Greetings, foul friends.
The best time of the year is here! Yes, the Spooky Season is finally upon us, and we couldn’t be happier. That’s not strictly true, as we hate being happy, but you know what we mean.
It seems that you mortals agree, as we know you like nothing more than to dress up as vampires, werewolves, witches, and Frankenstein’s monster (or Great Uncle Vlad, Dave, Mike, and Shirley, Great, Great, Great Aunt Esmeralda, and Cousin Frankie, as we know them. They’re always touched by your homages to them). We also enjoy being able to go down to the local village without having to wear the usual ridiculous moustache, glasses, and bowler hat disguise. We really must give that poor man his face back one of these days…
As you might expect, this is one of the busiest times of the year for us. We work hard, but we play hard, too. After a hard day of crafting batches of award-winning artisan gin, we at The Lodge like nothing more than to sit around as a collective, have some snacks and drinks, and watch our favourite comedies. The Exorcist, The Amityville Horror, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre are must-watches, and, if we have time, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. It does the soul good to have a good chuckle every now and then. Shame we don’t have them…
But enough prattling. We have plenty to tell you about, including details of which food and drink festivals we’ll be attending, and the recipes for some spooky cocktails that are sure to delight any Halloween party guest.
Igor, tell the mortals where they can find us this month.
FESTIVALS
Very good, masters. Hello, fleshling. I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced? I’m Igor, butler and servant to the Black Lodge. I do everything from dusting the crypts to driving the masters in the hearse to these accursed food and drink festivals (Igor, watch your mouth, or I’ll make you clean the werewolves’ litter tray with your tongue – Brother G).
Apologies, master. Forgive me, fleshlings, I’m unaccustomed to your practices. What I meant to say was, I’m delighted *retch* to leave the dark sanctity of the Lodge for the opportunity to see you puffy, rotting, putrid sacks of…
Right, that’s enough public relations for you, Igor. Off to the kennels with you!
Sorry, dear reader. We’ll make sure the cat o’ nine tails has a long chat with him. Here’s a list of the events we’ll be attending this month. We genuinely hope to see you there.
5th: Darkside markets, Halloween Spookfest Market, Oak Park Leisure Centre, Walsall Wood
12th: Leamington Autumn Markets, Warwickshire
18th: Trentham Gardens Market, Stoke-on-Trent
19th: Darkside markets, Bridgtown Social Club, Cannock
25th/26th: Trentham Gardens Halloween Festival, Stoke-on-Trent
25th: Swynnerton Autumn Fair, Early Lane, ST15 0RB
HALLOWEEN PARTY COCKTAILS
We promised you spooky Halloween cocktail recipes, so spooky Halloween cocktail recipes you shall have!
Enjoy, daywalkers!
The Ghoulish Graveyard
This eerie, herbaceous cocktail uses activated charcoal to create a ghostly black hue, perfectly complementing the zesty and peppery notes of the Craft Gin.
Ingredients:
🪦 50ml Black Lodge Potions Craft Gin
🪦 20ml Elderflower Liqueur
🪦 15ml Freshly squeezed lime juice
🪦 1 capsule of food-grade activated charcoal (opened and poured in)
🪦 Top with soda water
Garnish: A lime wheel or a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, arranged to look like a small tree or branch.
Method:
- Add gin, elderflower liqueur, lime juice, and activated charcoal to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Shake well until thoroughly chilled.
- Strain into a tall glass filled with ice.
- Top with soda water and stir gently.
- Garnish and serve.
The Midnight Mourning
A deep, dark, and brooding cocktail that plays on the smoky and liquorice notes of the gin, with a surprise of blackberry and a touch of warmth from ginger beer.
Ingredients:
🕷️ 50ml Black Lodge Potions Smoky Berries & Liquorice Gin
🕷️ 25ml blackberry liqueur or crème de mûre
🕷️ 10ml simple syrup (optional, to taste)
🕷️ Top with ginger beer
Garnish: A few fresh blackberries on a skewer, and for a spooky touch, a piece of dehydrated orange slice.
Method:
- Fill a glass with ice.
- Add gin and blackberry liqueur.
- Top with ginger beer and stir gently.
- Garnish and serve.
The Devil’s Brew
A rich and fiery concoction that combines the heat of the chilli with the sweetness of cherry and the indulgent flavour of chocolate.
Ingredients:
☠️ 50ml Black Lodge Potions Dark Cherry, Chilli Chocolate Gin
☠️ 25ml cherry juice (tart or sweet, as preferred)
☠️ 15ml chocolate syrup
☠️ A dash of orange bitters
Garnish: A dark chocolate-covered cherry or an orange twist.
Method:
- Add gin, cherry juice, chocolate syrup, and bitters to a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Shake well until chilled.
- Strain into a chilled coupette or martini glass.
- Garnish and serve.
The Vampire’s Kiss
This blood-red cocktail is visually striking and stunningly delicious, balancing the sweet strawberry notes of the gin with a fiery kick from black pepper and a hint of basil.
Ingredients:
🦇 50ml Black Lodge Potions Wild Strawberry & Black Pepper Gin
🦇 25ml Fresh lemon juice
🦇 20ml simple syrup
🦇 2-3 fresh basil leaves
🦇 1 strawberry, muddled
Garnish: A large strawberry cut into a heart shape or a basil leaf.
Method:
- Muddle the strawberry and basil leaves in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.
- Add gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup to the shaker filled with ice.
- Shake vigorously until well chilled.
- Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
- Garnish and serve.
The Witch’s Potion
A mysterious, green-hued potion that is both sweet and herbal, taking full advantage of the unique honey and nettle botanicals of the gin.
Ingredients:
🧹 50ml Black Lodge Potions Stinging Nettle & Honey Gin
🧹 25ml Melon Liqueur (Midori works well)
🧹 25ml fresh lime juice
🧹 A dash of green food colouring (optional, for a more vibrant colour)
🧹 Top with tonic water
Garnish: A single rosemary sprig that looks like a witch’s broomstick.
Method:
- Add gin, melon liqueur, lime juice, and food colouring (if using) into a highball glass filled with ice.
- Stir to combine.
- Top with tonic water and stir gently.
- Garnish and serve.
And, if you’d like to make all five, our Five Gin Gift Pack contains all five flavours in handy 50ml servings, so you don’t even need to measure your gin out.
You can buy all of the above from The Spirit Shop or from Amazon alongside your regular shopping.
UNTIL NEXT TIME…
Well, we can’t stand, flap, and slither around here all day; there’s work to be done! There’s gin to be made, pumpkins to be carved, and heads to be rolled. If you’re having a Halloween party, be sure to send us a photo, especially if you’re trying one of our cocktails. You can do this via parchment and raven, your favourite voodoo practitioner, or you can email us at hello@blacklodgepotions.com.
Until next month, enjoy the Halloween festivities, drink responsibly, and remember that dunking for apples with razor blades in them is no longer considered an acceptable method of fun.
I don’t know, killjoys.
IGOR! Hurry up, man. There are three more to be cleaned yet!
Stay spooky,
Brother G and Brother T
