Halloween is today, and with it brings a host of freaky festivities across London to spook ourselves silly. When we’re not busy watching our favourite Halloween films or attending an epic Halloween bash, we’ll be popping into the London bars brewing up haunting Halloween cocktails and devilish desserts to stick our fangs into.
From creepy concoctions to spooky sweet treats, these are the BOO-zy cocktails and deadly desserts you need on your radar this Halloween.
Como Garden
Como Garden is making way for a spooktacular cocktail this Halloween. Introducing the Italian Dracula, where dark rum molasses with a touch of nutmeg and cinnamon is served in a suitably spooky blood orange infused pumpkin.
Looking for something sweet? Their Crispy Cream Curdling Profiteroles are filled with drool-worthy Sicilian green pistachio cream spilling out of the choux pastry.
Where: 37-45 Kensington High St, London W8 5ED
Website: www.comogarden.co.uk
Raise a ghoulish glass with this special Halloween cocktail.
Great Fosters
Great Fosters has launched three creepy cocktails in time for Halloween. Choose from the Bat House, made with Midori, Belvedere vodka, pineapple juice, with an injections worth of red wine, grenadine and sambuca, topped with a strawberry, mint and a bat, or try the Halloween mocktail made with Seedlip Garden 108, grenadine, blue curacao, lime juice, lemonade and topped with fresh blackberries and an orange twist.
But our favourite is The Blood Donor. A cocktail that will make your skin crawl, it’s made with Great Fosters 1931 gin, Chambord, Crème de Cassis, pineapple juice and garnished with a twist of orange, cucumber and a blackberry.
Where: Stroude Rd, Egham TW20 9UR
Website: www.alexanderhotels.co.uk
The Lanesborough
Enjoy the most dramatic of cocktail experiences at The Lanesborough’s Library Bar this spooky season with their aptly named Scene Stealer cocktail, which is making a comeback after its first appearance at their ‘It’s A Little Bit Mad’ Cruella afternoon tea last year.
It’s made with Bombay Bramble gin, shaken with raspberries, served with an exciting white apricot and peach liqueur foam, and dusted with dried blackcurrants. Delicious.
Where: Hyde Park Corner, London SW1X 7TA
Website: www.oetkercollection.com
Ivy Soho Brasserie
London favourite The Ivy Soho Brasserie has conjured up a haunting dessert and cocktails to see you through spooky season. Two mouth-watering cocktails will be available for guests to enjoy. The Devil’s Mule, a diabolical blend of Monkey 47 Gin, Wyborowa Vodka, Lillet Rouge, chilli, cinnamon, lemon, and ginger beer; and the Muertas Margarita, a drink for the Day of The Dead, with Olmeca Altos Tequila, Malbec, pear, and lemon juice.
For those wanting something a little less BOO-zy but still wickedly delicious, the Chilling Praline Parfait with a frozen hazelnut coffin decorated with dark chocolate soil, raspberry sauce and confectionary treats is the perfect devilish dessert to try this Halloween.
Where: 26-28 Broadwick St, London W1F 8JB
Website: www.theivysohobrasserie.com
El Norte
El Norte is welcoming ghouls, goblins and everyone in between this Halloween. For those wanting a Spanish spook, order a round of their Bloody Iberia, a cinnamon infused Gin Mare with fresh Valencian citrus juice and triple sec liqueur, bubbling out of punctured orange serve.
To feed your sweet palate, they’ve taken a traditional 10th century recipe for Bueñuelos de Viento and turned it on its head – stuffing until it bursts with a rich cream of Delica pumpkin and cardamom, coated with raspberry sugar. The terrifyingly terrific staff will be dressed to impress, ready and waiting to spook you as you step inside….
Where: 19-20 Dover St, London W1S 4LU
Website: www.el-norte.co.uk
Fleming’s Mayfair
Mayfair’s hotel bar, Fleming’s is celebrating Halloween with a haunting cocktail, aptly named Halloween’s Deadly Wink.
The creepy cocktail is made with blended scotch whiskey, Islay single malt whiskey, lime juice, agave syrup and pepper. Devilishly delicious.
Where: 7-12 Half Moon St, London W1J 7BH
Website: www.flemings-mayfair.co.uk
The creepy concoction you need on your radar this Halloween.
Puttshack
Puttshack’s locations around London will be getting into the spirit of spooky season with a ghostly makeover this Halloween. Would you dare to enter?
On Monday 31st the venues will be decked out with skeletons and spiders, and team members will be dressed up in creepy costumes. Putters can raise a ghoulish glass with two special Halloween cocktails. The Kiss of Death combines Tanqueray Blackcurrant Royale gin with passion fruit, melonade, pineapple and lemon – finished with a sinister rice paper skull. The Black Magic is a mysterious Mexican concoction made with Casamigo mezcal shaken with Don Julio tequila, Ancho Reyes chile liqueur, blueberry and lime.
