I was working in the lab late one night when my eyes beheld an eerie sight. For my monster from his slab began to rise & suddenly to my surprise… He did the mash, the monster mash, it was a graveyard smash.
-Bobby Pickett
Oh Halloween…your movies scare me, I can never seem to come up with a creative costume to wear for you & I am not a fan of creepy things. BUT this is my best friends favorite holiday.
She was born in October & her favorite movie is Hocus Pocus…so naturally we spent her 25th birthday in Boston searching for Max & Dani Dennison’s house. My girl also loves her a strong cocktail, so this recipe definitely had her in mind when I was creating it.
The Monster Smash incorporates all thing ghoul-ish. It has creepy monster brains, Dracula’s blood & may be one of my new favorite drinks.
Think vodka tonic with a hint of delicious ginger & a sweet raspberry aftertaste! Halloween shouldn’t just be for the kids, the adults need to have fun too & this drink will definitely help get you there.
The secret to this fun drink? Barrows Intense Ginger Liqueur!
I recently stumbled across Barrows Intense & HOLY CRAP this stuff is good. If you love ginger you will love this liqueur. I have used it as an alternative to ginger beer in a Moscow Mule, added a splash to my whiskey tonic & even added a little to an Asian dish when I didn’t have fresh ginger on hand!
I highly suggest having this liqueur in your liquor cabinet for future cocktail creations!
How to make The Monster Smash:
First, you want to make raspberry simple syrup (the recipe is below).After making the syrup you will strain the syrup from the seeds. When the syrup has cooled, using a syringe or eye dropper, suck up about 1 tbsp worth of syrup & set aside.
While you normally discard the seeds when making a fruit simple syrup, you don’t want to throw away the seeds for this recipe. The seeds are the perfect addition to your drink to create creepy monster brains! They add a sweet taste to the cocktail & also sit perfectly at the bottom of the drink to create a pretty red ombre effect!
Into a cocktail shaker add your ginger liqueur, vodka and lime juice. Add ice to the shaker & shake up all of your ingredients until they are incorporated and cold.
Next divide your liquor mixture between both glasses.
Finally, top each glass off with tonic water!
Your Monster Smash is created! Whenever you are ready to serve, garnish the drink with a fun halloween straw & fake Dracula teeth.
Finally, squirt your raspberry simple syrup into each drink to create your “monster blood!” Your guests will love this creepy visual effect & it adds the perfect amount of sweetness to your cocktail!
Don’t forget to stir the drink after the “blood” has sunk to the bottom. You want to be able to have an even taste of this sweet cocktail with every sip.
This is a cocktail even a Sanderson sister would love & I know you will too!
ENJOY!
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/8 cup fresh lime juice
- 8 oz tonic water
- 3 oz vodka
- 1 oz Ginger Liqueur*
- 1 oz raspberry simple syrup
- 1 tbsp raspberry seeds**
- ice
- fake Dracula fangs, optional
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Into a small pot add fresh raspberries. Heat on medium heat for 1 minute until begin to release juice.
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Add water to pot and allow to come to a simmer (2-3 minutes).
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Finally add in sugar. Stir & bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes until all sugar is completely dissolved.
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Turn off burner & allow syrup to cool.
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Once cool strain out raspberry seeds (**do not throw away you will use these later!).
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Into either a syringe or eye dropper suck up 1 oz worth of syrup & set aside for later use.
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Divide 1 tbsp worth of raspberry seeds into 2 glasses.
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Into a cocktail shaker add vodka, lime juice & Barrows Intense Ginger Liqueur*. Add a generous amount of ice into the shaker & shake for 30 seconds.
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Divide your mixture evenly between the 2 glasses. Top each glass with 4oz of tonic water & add a few ice cubes into each glass.
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When ready to serve garnish your drink with Dracula fangs & squirt raspberry syrup into each drink. The syrup will create a fun fake blood look. Serve & enjoy!