Written by Sabrina Newell of Lou Lou Sucre
Halloween is probably one of my all-time favorite holidays for cocktails. The Black Widow’s Kiss Cocktail…the “spookiest” and dare I say, “creepiest” of Halloween cocktails that happen to be frighteningly delicious. This haunted brew is made with sweet pomegranate syrup paired with the most enchanted gin you can imagine, a bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice, a touch of fresh blackberries, and delicious elderflower liqueur. A generous helping of Cocktail Caviar provides the ultimate “frightening” touch. This cocktail is delicious and absolutely perfect for Halloween.
Giving a delicious cocktail a fun, spooky name and adding different elements to bring out all of the flavors is the best part of creating cocktails. I started experimenting with ingredients for this cocktail and it really reminded me of a delicate kiss-like the one you just might get from a spider. You don’t even realize that it’s there until it’s too late.
The spirit is what really inspired this cocktail. I began with a bottle of Empress 1908 Gin. It’s an absolutely beautiful spirit that is purple in color thanks to the Butterfly Pea Extract. It pairs wonderfully with lemon, florals, and berries. After developing the cocktail, I also knew that it would be perfectly spooky to add a little helping of Cocktail Caviar to the top of each, because it resembles spider eggs and what is a spider cocktail without spider eggs. Adding an egg white to this cocktail to give it a silky smooth texture and a frothy topping for the spider eggs to sit. It’s double shaken to give it a decadent frothiness. It is perfect, perfectly spooky, that is. So whether you are celebrating at home or with a small group this year, make sure to add this cocktail to your celebration.
The Black Widow’s Kiss
The Black Widow’s Kiss4 blackberries
2 ounces Empress 1908 Gin
1 ounce St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ ounce pomegranate simple syrup
1 egg white
Garnish with Cocktail Caviar (for the spider eggs)
Muddle the blackberries in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.
Add the gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, pomegranate syrup, and egg white. Shake vigorously to combine for 15 to 20 seconds until the mixture starts to sound thick.
Add ice and shake again for another 15 seconds until chilled. Pour into a double old-fashioned over ice and top with Cocktail Caviar.
To make the pomegranate simple syrup:
Combine 1 cup pomegranate juice, 1 cup water, and 1 cup sugar (or sweetener of your choice) to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Allow the mixture to boil for 2-3 minutes until it starts to thicken. Reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool completely before using.
*You can substitute your favorite gin for the Empress 1908 Gin but the color will be different.