Black Widow Martini

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Make it an extra spooky Halloween with this Black Widow Martini! Featuring freshly muddled blackberries and real pomegranate juice to capture those deep, dark Halloween vibes, this martini is sure to get you in a festive mood for some frighteningly good times. Everyone will love to sip on this Halloween martini all October long.

The Black Widow Martini with lights and spooky steam in the background.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Step-by-Step Instructions
Recipe FAQs
Expert Tips
Perfect Pairing
Looking for More Spooky Recipes?
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Just as delicious as it is festive. A Halloween cocktail is always fun, but you don't want to just pour together a bunch of weird, neon-colored liqueurs to get a cool Halloween look that tastes terrible. We use high-quality ingredients to create a cocktail that you'll actually enjoy sipping.
That spooky color. Are you scared yet? With the almost-black hue and touch of sparkles, this cocktail is sure to get everyone in the Halloween spirit.
Can double as a Black Widow cocktail for an Avengers night. While I think of this as a Halloween cocktail, who said it's only for one occasion? If you have any kind of Avengers night or super hero party, this is your perfect signature cocktail.

Related: For more Halloween cocktails, make sure you also try my Halloween sangria.

Ingredients

I especially love the ginger liqueur in this cocktail and truly think it gives this drink a little something extra. Hey, we're talking Halloween in the fall, so who doesn't appreciate a kick of spice in their cocktail?

If you've never bought ginger liqueur, I love Domaine De Canton. It's ultra smooth and balances sweet and spicy notes perfectly. I use it in my sparkling cranberry-ginger margarita, and it adds such a wonderful warmth. You could also swap orange liqueur in a pomegranate martini for the ginger liqueur or add ½ ounce to a holiday mimosa, so you have plenty of reasons to grab a bottle besides this one drink.

Trust me -- one taste and you'll want to add this liqueur to lots of other cocktails. It may be more of a specialty liqueur than, say, an orange variety, but it will find plenty of use in your bar inventory.

You'll also notice the edible glitter. I get my edible glitter from Sugar Mama Shimmer, and this shade is Black Tie Shimmer. It's completely tasteless and textureless. Although edible glitter is optional, it adds such a fun touch.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: To make our drink, we grab a cocktail shaker and add a handful of blackberries (photo 1) with the simple syrup and muddle until they break down like so (photo 2).

Muddling the blackberries in a clear cocktail shaker.

Step 2: Now we add our pomegranate juice, vodka, ginger liqueur, lemon juice and edible glitter with a big handful of ice (photo 3).

Adding the pomegranate juice to the cocktail shaker.

Step 3: We put on the top and give it a good shake (photo 4).

Shaking the cocktail shaker after adding all the ingredients.

Step 4: With our black Halloween cocktail nice and cold, we strain it into a chilled martini glass. If you want to get extra eerie, drop a piece of dry ice into the cocktail, and keep on reading for safety tips.

Those are all the steps! Now sit back and enjoy your spooky Black Widow Martini for a festive Halloween celebration. If you'd like some more fun sippers, you'll also love this Witches Brew Halloween Punch.

The Halloween martini on silver fabric with steam to the side.

Recipe FAQs

Is it safe to add dry ice to a cocktail?

You can add dry ice directly to a cocktail with a few precautions. Do not ingest or touch dry ice with bare skin. I always use tongs to grab the dry ice and place a small piece in the serving glass.

Once you add the dry ice, it’s very dense and will sink to the bottom. Let your guest know not to ingest the ice. They can either sip from the top until the dry ice melts and stops steaming, or let them know to simply wait it out, about five minutes.

Of course, dry ice is completely optional, so if you’d rather not add it to the cocktail, you can skip it. That dark hue is enough to get you in the Halloween spirit.

How do you chill a martini glass?

I recommend two easy methods to chill your martini glass. If you remember to plan ahead, simply place your serving glass in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

The other method is to fill your serving glass with cold water and ice when you begin to mix your drink. After mixing the cocktail, stir the ice for 30 seconds, toss the water and ice, and you’ll be left with a chilled glass.

Can you batch this recipe to serve a crowd?

You sure can. I included the proportions in the notes section of the recipe card.

If you don't mind fresh fruit bits, you can muddle right into the pitcher or punch bowl, or you can place the berries in a fine-mesh sieve with a bowl underneath. Muddle the berries in the sieve and use the juice you collect in the bowl. Add that juice to the pitcher or punch bowl with the vodka, ginger liqueur, lemon juice, pomegranate juice and simple syrup and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Expert Tips

While I recommend picking up a muddler if you enjoy making cocktails, you can use a sturdy wooden spoon to pulverize the blackberries if you don’t have one.
If you can't get fresh blackberries, frozen berries work fine. Just make sure you thaw them first.
Before juicing the lemon, firmly roll it on the counter a few times to get the juice flowing.
I like to use a handheld juicer to more easily and efficiently extract the juice and catch large seeds.
Pick a lemon that have some give when you press into it to ensure it’s still juicy.
For a proper shaking technique, use two hands.

Perfect Pairing

For a starter, this Halloween charcuterie board is perfect with a berry-forward cocktail. You'll have lots of delicious nibbles to go with those berry notes.

Blackberries also nicely complement beef entrees, and they’re wonderful with spice. With that in mind, you’ll love my apple cider short ribs or apple cider pot roast with this blackberry Halloween cocktail. The berries add a nice pop of brightness, and you’ll love how the sweetness pairs with the rich cuts.

Blackberries are also fabulous with duck. My holiday roast duck is a perfect option as well.

For one frighteningly delicious Halloween cocktail, I hope you try this Black Widow Martini. It will get you in the Halloween spirit in no time.

Cheers!

Looking down at the Black Widow Martini with steam coming off the top.

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Comments

5 from 157 votes (146 ratings without comment)