Photo by dracisk

Drink of the Week: Halloween cocktails

Where: Oyamel and The Passenger

While today’s celebrations of Halloween include soliciting for candy and coming up with clever costumes for dogs, the origins of the holiday lie in festivals for the dead. So what better way to remember Halloween’s roots than by raising some spirits?

There are plenty of Halloween cocktail recipes out there. From candy corn tinis, to vampire drinks, to ambitious dry ice concotions. But a couple of area establishments are avoiding the theatrics and focusing on ingredients, to mix up potions you will actually want to drink.

Oyamel has created a whole Day of the Dead menu, and will be offering it through November 2. But before you sink your teeth into the venison heart (yes, that’s the first item on the menu), you must choose an elixir. Perhaps “The Zombie Apocalypse”? It’s “an ancient twist on the classic Tiki drink,” combining Azul Centenario Blanco, Sailor Jerry Rum, papaya, coconut, and honey. Or maybe select “Sacrifice,” and sip on a mix of house-infused Turkey El Jimador Reposado, orange curacao, lime juice, and mole bitters.

Over at The Passenger (currently home of a homemade volcano for their Halloween party this week) the cocktails change often, but always have a theme. Full in the Halloween mood, they recently featured “Tan Son of a Witch” (rum, dark creme de cocao, cointreau, and lime), “Widow’s Kiss” (calvados, yellow chartreuse, Benedictine, and bitters), and “Booberry Smash” (gin, Sloe gin, lemon, sugar, blueberries). They also offered the “Trick & Treat” (Schlitz and a shot of rye), but that seems more trick than treat to us.

Small Bites

Pickles in ice cream: Not just for pregnant ladies anymore!
Dolcezza, an artisnal gelato shop with locations in Georgetown, Dupont, and Bethesda, just announced three new “collaboration flavors.” They’re teaming up with Green Hat Gin for a Cucumber Tarragon Gin sorbetto, Gordy’s Pickles for a Thai Basil Jalapeno sorbetto, and DC Brau for a Penn Quarter Porter gelato. All three new flavors will be available at all Dolcezza locations beggining November 5, and selling for $5 for small, $6.15 for large, and $10.50 for a pint.

That persistent pumpkin flavor
Shake Shack (1216 18th Street NW) is offering two desserts for your pumpkin fix. Pick up a Pumpkin Pie Custard or a Shack-o-lantern milkshake, which is a pumpkin spiced marshmallow flavor. These will be available through the end of the month.

More cocktails with a theme
Bar Pilar is launching new themed happy hours Monday through Fridays from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Come out for Sour Hour Mondays, Tonic Tuesdays, Bitter Wednesdays, Anti-Cocktail Thursdays (liquor flights and beers with a shot), and Pork n’ Punch Fridays (housemade punch served a “bacon buddy”: house cured bacon on a bun with onion jam).