Our pumpkin carving party is one of my favorite traditions. Friends, family, and neighbors bring over their hollowed out pumpkins to carve and a competitive spirit fills the air. We share a meal together and take part in some fun, festive activities. One of the highlights for the grown-ups is a Halloween themed martini tasting. This year we will be doing three different tastings using my mini martini glasses from Crate and Barrel. We got lucky and found them at the Crate and Barrel outlet discounted. If you don’t want to invest in these 2 ounce glasses, there are a lot of sites that sell plastic ones. The three martini picks for this Halloween are:

 Drum roll please…

Liquid Ghost

(white chocolate martini)

 2 oz. white chocolate liqueur *

1 oz. vanilla vodka

8 ice cubes

1.5 oz. half and half

 Pour the liqueur, vodka, and half and half in the shaker and add ice. Shake well. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a ghost Peep or chocolate shavings.

*White crème de cacao can be used instead of the liqueur.

 Vampire’s Sweet Tooth 

( Red Candied Apple Martini)

1/2 fluid ounce butterscotch schnapps

2 fluid ounces vodka

2 fluid ounces sour apple schnapps

2 fluid ounces cranberry juice

Directions

Pour tall ingredients into a cocktail shaker over ice. Cover, and shake until the outside of the shaker frosts. Strain into a chilled martini glass to serve.

Black Widow
From 42 Below

1 part vodka

2 parts dark grape juice
1 teaspoon of raw sugar
4 slices of fresh ginger
4 blackberries
2 blackberries to garnish

In a cocktail shaker*, muddle together blackberries, ginger and sugar. Add vodka and dark grape juice. Fill with ice, shake well, and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with candy spiders or blackberries.