Around the time I wrote A Taste for Drink I also put together a book of short horror stories and drinks to go with them called 31 Tastes of Terror .

I love Halloween and even though it’s still over a month away, I’m going to start sharing my october drinks from that book. Here’s the one for October 1st.

If you want to read the book and tales of terror that these drinks pair with, go HERE. It’s only $1 for the ebook.

October 1: Howling Banshee

This drink makes for a wonderful presentation. Depending on the color of the sweet & sour mix, you may achieve more blue or green as the overall color. If presented in a martini glass, the sugar rimmed glass makes this drink perfect for a high-class party.

Taste profile: mostly sweet with a touch of sour to tone it down.

Ingredients:

• 2 parts rum
• 1 part Blue Curacao
• 1 part sweet & sour mix
• ½ Tsp black sugar (see directions below)

In a shaker with ice, combine the rum, curacao and sweet & sour mix and shake vigorously.

Moisten the rim of the glass with a wedge of lemon and dip the rim of the glass into the bowl containing the colored sugar. I don’t recommend twisting the glass to coat the rim although some bartenders swear by it, experiment and determine what works best for you. Once the glass is rimmed, strain the drink into the glass.

Making the colored sugar:

• ½ cup sugar
• Black food coloring

Place the sugar in a bowl and add several drops of the food coloring. Mix the color into the sugar using a silicone spatula. Continue adding several drops at a time until you achieve a smooth color.