Halloween cocktails to kick off the weekend in London

Click through to see what London’s mixologists are whipping up with black food colouring, dry ice, and a lot of Grenadine…

The Ivy Soho Brasserie have added a limited-edition Zombie cocktail to their menu for one week only. It’s made with Brugal 1888, apricot brandy, lime juice, pineapple juice and Grenadine, and garnished with a couple of eyeballs, as you do.

Gunning for Most Extra Halloween Cocktail Activation is Chris McGovern, head mixologist at the mothership Group (which runs Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen. He’s come up with some ghoulish-looking drinks which will be served at two of the bar group’s Halloween events.

To the left we have the Dr Frank N Furter’s Mai Poisen (just don’t order it when you’re a few beers in and you’ll be fine); which combines rum, Cointreau, orange and pineapple juices, and blue Curacao to get that delicious neon green colour. You can order it at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen on the left for Rocky Horror Disco Halloween Party on Saturday.

For those who prefer to binge on TV and films for the holiday, the Slayers Sour With Blood Orange (right) — a mix of Four Roses whisky, blood orange liqueur, lemon and grapefruit juice, ginger syrup and Grenadine, will be at The Book Club for The Buffy The Vampire party on the same night.

Rum brand Kracken has teamed up with theatrical coompany Les Enfants Terribles to launch a pop-up bar in Dalston this week.

In a nod to the speakeasy trend that refuses to die, guests at Screamfest: The Ocean of Souls will be asked to sign a contract stipulating that they agree to sell their immortal soul to the Kraken before they enter. Cocktails, we ‘re informed, will be made with things like seaweed and squid ink.

Going down the spooky sci-fi route is All Star Lanes, which has devised a menu inspired by the Netflix series Stranger Things.

Drinks include The Shadow Shake (topped with cream, white chocolate and a gummy eyeball), the Upside Down cocktail, and The Eleven (Bacardi Oakheart rum, Midori, Aperol and almond syrup.). Hungry? The chain is offering packages for £30-£35 which include a cocktail served with their one-off The Stranger Pin burger, as well as a side, a shake, and a game of bowling, until 4 November.

At the other end of the night out spectrum, Devonshire Square’s creatively-named Devonshire Club has some stylish serves to get you in the spooky spirit.

The cocktails, Bats Blood (Vodka/Pimm’s/Frangelico/Lime Juice/Raspberry Puree) and Witches Brew (Tequila / Gin / Lime Juice / Gomme / Fresh dill and Fresh Cucumber) are available at Devonshire Club for the next two weeks.