. Squeeze orange peel; rub around rim and drop into glass.

Spicy Buck

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Casa Noble Reposado Tequila
  • 2 thin slices jalapeño
  • 1 Tbsp sliced ginger
  • 1 oz lemon juice
  • 0.75 oz simple syrup
  • Ginger ale or ginger beer
  • Dash bitters
  • Lemon wedge

Build:

  1. Muddle jalapeño, ginger, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a shaker; add ice.
  2. Shake until chilled.
  3. Strain into glass over ice, top with ginger ale or ginger beer; add bitters.
  4. Garnish with lemon wedge.

Casa Cosmo

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz Casa Noble Crystal Tequila
  • 0.75 oz triple sec
  • 0.5 oz lime juice
  • 0.5 oz pomegranate juice
  • Orange peel

Build:

  1. Combine all ingredients, except orange peel, into mixing glass and stir.
  2. Strain into glass over ice.
  3. Finish with flamed orange peel.

A Bright Apple And A Pumpkin Patch

These cocktails made with the sweet and herbal acclaimed FOS Greek Mastiha Liqueur (now available nationwide) will make you want to grab your coziest blanket get out your pumpkin carving tools.

Bright Apple

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz. FOS Greek Mastiha
  • 1 oz. Apple Cider
  • .5 oz. Lemon Juice
  • Barspoon of Honey
  • Dash Angostura Bitters

Build:

  1. Add ingredients to a shaker with ice
  2. Shake vigorously
  3. Strain into coupe or rocks glass
  4. Garnish with sliced apples, cinnamon stick, star anise, and/or lemon moons.

Pumpkin Patch

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz. FOS Greek Mastiha
  • 1 oz. Tequila Reposado
  • 1 oz. Pumpkin Puree
  • .5 oz. Lemon Juice
  • Barspoon Maple Syrup

Build:

  1. Add ingredients to shaker with ice
  2. Shake vigorously
  3. Strain into martini glass
  4. Garnish with brown sugar rum and toasted cinnamon stick.