Spooky spirits to ensure your grown-up Halloween party's a scream

Spooky spirits for the perfect Halloween party | Amazon

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Halloween’s not just for kids - we adults can join in the fun too, and these special potions will keep your party classy

Don’t get me wrong, it’s lovely seeing kids terrorising the neighbourhood and extorting sweets with threats, but when the little charmers have gone to bed, what could be better than a bit of time for the grown-ups to let their hair down?

Halloween parties give us all an excuse to dress up, turn the front room into a morgue and devise some fiendish party games to get the morbid vibes going.

Half the fun is dreaming up themed drinks and mixes, both non-alcoholic and full-fat - blood orange punch, anyone? And you don’t have to lower your standards either, as there’s a great variety of sophisticated tipples which mean you can ignore those drinks of dubious provenance that have been crammed into a pumpkin-shaped bottle just to make a quick buck every October.

So here’s my quick run down of what some of the best online drinks purveyors are offering this year to help you enjoy a proper grown-up Halloween. Remember - drink sensibly.

Pros:

Cool bottle

Cons:

It's small!

The makers of this Romanian plum spirit are having a lot of fun with the marketing of their spooky-shaped bottle. But who can blame them? Sitting alongside a range of wines, this Palinka is a natural plum spirit, produced according to a traditional double-distilling technique. It’s finished in wooden casks, which “absorbs, rounds and softens, preserves and enhances the aroma of plums”. Drink as an aperitif. 20cl, 40% ABV.

Pros:

A flavour match made in heaven (or should that be hell?)

Cons:

Not to everybody's taste

The whole pumpkin spiced latte thing has become a bit of a cliche in recent years, but don’t let that put you off trying what should be the flavour’s natural environment - rum. This is for me the perfect warming, autumnal hug-in-a-glass treat that is ideal for the occasion. Drink it neat rather than mix it as this packs all the flavour you want. 50cl, 42% ABV

Pros:

Classic smokiness from Islay

Cons:

Pricy for some

Smoky whisky comes into its own in Autumn, and this special edition of Big Peat from Douglas Laing is no exception. The brand’s quirky imagery has been put to good use on the label, but the flavours promise to deliver, too. Add the inclusion of a branded tasting glass, and this is a compelling Halloween package for serious whisky lovers. 70cl 48% ABV.

Pros:

The shoulish bottle will look great in your drinks cabinet

Cons:

Might give granny a fright

We’ve all seen the familiar ‘crystal skull’ version of this distinctive vodka brand (inspired by Dan Ackroyd no less), but this special bone-coloured edition is even more spooky. It’s a very smooth-drinking, clean-finishing tipple to boot, excellent on its own but also the perfect base for a number of creative cocktails. Making a Halloween bloody Mary with this could freak out your hardiest of guests! 70cl, 40% ABV.

Pros:

Great mixer

Cons:

Too sweet for some

If you’ve not cottoned on by now, sugar and spice are the secret ingredients to a great Halloween drink, which is what this special edition rum is all about. DMF produce a seemingly ever-expanding range of weird and wonderful liqueurs and spirits - some of which are too far along the sweetness spectrum for many. But they do know their rum, and this fun 2024 Halloween edition certainly looks the part. Dilute with mixers like cola or ginger ale for longer drinks that won’t ruin your morning. 70cl, 37.5% ABV.