Happy Halloween ghosts and ghouls! Just in time for the big night, we’ve got a handful of fun cocktails to help you scare up some good times (and I promise the cocktails are much more enjoyable than the writing!). Leading things off for our Halloween Inspired Cocktails 2019 is Slimer.
Halloween Inspired Cocktails 2019 – Slimer
Slimer is intimidatingly green in the glass, and the large ice cube is vaguely reminiscent of his potato like body. The nose is fruity and plays at all manner of tropical fruits and fruit snacks. Hints of vanilla and pepper from the tequila join in. The body is smooth, sweet, and nicely rounded out by the brightness of the lime. The vanilla syrup gives it a creamy nature. The mango and lime do their part, giving this a very mysterious fruit forward character. The finish leaves you haunted, looking for more.
A few notes:
- Silver / Blanco Tequila – The recipe started with Tres Agaves. You don’t need to use Tres Agaves (our go to is actually Centenario) – but bear in mind you’re going to taste the tequila variance in this as it is almost 25% of the drink.
- Blue Curacao – Blue Curacao? Really? – Yes – a lot of Blue Curacao is just awful – but not all of it. We love Giffard’s Blue Curacao, which has a lovely mandarian orange flavor with some underlying vanillin / breakfast cereal notes – in addition to being blue. To be clear – this is one area we don’t recommend swapping in another liqueur – unless you happen to really like the blue curacao you have.
- Mango Nectar – We use FOCO Mango Nectar. In a side by side with Trader Joe’s Mango Juice we found the FOCO to have more body. Check your local Asian market.
- Vanilla Simple – bring 8 oz of sugar and 8 oz of water to a boil with a whole vanilla bean split lengthwise. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool – add 1/4 oz of Everclear (or vodka) to help stabilize and preserve shelf life. Bottle, cap, and refrigerate.
- Lime Juice – Use fresh lime juice. If you don’t have one – buy a juicer (like this Amco – which is our go to*).
About The Name – Slimer
One of the reasons we started making cocktails was we were inspired by challenge of trying to make ones that represented nostalgic characters from our youth. When I think about Ghostbusters as an adult – the casting and subtle humor in some of the jokes stands out. As a kid though, Ghostbusters was one of those rare times where cartoons crossed the line into reality. With characters like Slimer and Stay Puft it was fun to watch and more relatable. Plus – you get to watch Bill Murray get slimed!
While the cocktail version of Slimer thankfully doesn’t have the same texture – the color was a clear nod to the childhood character. It was also sort of nostalgic in a way toward the old Hi-C Ecto Coolers both in fruity flavors and color.
If you’re looking for another spooky cocktail, consider our Dracula and Frankenstein cocktails.