Shake up a creepy cocktail
Make your at-home celebrations a little classier with this Halloween-inspired cocktail from Death and Taxes. Queen West’s newest watering hole was named after a phrase in a 1726 Daniel Defoe book called The Political History of The Devil and this special Halloween tipple, entitled History of the Devil, is a cheeky nod to the book.
“The decadent blood red colour of the cocktail and the smokiness from the mescal plays on the 'devil like' presentation and taste,” says cocktail creator Mark Ejack.
Try this recipe for yourself at home (but we won't blame you if you take the easy route and order it straight from the bar).
Death & Taxes' History of the Devil
Ingredients
¾ oz Los Siete Misterios Doba Yej mezcal
¾ oz Olmeca Altos
¼ oz Crème de mure
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup
Method
Shake all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Trick or treat through the city's confectionary shops
Unfortunately, most of you reading this are well beyond trick-or-treating age. But you can satisfy your sugar tooth by visiting some of the city’s best confectionary shops. Nibble on fancy gummies from Montreal-based Squish Candies (they’ve got zombie brains for Halloween) and indulge in an artistic bonbon from CXBO (pictured above) – all without having to don a costume and go door-to-door.
Watch candy made before your eyes
Die-hard sweets fanatics can head straight to the source at Papabubble, where artisans hand-make candy from boiled sugar, water and citric acid right in the shop. The best part is watching the sticky mass get kneaded and twisted to achieve the right texture before it’s coloured, rolled and cut. Each batch is made with a fun message or design – expect ghouls, jack-o-lanterns and spiders for the season.
Make a diabolical snack
While this classic appetizer might not be frightening in appearance, this recipe from Mighty Fine Brine sounds it at the least (and if they're like us, your party guests will appreciate the play on words).
While devilled eggs don’t actually have anything to do with the pitchfork-wielding figure himself, the term 'devilled' was apparently used to describe spicy foods back in the 19th century when the eggs were first made. That’s reason enough to whip up a batch of these tasty hors d'oeuvres.
Click here to see the recipe.
Bake up a pumpkin pie
Put down the carving knives and put your Halloween gourds to more appetizing use with this pumpkin pie recipe from Leslieville’s Bobbette & Belle.
The pumpkin filling benefits from a spicy dose of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg while sour cream and condensed milk create a sweet and creamy base. Bobbette & Belle’s recipe includes instructions to make a pastry shell from scratch but we promise not to tell if you opt for the pre-made variety.
Click here to see the recipe.
Ryan Szulc
Then throw together a cocktail for a crowd
After all that baking, you deserve another cocktail. This tipple from Parkdale’s Chantecler is bartender Josh Lindley’s take on a Vieux Carre cocktail. “The citrus plays well with the dry vermouth and aged rum mingles with the wood notes of the Grand Marnier,” Lindley says.
The proportions are easy to scale up for a party. “You can make a litre batch of it, keep it cold and keep coming back to it,” he says. “Watch out though, it is a boozy one.”
Chantecler’s A Wink, A Nod, A Shiver
Ingredients
- 1oz Grand Marnier
- 1oz Appleton Estate Reserve Blend
- 1oz dry vermouth
- 1/10 oz Cynar
- 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
- 2 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters
Method
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Stir on ice for 20 seconds. Strain into an old fashioned glass over one large ice cube. Garnish with a grapefruit zest.
Header image by Gabriel Millos / Flickr
