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Drink Recipes

LatinHCWRum
Latin Hot Chocolate With Rum

2 ounces golden rum
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla
3 ounce Mexican sweet chocolate
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Whipped cream
Powdered red pepper

Combine milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and brown sugar in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Using a mortar and pestle (or a food processor), grind the chocolate into a powder and whisk into the milk mixture. Continue whisking until all the chocolate has melted and milk is warmed to appropriate temperature. Pour the hot chocolate mixture into two coffee mugs and add rum. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream and a dash of powdered red pepper.

Photo: Courtesy of LFB Media Group
TheBristol-darkandstormy
The Bristol: Dark & Stormy

1.5 oz ginger puree
2 oz Goslings Rum
½ oz lime juice
Goslings Ginger Beer

Add ginger puree, lime, and rum to a glass. Add ice to a shaker, and add contents to shaker. Shake 10 to 15 times and pour over four large cubes of ice in a Collins glass. Top with Goslings Ginger Beer. Add fifth large cube of ice to drink and drizzle “black strap” molasses to cocktail — two long straws.

The Bristol, 2152 North Damen Avenue (at Webster Avenue); 773-862-5555


Photo: Courtesy of The Bristol
re-25 Degrees-Pumpkin SpiceBoozyShake
25 Degrees, Mac and Joe Boumaroun: Pumpkin Spice Boozy Shake

Pumpkin Puree Recipe
Blend the following:
1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin
3/4 cup apple juice
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 oz of butterscotch and/or caramel sauce
3 oz of pumpkin puree (recipe above or pre-made pumpkin pie filing)
2 oz of Bacardi Oakheart Rum
1 pint vanilla ice cream

Blend ingredients in a blender, pour into a tall glass, and top with whipped cream and cinnamon.

25 Degrees, 736 North Clark Street (at Chicago Avenue); 312-943-9700


Photo: Courtesy of 25 Degrees
TheGage-Fall Old Fashioned
The Gage: Fall Old Fashioned

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye 100p
1 oz Blis Maple Syrup Mix (syrup and cherry orange water)
3 dashes Angostura bitters
2 strips of lemon peel
2 strips of orange peel

Put citrus peels in rocks glass. Add ice ball, rye, syrup mix, and bitters. Stir in glass for a few seconds. This is a spin off of the classic Old Fashioned, which combined Rye, sugar, bitters and citrus. The Blis maple syrup is from Michigan, where it is aged in old bourbon barrels. Because it is super sweet and viscous, it has been cut with a cherry orange water. The water is cooked sous vide with orange peels and dried cherries at a controlled temperature to prevent any bitterness from overcooking the citrus. This drink is quite strong.

The Gage, 24 South Michigan Avenue (between Madison and Monroe Streets); 312-372-4243


Photo: Courtesy of The Gage
POV_TheSpellbinder1
High atop the W Hotel Washington sits P.O.V., where the cocktail-crafting prowess is as awe-inspiring as the view. Bartender Megan Powell’s Halloween creation, The Spellbinder, is a great option for cider lovers and a departure from the traditional spooky stuff. Powell made her own cinnamon-infused vodka to mix with Calvados apple brandy, apple juice, lemon juice, simple syrup, and cinnamon, all garnished with a baked cinnamon-apple chip. It’s hard to say whether she used any real magic when making this drink, but either way, the spell worked — we’re hooked.

Where: 515 15th Street NW; 202-661-2400. The Spellbinder is available at all three P.O.V. rooftop bars next week.


Photographed by Anna Mathias
Graffiato---Fist-Pump
This Halloween, Chinatown hotspot Graffiato is taking it all the way to NJ, and we’re not just talking about the fried calamari-topped Jersey Shore pizza (which is amazing, btw). Starting today, Graffiato will be pouring a new cocktail, appropriately named The Fist Pump, for all those Jersey Shore enthusiasts. This blast in a glass boasts three kinds of rum (dark, light, and 151), apple jack, papaya puree, and pineapple juice, and it's finished with an orange and cherry garnish. The best part of the theme? The Graffiato staff will be in full Jersey Shore garb on Halloween itself. We expect spray tans, poufs, and plenty of board shorts. Meet you at the bar, meatball.

Where: 707 6th Street NW; 202-289-3600. The Fist Pump will be available until October 31.


Photo: Courtesy of Graffiato
PX_TheDexter3_LisaMathiasAWhiskAndAMile
Last year, Todd Thrasher, drinks savant for EatGoodFood Group, had a dream about Showtime character Dexter Morgan’s serial-killer ritual. And while it sounds more like a nightmare to us, it inspired one dangerously good cocktail at PX. "The Dexter" combines pomegranate juice, orange juice bitters, 42 Below vodka, cardamaro (an Italian digestif), and egg white into a drink so juicy and delicious, you might not think there’s any alcohol in it at all. But, trust us — there is. The final touch is the stripe and drops of "blood" — pomegranate reduction — on top, which are a nod to (brace yourself, people!) Dexter’s habit of slashing his victims and saving their blood on slides as a memento. If good drinks could kill, well, we’d all be done for.

Where: 728 King Street, Alexandria; 703-299-8385.


Photographed by Lisa Mathias/A Whisk and a Mile
Oyamel_AnnaMathias
Oyamel’s fifth annual Day of the Dead festival honors the cherished Mexican celebration of lost souls. This year’s theme was inspired by pre-Columbian ingredients, which head bartender Joe Cleveland used as a starting point for cocktail research. One of his creations, "The Zombie Apocalypse" — named after a theory about the demise of Mayan civilization — is a Mexican take on the traditional zombie cocktail. Keeping the pineapple juice and coconut milk, Cleveland substituted tequila in place of rum and incorporated other Mayan ingredients, such as papaya juice, to create a sweet and creamy concoction. No one really knows what happened to the Mayans, but if the lethality of this drink is any indication, the zombies totally did it.

