Cheers@Home Fall 2021 | Page 11

BY MELISSA DOWLING

Lazy Tiger , an award-winning cocktail bar in St . Louis , MO , goes all out for Halloween each year with its pop-up bar , “ Corpse Reviver .” Co-owner and beverage director Tim Wiggins actually shares his birthday with Halloween , so his creativity is on full blast for the holiday .

While plans shifted to to-go only in 2020 due to the pandemic , in 2019 Corpse Reviver served more than 5,000 cocktails in just two weeks — triple the amount of normal cocktail sales for Lazy Tiger . Corpse Reviver will be back at Lazy Tiger this year , with a haunted circus theme with crazy clown decor and a special menu of creative cocktails .

This year ’ s Corpse Reviver cocktails include :

JACK IN THE BOX : People ’ s Gin , Aperol , passion fruit , strawberry , guava , falernum , exotic spice , lime , sparkling wine ; served in an actual 3D-printed jack-in-the-box

WHISKEY MOCHA FRAPPUCCINO : Rieger whiskey , Caffe Amaro , Averna Amaro , Sump coffee , roasted pumpkin , malted milk , spiced chocolate

GHOST MALONE : Rieger vodka , coconut , almond , pineapple , lime , ginger beer with a coco-caine ( dehydrated coconut and sugar ) rim

CEREAL PAINKILLER : Duckett Gold Rhum , pineapple , fresh banana , Fruit Loops , coconut , dragonfruit , lime and nutmeg .

What should you keep in mind when crafting Halloween drinks ? “ The use of color and seasonal flavors makes a big impact on Halloween cocktails ,” says Wiggins .

For cocktails made with classic clear spirits , such as gin , mezcal , vodka and blanco tequila , “ use juices such as carrot juice and grapefruit juice to impart bold colors and fall flavors ,” he notes . For drinks with dark spirits ( like whiskey ), use a dark-colored Italian liqueur such as Averna Amaro to get your cocktails close to black for dramatic effect .

For example , the Oaxacan Dead cocktail uses mezcal , Aperol , carrot juice , passion fruit puree , red wine grenadine , lime juice and a touch of balsamic vinegar . “ The combination of the mezcal , red-wine simple syrup , and carrot juice gives this cocktail depth , spice , and mystery for the holiday ,” Wiggins says . “ It tastes like fall and Halloween in a glass .”

1 ½ oz . El Yope mezcal ½ oz . Aperol 1 oz . Carrot juice ¼ oz . Passion fruit puree ( such as Perfect Puree ) ¾ oz . Red-wine grenadine ½ oz . Lime juice 1 bar spoon Balsamic vinegar

Make a red-wine simple syrup from any red wine you have on hand ( equal parts red wine and sugar ; bring to a simmer and cool ). Combine all ingredients above and shake . Strain over crushed ice .

| HOLIDAY TIPS |

Want to make your Halloween party a surefire smash ? Halloweeninspired piñatas from NIPYATA ! are filled with spooky spirits and candies . There ’ s nothing like busting open a boozy piñata to help make any soiree a scream .

The Smashing Pumpkins-Yata , for instance , comes pre-loaded with 15 miniature plastic bottles of liquor including Fireball whiskey ; Deep Eddy Grapefruit vodka ; Deep Eddy Lemon vodka ; Smirnoff Triple Distilled vodka ; Jose Cuervo Gold tequila ; Jose Cuervo Silver tequila ; Jim Beam ; and Jim Beam Honey . The candy assortment includes Skittles ; Starburst ; Gummy Lifesavers ; Dots ; and Twizzlers .

Priced at $ 89.99 , the Smashing Pumpkins-Yata also comes with NIPYATA !’ s signature Hangin ’ Twine ( 20 ft .); a 20-in . Smashin ’ Stick ; a Blindin ’ Blindfold , plus a Rules of the Game Packet .

Other Halloween-inspired NIPYATA ! piñatas include Deathly Afraid of Clowns and The Twisted Sugar Skull , available pre-loaded with liquor and no liquor .

Looking for Halloween-themed drink recipes ? Visit Cheersonlineathome . com in mid-October for some scary good cocktail ideas !

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