Spirits of the night

Halloween inspires creepy cocktails for adults

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Dean Phillips, president and CEO of Phillips Distilling Co., says colored spirits aren't necessarily new. His family-run business launched flavored vodkas in the 1950s. "What is old is new again," Phillips says. "Whether we're talking about automobiles, clothing or cocktails, consumers are looking for something novel, new or fresh. People are looking for other colors and concepts, which led to rapid growth in all categories of spirits - rums, tequilas, whiskeys."

In recent years producers of spirits have gotten in the spirit of the holiday by coloring their products with seasonal colors. There's Vampyre's blood-red colored vodka, Gecko's black tequila (100 percent blue agave tequila colored black) and UV's orange-colored and orange-flavored vodka.

Expect that number to increase as distributors experiment with more flavors and colors. "We have an appropriate color in the line for every holiday: red cherry, green apple, ivory vanilla and mandarin orange," says Phillips.

Rob Chirico, author of The Field Guide to Cocktails (Quirk, 2005), marvels at the variety of what's available on the market. "It's a question of eye appeal. As long as people drink, we will see many more of these (wildly colored) concoctions," he says. Packaging also has become an important factor, for marketing and aesthetic reasons, especially during the holidays.

"There's a vodka from Switzerland that comes in a deep, deep red bottle. It looks like something from a field hospital, like it should be in an emergency room full of plasma ... Alcohol is a design element," Mellgren says.

Mellgren and Chirico are using new types of garnishes to add color to their drink concoctions. For example, Chirico serves a Manhattan with something black in it, like a piece of licorice. Mellgren likes wrapping twinkly lights around the base of the punch bowl to highlight the ghoulish colors.

"All that gory stuff is great for Halloween," Mellgren says. "It would gross people out any other time of the year, except for Halloween."

To reach Lauren Chapin, restaurant critic, call (816) 234-4702 or send e-mail to lchapin@kcstar.com.

Here are five cocktails - including a recipe for a Zombie punch - that will set the mood for this year's howlin' good time.

This martini is deeply blue-green, with a purplish-red layer on the bottom.

Undercurrent

Makes 1 drink

1 1/2 ounces vodka

1 1/2 ounces Blue Curacao

3 ounces pineapple juice

1/4 ounce Chambord

Glassware: Martini glass

Pour the vodka, curacao and pineapple juice into an ice-filled martini shaker and shake until sides are beaded with condensation. Strain the contents into a martini glass. Slowly pour the Chambord down the side of the glass until it settles at the bottom. You should have a layer of Chambord at the bottom and a layer of mix at the top.

Per serving: 112 calories (1 percent from fat), trace fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 9 grams carbohydrates, trace protein, trace sodium, no dietary fiber.

From www.barmeister.com.

This classic cocktail was created by Don Beach of Don the Beachcomber in the 1930s as a hangover cure. Its golden hue makes it perfect for the season.

Zombie

Makes six (7-ounce) drinks

10 ounces fresh orange juice (from approximately 3 oranges)

4 ounces fresh lemon juice (from approximately 3 lemons)

4 ounces fresh lime juice (from approximately 4 limes)

6 ounces apricot brandy

6 ounces dark rum

6 ounces light rum

2 ounces grenadine

1/2 Angostura bitters

3 ounces 151-proof rum, for floating (optional)

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