She's (almost) always on the list

Halloween Happy Hour

Mon., Nov. 27, 2006 3:00 PM PST by Sydne Summer

What's a Halloween party without spooky cocktails? In addition to making guests feel more comfortable about wearing that leopard leotard with cat ears, holiday-themed drinks add extra flair to your fete. The simplest approach is to take a classic recipe and give it a creative name. A White Russian can instantly transform into a White Ghostini by adding phantom stickers to your martini glass. Or a Bloody Mary can evolve into a Dracula's Blood by substituting gummy teeth for a stick of celery.

If you're feeling more adventurous, I nabbed these recipes for specialty concoctions from some of the top bars in the city that parties best on Halloween: Las Vegas.

JägerMonsters
Partygoers at Jet nightclub and Caramel Bar & Lounge will be slurping down these crazy libations.

1 oz. Jägermeister
1 oz. grenadine
4 oz. orange juice
Candy corn

Combine all ingredients into a shaker, and add ice. Shake thoroughly, pour into a highball glass—and garnish with candy corn.

Tangerine Crush
Not feeling the call of Jäger? Then stir up the signature drink from Treasure Island's Tangerine Lounge & Nightclub and make it unique by serving the cocktail in a carved miniature pumpkin. This works great for Halloween-hued nonalcoholic drinks like soda and orange-flavored punch.

First, carve out miniature pumpkins and discard all the seeds and pulp. Plunge them briefly in boiling water for one to two minutes to remove any lasting flavor. Next, create the cocktail with the following ingredients:

1 oz. Stoli O or any orange-infused vodka
3/4 oz. Amaretto
2 oz. tangerine puree
Sprite

Put the first three ingredients into a shaker, and add ice. Shake thoroughly, then pour into hollowed-out pumpkins. Top with Sprite, and add a black straw. Cheers!