Where: 401 7th Street NW; 202-628-1005. Oyamel's Day of the Dead festival continues through November 2.


Photographed by Anna Mathias
Napoleon_The-Bloody-Fairy
More into ghouls than gore? Look no further than Napoleon Bistro, the quintessential Parisian spot in Adams Morgan, where a new specialty cocktail list puts a modern spin on Pernod absinthe, the infamous hallucinogenic liquor beloved by Ernest Hemingway and Oscar Wilde. Though it won't make you see stars these days, absinthe still packs a punch — especially in our favorite drink on the list, the "Bloody Fairy." The combo of Svedka vodka, Pernod, bloody mary mix, lemon juice, and spices makes for a classic cocktail that goes perfectly with your Gertrude Stein costume.

Where: 847 Columbia Road NW; 202-299-9630.


Photo: Courtesy of Napoleon Bistro
Ripple---Que-Pera-4
The Day of the Dead celebrations continue at Ripple, the Cleveland Park wine bar that focuses on local, sustainable ingredients. Starting today, you can delight in the "Que Pera," a concoction of vanilla-infused tequila, cardamom-infused gin, pear puree, spiced pear bitters, and marigolds — the traditional Day of the Dead flower that is thought to lure departed spirits to the offerings laid out for them by their loved ones. For all those looking to commune with lost souls via a spooky, sweet medium, here's your elixir.

Where: 3417 Connecticut Avenue NW; 202-244-7995.


Photo: Courtesy of Ripple
Quench_Into-the-Ether
At Rockville’s Quench, head bartender Matt Allred was inspired by the dark essence of All Hallows Eve to create a cocktail that takes trick-or-treat literally. Using a white whiskey named Death’s Door —appropriately morbid — plus lemon, honey, sloe gin, and absinthe, each "Into the Ether" cocktail is ablaze with both fire and flavor. First, the rim of the glass is dipped in homemade candy-corn crumble, so each sip is a sweet treat. As for the trick, when the ignited absinthe meets the remaining chilled ingredients, smoke creeps up the sides of the glass. Creepy, huh?

Where: 9712 Traville Gateway Drive, Rockville; 301-424-8650.


Photographed by Giselle Childs
Smith-Commons_Bloody-Sorro_Photo-Rocky-Wilson
By far the most intense-looking drink of the bunch, the "Bloody Sorro” is the creation of Smith Commons' bartender Parish Bradley. Not taking Halloween too literally, Parish instead drew inspiration from the otherworldly shape and color of candied hibiscus flowers to create a beautiful (but freaky) concoction. This bourbon-based all-spirits cocktail uses housemade hibiscus tea-infused vermouth, hibiscus syrup from the candied flowers, and bitters. At first, you’ll taste the herbaceous hibiscus flower, balanced out by the sweetness of the syrup, and the result is as satisfying as it is warming. Don’t shy away from the “creature” perched on the side of the glass, either — that candied hibiscus flower is edible, and it doesn’t bite back (we think). Watch Bradley make the "Bloody Sorro” here, and snag the recipe below:

1 ounce hibiscus tea-infused vermouth (made by muddling a hibiscus tea bag with vermouth)
1/2 ounce hibiscus syrup
2 ounces Bulleit bourbon
3 drops Bittermens Boston Bittahs

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice; add ingredients to the shaker and stir. Strain into a glass, garnish with a hibiscus flower, and enjoy!

Where: 1245 H Street NE; 202-396-0038.


Photo: Courtesy of Smith Commons/Rocky Wilson
FINLThe Royal Mile 2
The Royal Mile
Created by Charles Joly, Aviary.

1.5 oz. The Black Grouse
.5 oz. Benedictine Liqueur
.5 oz. Earl Grey Syrup
.75 oz. Lemon Juice
Egg White
Rare Tea Cellars Bitters

Combine all ingredients aside from bitters in a mixing glass and dry shake to combine ingredients. Add ice, shake, and strain into an old-fashioned glass with ice. Decoratively add bitters to top of cocktail.


Photo: Courtesy of M Booth
drylimeintcoconut
Dry Lime In The Coconut
Created by Thomas Mooneyham of Henri and The Gage.

1.5 oz. Brugal Extra Dry Rum
1 oz. Ginger Syrup
.75 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
2 oz. Coconut LaCroix Sparkling Water

Combine Brugal Extra Dry Rum, ginger syrup, and lime juice in a mixing glass, shake and strain into a Collins glass with ice. Top with Coconut LaCroix, quick stir, and garnish with a lime wedge.


Photo: Courtesy of M Booth
drylimeCoolerfinal
Dry Rum Cooler
Created by Pete Gugni of Scofflaw.

1.5 oz. Brugal Extra Dry Rum
.5 oz. Aperol
1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
.75 oz. Simple Syrup
Cucumber
Tonic Water

Muddle cucumber and add Brugal Extra Dry Rum, Aperol, fresh lime Juice, and simple syrup to mixing glass. Shake and strain into a Collins glass with ice. Top with tonic water, and garnish with fresh cucumber.


Photo: Courtesy of M Booth
FINAL-Highland Breeze2
Highland Breeze
Created by Lynn House, Blackbird.

2 oz. The Black Grouse
.5 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
1 tsp. Fresh Grated Ginger
2 tsp. Orange Marmalade
1.5 oz. Tonic

Combine lime, ginger, and marmalade in a mixing glass and stir until marmalade dissolves. Add The Black Grouse and ice, shake until well chilled. Double strain over fresh ice into a double old fashioned glass, top with tonic. Gently stir and garnish with a blood orange twist.


Photo: Courtesy of M Booth