Boasting a spooky dark red hue and a sweet taste, this Halloween Cocktail with Rum is the ideal eerie beverage for your Halloween celebration! Drawing inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe’s masquerade, this layered martini glass is simple to make and sure to delight guests.
It’s October, which means things are about to get really spooky! Halloween is the go-to party season around here, and we’re ready to celebrate in style. While we prepare for our annual Halloween fete, we’ve gathered useful ideas for you to check out like Amazing Outdoor Porch Decoration Ideas, Bewitching Mantel Decor, and setting up the ultimate Halloween Party Buffet.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
The base of this Halloween Cocktail with Rum is a simply delicious and mysterious concoction of white rum, tart raspberry, and cola.
- Perfect for Halloween Parties: This easy Halloween cocktail recipe is ideal to add to your spooky drink menu, much like our fall sangrias of Green Apple Sangria or Caramel Apple Sangria.
- Versatile: Serve it in a martini glass, rocks glass, or even a punch bowl. This recipe is easy to prepare for any occasion.
- Customizable Flavor: Use dark rum, white rum, or Malibu Coconut Rum. Add a splash of pineapple or cranberry juice for a fruity twist to suit your taste.
- Simple yet Stylish Presentation: Wow your guests with your barkeeping skills.
- No Fancy Tools Needed: Basic ingredients and a glass are all you need to create this classic Halloween cocktail. For an extra spooky touch, add a small piece of dry ice or garnish the rim of your glass with edible glitter.
Bartender’s Tools to Make Martinis
I worked my way through college as a bartender. I thoroughly enjoy the creativity of making cocktails, especially when it comes to creating interesting but approachable recipes.
For this Halloween Cocktail with Rum, the essentials of a well-stocked bar are easy to gather. Everything is optional per your choice but helpful, including:
- Jigger with 1oz and 1.5 oz measurements
- A spoon
- Cocktail shaker (optional for this recipe)
- Martini Glasses or 10 fl oz Rocks Glasses
- Cocktail swords or these Reusable Skull Cocktail Picks
If you don’t have a jigger on hand, 1 ounce is equal to 2 tablespoons.
Ingredients and Substitutions
White Rum – A classic choice like Bacardi Superior Rum offers a smooth, subtle flavor that serves as the perfect base. You could substitute a flavored rum, like Malibu Coconut Rum, but it will alter the flavor.
Raspberry Liqueur – Chambord is a top choice for its rich, fruity flavor, but DeKuyper Razzmatazz is a great budget-friendly alternative. You can also experiment with other fruit-flavored liqueurs.
Soda – Coca-Cola, Pepsi, or Diet versions of either brand work well, adding a familiar, refreshing fizz to the drink. You can substitute with tart cherry juice or blood orange for a bolder and vibrant color that typically layers well.
Maraschino Cherries – These add a pop of color and a touch of sweetness to this Halloween cocktail with rum. Other garnish ideas include decorating the rim of your cocktail glass with gummy spiders or a lime wedge dipped in luster dust.
Grenadine – Grenadine is what is going to create the bottom layer and if you go around changing the ingredients too much, it won’t layer correctly.
Tip for a Smoky Effect!
For an eerie, smoky Halloween martini, drop in a small piece of dry ice. It’s extremely important that you wait until the dry ice has completely dissolved before drinking. DO NOT ingest dry ice. Use gloves or tongs to handle the dry ice, as it can cause severe burns.
The Science Behind Layered Cocktails
Are you wondering why certain drinks layer and separate rather than blend together? Science, my friends!
The secret to getting your cocktail to layer nicely is using components with different specific gravities. The density of an ingredient makes it heavier. Heavier ingredients have a higher specific gravity.
The basic idea is that the amount of sugar and/or alcohol in an ingredient determines its specific gravity. Lighter, low specific gravity ingredients will float on top of heavier liquids. For example, grenadine is very sugary, syrupy, and thick. Grenadine has a specific gravity of 1.18, it almost always sinks to the bottom.
On the other hand, high-proof rum, whiskey, and other liquors are lighter than water with a specific gravity of around 0.95. For instance, 151-proof rum is often used to float on top of drinks.
You can easily find specific gravities of many liquors and mixers in this specific gravity chart.
How To Make A Layered Cocktail
Now that you understand how certain liquors and mixers will layer, there are some specific tips and tricks to making a drink layer perfectly. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a bartender to make perfectly layered cocktails!
Chill All Ingredients – The density and specific gravity of liquids can change with temperature, so keeping everything cold helps maintain clean layers. If you forget to chill the ingredients, shake the rum and raspberry liqueur separately with ice. The grenadine will layer just fine at room temperature.
Start with Grenadine – Measure and add the grenadine to the bottom of the glass first. Since grenadine is dense, it will naturally settle at the bottom, creating that rich red base.
Layer with a Spoon – Using the back of a spoon placed against the rim of your glass, slowly pour the raspberry liqueur into the glass. This technique helps to gently slow down the liquid, ensuring it doesn’t mix with the previous layer. Repeat this process with the remaining ingredients, like the rum and cola, to create perfectly distinct layers in your Halloween cocktail with rum.
Check Out Our Other Fun Cocktail Recipes
Red Death Over Ice
If you’re fresh out of martini glasses or simply on the hunt for a Halloween party cocktail that guests can make themselves? This variation will have more of a gradient than strictly layered, but still very fun!
- Pre-chill ALL the ingredients to slow the ice melt.
- Add ice to a rocks glass and pour the ingredients in this order—grenadine, Chambord, rum, and then cola—over the ice.
- Garnish with two maraschino cherries on a pick.
The ice itself will slow the pour action, so there’s no need to use a spoon in this variation.
Not Sure
What's For Dinner?
Signup for recipe updates and get a free cookbook of Easy Weeknight Supper Solutions!
Not Sure
What's For Dinner?
Signup for recipe updates and get a free cookbook of Easy Weeknight Supper Solutions!
More Boozy Drink Recipes
PS. If you make this recipe, leave a COMMENT AND A STAR RATING in the comments section at the bottom and be sure to take a photo and tag it #cravingcreative on Instagram! I appreciate you for taking the time to read about me and my family recipes.Â
PS. If you make this recipe, leave a COMMENT AND A STAR RATING in the comments section at the bottom and be sure to take a photo and tag it #cravingcreative on Instagram! I appreciate you for taking the time to read about me and my family recipes.Â
Red Death Halloween Cocktail
Equipment
- Martini Glasses
Ingredients
- 5 oz Coca-Cola Pepsi and Diet cola varieties also work.
- 1.5 tablespoon Grenadine
- 1.5 oz Bacardi Superior Rum
- 2 Maraschino Cherries
- 1 Cocktail Picks
- 1 oz Raspberry Liqueur Chambord is the best, but DeKuyper Razzmatazz is a cheaper option.
Instructions
- Chill all ingredients in the refrigerator prior to layering.
- Measure and add 1.5 tablespoon Grenadine in the bottom of the glass.
- Measure out 1 oz Raspberry Liqueur with a jigger. If you don’t have a jigger on hand, 1 fluid ounce is equal to 2 tablespoons. Using the back of a spoon placed against the glass rim, slowly pour the raspberry liqueur over the spoon into the glass. Repeat with 1.5 oz Bacardi Superior Rum and 5 oz Coca-Cola.
- Garnish with 2 Maraschino Cherries on 1 Cocktail Picks.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
More Fun Cocktails!
Leave a Reply