October's Most Festive Cocktails

Beaumont's Jack-O-Lantern cocktail

October 13, 2012

With the changing colors of October comes the revival of the holiday spirit, and San Diego restaurants and bars are excited to offer festive sips in honor of the season. Below, we have included a variety of cocktails inspired by the month of October, from those sporting the month’s signature ingredient of pumpkin to scary elixirs concocted for spooky Halloween soirees to cocktails featuring autumn's seasonal ingredients:

Pumpkin with a Punch:

The Grant Grill, located in the US GRANT Hotel, has introduced the Smashing Pumpkin Martini to their fall menu. Ingredients include pumpkin and star anise infused 10 Cane Rum, Grand Marnier, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, Saffron syrup, cardamom bitters and fresh Meyer lemon. The festive beverage is presented in a martini glass garnished with a spicy sugar rim and a wooden pumpkin-like ornament.

Each Fall, Pacific Beach's tried and true neighborhood cocktail lounge Thrusters serves their signature Pumpkin Pie cocktail. The Pumpkin Pie cocktail is made with pumpkin spice beer, vanilla bean infused vodka, Frangelico hazelnut liquor, fresh whipped cream and garnished with cinnamon shavings, nutmeg, clove and a vanilla bean.

Spooky Spirits:

Bird Rock’s Halloween party headquarters, Beaumont’s Eatery has mixed up the Jack-O-Lantern cocktail just in time for their annual spooky soiree. The Jack-O-Lantern is made with Jack Daniels, pumpkin spice liquor, fresh mandarin and a fresh dusting of cinnamon. A floating eyeball and creepy spider create a polished finish.

Grant Grill's Smashing Pumpkin Martini

Located in downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, Celebrity Chef Brian Malarkey’s Searsucker is serving The Femur Shot this October. Created by the innovative mixologists of Pick & Rock’s Cocktails, The Femur Shot is served in Steer Femur bones and designed to be sucked out, bone marrow style. The steer femur bones are cleaned and boiled, then stuffed with coconut, lime and vodka.

Residing in one of downtown San Diego’s oldest buildings, Whiskey Girl has created a host of haunted cocktails for Halloween. Ghouls and guests can choose from the Wolfman, a chocolate martini with vanilla vodka, the Frankenstein with Malibu, melon, blue Curacao, pineapple juice and whipped cream, and the Dracula served with a single shot of rumplemintz, a splash of cream and grenadine.

Also located in downtown San Diego, Donovan’s Prime Seafood will bring out the inner werewolf with the Full Moon cocktail. The Full Moon is comprised of Double Cross Vodka, Valrhona white chocolate, vanilla infused pisco, Sal de Camargue to create an intense, perpetual and lethal mixture.

Fall Festive:

Café Japengo, renowned for its sushi and Asian fusion cuisine, has introduced its Candy Green Appletini, a sweet and visually-appealing concoction of Absolut Vodka, Midori, Sour Apple Pucker and Chambord. This cocktail is garnished with a thinly sliced green apple dipped in a caramel sauce and ground cashews.

Bertrand at Mister A’s offers up a signature “skinny” cocktail to balance out all that holiday eating: its Smoke and Mirrors cocktail includes Bacardi Limon Rum, watermelon puree, serrano chilli, agave nectar and lemon juice.

Andaz San Diego, hosting a Maxim Devil’s Cut Halloween 2012 party this year, adds the Black Apple cocktail to its repertoire. The devilish drink involves Jim Beam Devil’s Cut, fresh pressed apple juice and fresh lemon sour in a tall glass over ice, garnished with a lemon wedge.