This Halloween gin cocktail is so delicious, it's spooky! It features Bloody Shiraz gin, which is an Australian gin flavored with Shiraz wine grapes. In this sour cocktail, the flavors of pomegranate and cherry pair perfectly with the Shiraz for a refreshing, fruity flavor. Egg white foam on top gives it an elegant look, and a medicine dropper gives it a little vampire flair for a Halloween party!
I was inspired to create this cocktail for Halloween! This is definitely a vampire's kind of cocktail, IMO. I love the way the maraschino cherry at the bottom creates a darker look at the bottom of the glass!
Looking for more spooky Halloween themed drinks? The Vampire's Kiss is an easy and delicious vodka drink for Halloween, or the bright green Hocus Pocus cocktail is great for a Halloween party!
The Black Heart Halloween cocktail is a delicious and smoky cocktail featuring mezcal. Or, check out the Candy Corn Martini for a tasty candy-themed drink!
Ingredients
Here is a list of the ingredients you'll need to create this cocktail:
- Bloody Shiraz gin by Four Pillars
- Lemon for fresh lemon juice
- Pomegranate juice
- Simple syrup
- Cherry bitters
- Egg white (fresh or carton)
- Maraschino cherry for garnish (preferably Luxardo cherries, but use your favorite)
- Clean medicine dropper for a little extra flair (optional) or a lemon wheel for a second garnish
Substitutions
If you're missing some of the ingredients, here are some ways you might be able to substitute:
- Bloody Shiraz Gin - if you don't have this specialty gin, try using your favorite gin instead, but cut the amount back by ¼ ounce and add in 1 ounce of red wine.
- Pomegranate juice - if you don't have this, try replacing it with an equal amount of cranberry juice.
- Egg white -for a vegan option, try the Fee Brothers Fee Foam instead of the egg whites. Or you can use an equal amount of aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chick peas). Check out my Passionfruit Mango Sour recipe for a discussion of egg white best practices. Or, just omit the egg white altogether.
- Cherry bitters - any kind of citrus flavored bitters, or Peychaud's bitters, would also work well in this!
Equipment
You'll need a cocktail shaker and strainer for this cocktail, especially if you want the foam on top. Also, have ready a jigger (or small measuring cup).
For the serving glass, my favorite for this one is a martini glass. Note that the wider the rim of the glass, the thinner your layer of egg white foam will be, so keep that in mind when you're choosing.
Instructions
Prepare egg whites
To make this cocktail, first get your egg white ready! Either separate the white from a fresh egg yolk, or measure it out from the carton.
If you're using carton egg whites, be sure to shake the carton before measuring it out to distribute the egg white proteins through the liquid.
Mix ingredients and dry shake
Next, add the lemon juice, gin, pomegranate juice, simple syrup and bitters to the cocktail shaker along with the egg whites.
To develop the egg white foam, do a dry shake. A dry shake is when you shake all of the ingredients together in the cocktail shaker without any ice.
Give it a really good shake, about 20-30 times. You can't really over-shake it at this point!
Tip: A really useful way to create a nice foam during the dry shake is to add a blender ball to the shaker. You could even take the spring off of a Hawthorne cocktail strainer and place the spring inside the shaker to have a similar effect.
Wet shake and strain
After the dry shake, add ice to the cocktail shaker and shake it up again. You'll want to shake it about 15-20 times to chill and dilute the drink.
Add the maraschino cherry to the bottom of the serving glass. Then, strain the cocktail into your serving glass.
If possible, do a double strain. A double strain is when you use a regular cocktail strainer, but also add a second, fine mesh cocktail strainer. Pour the drink into the serving glass through both strainers.
Garnish
Finally, add your garnish. To create this vampire-y look, I just used a clean medicine dropper. Fill the dropper with the Bloody Shiraz gin for a little extra kick!
Another, less spooky, garnish option would be to cut a lemon wheel and add that to the side of the glass. Or, just twist a lemon peel over top of the egg white foam and float it on top.
Top tip
Serve this one as soon as you make it! If you leave the egg white foam sitting too long, it may start to take on an "eggy" smell as it warms up closer to room temperature. A piece of lemon peel squeezed over top of the drink will help to keep the drink smelling fresh if it needs to sit out for a few minutes.
📖 Recipe
Bloody Shiraz Gin Sour - Halloween Gin Cocktail
Equipment
- Second fine mesh strainer (optional)
- Cocktail serving glass
- Small medicine dropper (optional - for garnish)
Ingredients
- ¾ ounce egg whites fresh or carton
- 1 ounce lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ½ ounce pomegranate juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- 1 ½ ounce Bloody Shiraz gin made by Four Pillars
- 2 dashes Cherry Bourbon bitters
- 1 Maraschino cherry for garnish
Instructions
- If you're using a fresh egg, crack it open and separate the white from the yolk. If you're using carton egg whites, shake up the carton. Measure out the egg whites.¾ ounce egg whites
- Add the egg whites, lemon juice, pomegranate juice, simple syrup, Bloody Shiraz gin, and Cherry Bourbon bitters to a cocktail shaker.¾ ounce egg whites, 1 ounce lemon juice, ½ ounce pomegranate juice, ½ ounce simple syrup, 1 ½ ounce Bloody Shiraz gin, 2 dashes Cherry Bourbon bitters
- Shake everything in the cocktail shaker for about 30-60 seconds without any ice. This is called a dry shake and will build the egg white foam. If you like, add a blender ball or the spring of a cocktail strainer to help build the foam.
- Add ice to the cocktail shaker and shake about 15-20 times. This will chill and dilute the drink.
- Add the maraschino cherry to the bottom of your cocktail glass.1 Maraschino cherry
- Strain the cocktail into the glass through both strainers (double strain).
- Fill the clean medicine dropper with more gin and place it on the side of the glass as garnish.
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