I'm Elyse. Some of my most vivid and cherished memories are around a table with friends and family, and I want that for you, too.
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As a kid, Halloween was the holiday. What could be better than a day where you get dressed up and eat sugar long into the night? It didn’t hurt that my mom RULES at Halloween. She’s insanely creative, so our front porch would be decorated, our makeup would be out of this world, and she would even make some of our costumes.
Now, as an adult, I can’t exactly call my mom whenever I want some Halloween magic, so we are out here creating our own. But turns out, magic takes effort, and we are, very tired. So, this Halloween we are going to turn off the lights, put on some scary movies, and make a fun cocktail.
To be totally transparent, I’m not the best with scary movies. Even though in the moment I’m on the edge of my seat, later it leads to a sleepless night. But thankfully, there is a genre of movie that I never tire of—the campy Halloween movie! We are talking Army of Darkness, Cabin in the Woods, The Adams Family, Hocus Pocus, and of course Beetlejuice.
A Halloween Cocktail fit for the Freelance Bio-Exorcist in Your Life
This cocktail is my riff on an AMF, or Adios Mother F*@ker. So named because it contains 5 different types of booze while still being sweet—making them way too easy to sip—and leaving many a patron on their ass. Instead of the Long Island Iced Tea, which gets its color from CocaCola, an AMF gets its color from blue curacao. Blue curacao is a citrus liquor that is artificially colored blue, so it flavors drinks similarly to Triple Sec but adds a fun punch of color.
Some Notes on Making this Cocktail for a Crowd
This cocktail is perfect solo with a scary movie and popcorn, but it is also a lot of fun at parties. If you plan on using this recipe at your next Halloween get-together, I have a couple of tips to make the process easier.
First, batch your clear liquors. This recipe calls for equal parts tequila, rum, vodka, and gin, so as long as the ratio stays 1:1, you can pour to your heart’s content. I tend to pour a cup of each into a large bottle. This adds up to 4 cups or 32 ounces—creating enough for 16 cocktails. Then, when you are ready to shake, simply add your lime juice, blue curacao, grenadine, and 2oz of this liquor mix.
Two, use fresh lime juice if possible. Fresh juice is always going to add more brightness than synthetic or pre-bottled mixes, and I would argue it is the thing that makes this drink sing. So while I’m all for saving time and stress wherever possible, there is just no substitution.
Three, bring your guests in on the action. At a party, I want people to love what they are drinking, but every palate is different. That is why I bring both Sprite and club soda. If they like a sweeter cocktail, direct them to top with Sprite and a cherry. If they want something more liquor-forward, direct them to top with club soda and a lime wheel. They get what they want, plus less work for you! Win-win!