Where: Bank / White City
Website: www.puttshack.com
Brasserie Of Fright
Selfridge’s ‘Brasserie of Fright’ has a horrifying limited-edition menu coming to the restaurant this October. For four days, they’ll be offering a creepy cocktail menu in partnership with Whitley Neill Gin, and a deadly dessert to shock and delight.
Enjoy wonderfully wicked cocktails including the Magical Potion, made with Whitley Neill Connoisseurs Cut Gin, coconut rum, Midori melon liqueur and lime juice, finished with coconut bubbles; or the Brew of Ectasy with Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger Gin, Stones Green Ginger Wine, chilli and agave. There’ll also be the deadly ‘Medusa’s Spell’ dessert, created with white chocolate, grenadine vermicelli, hazelnut cream, dark chocolate sponge, pumpkin spiced foam and raspberry sauce.
There’ll be DJs and entertainment on Saturday 29th and Monday 31st, and restaurant staff will be terrifyingly transformed by the Dior Beauty team.
Where: 400 Oxford St, Duke St, London W1A 1AB
Website: www.brasserie-of-light.co.uk
W London
Spook yourself silly with a cauldron-brewed cocktail at W London. Available exclusively as one of the welcome drinks for their Halloween party on the 29th, this mysterious drink has a mind of its own, made up of Belvedere, lime juice, green apple liqueur, Martini Dry and orgeat (almond syrup).
Head down and dress the part for their ‘Future Glitch’ Halloween party – think Blade Runner, Matrix, iRobot vibes – and prepare for a night of DJs, glitching robots, contortionists and intense lighting.
Where: 10 Wardour St, London W1D 6QF
Website: www.marriott.co.uk
The Ivy Asia St Paul’s
The Ivy Asia St Paul’s has launched two spine-tingling cocktails just in time for Halloween. Choose from Ju-On The Curse (inspired by The Grudge’s most haunting character), an Autumnal version of the Espresso Martini made with winter spices; or the Ringo Ame Sour is the Japanese version of the toffee apple, made with Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whiskey, Amaretto, apple and cardamom shrub and lemon juice, finished with a caramel coated mini apple.
Finish off your meal with the Black Dragon Dessert, a delicious black velvet soft serve ice cream with a trio of toppings.
Where: 20 New Change, London EC4M 9AG
Website: www.theivyasia.com
The Piano Works
The Piano Works has two Hallow’s Eve potions making their way onto the menu this Halloween. Visit for a blood-curdling happy hour (Friday and Saturday 5-7pm) and kick things off with a Pumpkin Spicetini, made using Jack Daniels apple, apple cider, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg. Then try a drink worthy of our favourite witches, the Sanderson Sisters Punch, a concoction of spiced rum, Cointreau, crème de abricot, pineapple, orange, and a dash of vanilla.
Make sure to get your shriek on at SHRIEKEASY, the hidden speakeasy style room in The Piano Works West End. Channel your inner Wednesday Adams, don your best Sanderson Sister outfit, or dress up as your favourite musical theatre or film character for an evening of monstrously spooktacular performances from SingEasy’s talented West-End trained singing waiters.
Where: West End / Farringdon
Website: www.pianoworks.bar
Electric Shuffle
Trick or treat yourself to some spooky shuffle fun when you and your ghoulish gang book into Electric Shuffle this week.
Order a round of their limited edition Pumpkin Pie cocktail, a haunting mix of Dead Man’s Fingers Hazelnut rum, Two Swallows cherry rum, apple juice, lime juice and vanilla syrup. With some serious shuffleboard fun on offer, you’d be a fool not to book in and try out their Halloween exclusive.
Where: London Bridge / Canary Wharf
Website: www.electricshuffle.com
Make way for a spooktacular cocktail this Halloween.
Bocconcino
Bocconcino will be decorating their luxurious Mayfair restaurants in an Addams Family theme this spooky season – think haunted house, Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday, Pugsley and The Thing.
There’ll be live musicians and DJs in the evening, and a spooky brunch on Saturday with a seriously terrifying haunted cocktail special, worthy of Wednesday Addams herself.
Where: 19 Berkeley St, London W1J 8ED
Website: www.bocconcinorestaurant.co.uk
Aquavit London
Raise a toast to the spooky season with Aquavit London’s fang-tastic limited edition Halloween cocktail, Bite Me.
Available to get your hands on from the 25th October, this vodka-based drink mixes seasonal apples with the wicked warmth of horseradish to create a perfect potion that’s to die for.
Terrifyingly terrific.
Where: 1 St James’s Market, St. James’s, London SW1Y 4QQ
Website: www.aquavitrestaurants.com
The Richmond Club
Richmond’s only private members club have launched a Halloween cocktail special and it comes in the form of a Vampire’s Kiss…
Expect the magic potion to be a mix of Chambord and vodka with a handful of raspberries thrown in, topped with champagne and finished with a red sugar rim.
Where: 115-117 Kew Rd, Richmond TW9 2PN
Website: www.therichmondclub.uk
