It was early September when NBC’s TODAY announced to unsuspecting moms everywhere that the Christmas shopping rush had commenced. Let us repeat that: September. Something about the supply chain and demand, but we were woefully unprepared to skip all the way to the most wonderful time of the year, regardless of how wonderful it might be. What about Halloween?

We refuse to let this year’s spooky season be overshadowed by the impending anxiety of a Christmas shopping list. That’s where Instagram mixologist Katherine Roberts of Cocktails with Katherine comes in. She whipped up four frightfully delicious drinks that are perfect for enjoying either on the couch with Beetlejuice in the background or at a costume party with friends and family.

Death by Margarita

Ingredients:
1 ½ oz. tequila
1 oz. lime juice
1 oz. Cointreau
¼ oz. agave nectar
Cranberry juice skull ice cube

Combine tequila, lime juice, Cointreau and agave nectar in a shaker with ice. Shake briefly and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Add a cranberry juice skull ice cube and let it “bleed out” into the cocktail.

The Great Pumpkin Punch

Ingredients:
12 oz. vodka
24 oz. oat milk
8 tsp. honey
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Pumpkin spice

Can be served cold or hot.

For cold: Chill vodka and oat milk for several hours prior to serving. Combine vodka, oat milk, honey and vanilla in a punch bowl. Garnish each cocktail with a sprinkle of pumpkin spice on top.

For hot: Combine vodka, oat milk, honey and vanilla in a pot on the stove or a Crockpot. Warm until just before simmering. Garnish each cocktail with a sprinkle of pumpkin spice on top.

Makes 8 servings.

Grave Decisions

Ingredients:
Fresh rosemary sprigs
4 figs
1 ½ oz. bourbon
½ oz. honey syrup
Spiced orange ginger ale

Smoke rosemary by igniting a sprig and covering with a lowball glass. Muddle figs before adding bourbon, honey and ice to a shaker and shaking well. Using a large strainer, pour mixture into lowball glass over a cube of ice. Add some of the muddled fig into cocktail. Top with spiced orange ginger ale. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.

Howlin’ at the Moon

Ingredients:
4 blackberries
½ oz. lime juice
¼ oz. simple syrup
½ oz. crème de cassis
Blue food coloring
Round ice cubes
1 ½ oz. Empress 1908 gin
Ginger beer

Muddle blackberries, lime juice, simple syrup, crème de cassis, and 2 to 4 drops blue food coloring. Pour mixture into a flute and add small, round ice cubes. Add Empress 1908 gin and top with ginger beer.