Seven spooky Halloween cocktails to sip in NYC this season

Depending on the day, nothing’s more frightening than a possible apocalypse, and Sugar Monk aims to mix each of its harbingers, Conquest, War, Famine and—oh no— Death, via four corresponding amaro varieties lemon, patchouli bitters, aquafaba and (SPOILER ALERT!) a flaming rosemary sprig.

Loreley really commits to the bit with its “Haunted Beer Garden” transformation this time of year. In addition to its dedicated seasonal decor, you can sip beer tapped from real pumpkin kegs and get witchy with the Magic Potion Margarita. You’ll combine butterfly pea flower infused tequila, triple sec, lemon and lime (presented in two “potion bottle” vessels) to create its purple hue and evoke a cloak of smoke like a real queen of Halloween. 

Black Lagoon is a nine city Halloween pop-up “inspired by goth-metal and cult horror” and Our Wicked Lady is our local locale for its fleeting frights. Its Screaming Banshee is made with gin, apricot liqueur, pineapple syrup and served in a skull. 

Dutch Kills asserted the importance of ice with gravity that echoed citywide when it first opened in 2009, and all these years later they’re having some fun with it. From now through Halloween, Hundredweight, the bar’s frozen water partner, is stamping its oversized crystal cubes with ghosts, creepy crawlies and ghouls. The frigid frights are available in the rum-based Tiger Chilled Coffee and the Fool’s Gold, with rye, pear brandy, génépi, cinnamon syrup, lemon juice and bitters. 

Watermark has a trio of colorful tipples served in clear skull chalices this season, and the red brings to mind all manner of gory matters. It's made with a mix of tequila, jalapeño, Rocky’s milk punch, lime, watermelon and strawberry. 

This excellent plant-based Ethiopian restaurant is celebrating “A Nightmare at Ras” until November 6 with a quartet of dreamy Halloween-y drinks. Its Dracula’s Kiss is most seductive, made with a blend of raspberry, rosemary, lemon and bourbon for a little bite. 

From now through All Hallows’ Eve, the Royalton is celebrating the cinematic classic Hocus Pocus with events and a couple of concoctions. The Smashing Pumpkin dares to combine the annually divisive gourd with last year's much-discussed espresso martini, made, in this case, with oat milk, vodka, Kahlúa and a pumpkin spice powder garnish.