Ina Garten's Halloween-Ready Espresso Martini Has A Citrusy Twist

For every season there is an Ina Garten cocktail, even for something as kid-oriented as Halloween. The woman known as the Barefoot Contessa has made a career of being one of TV's consummate hosts, and that always means having a batch of creative cocktails ready for guests. That can mean ruby red pomegranate gimlets for the holidays or simple, bubbly raspberry royales made with Champagne for a summer garden party. And for Halloween, Garten has devised a clever mix of seasonal black and orange, combining the trendy espresso martini with a bit of orange vodka.

In classic Garten fashion, her Halloween espresso martini is a creative twist that makes the drink feel special without actually requiring much work at all. Posted on her TikTok, Garten walks us through how to make these by the batch, perfect for a costume party or just chilling with a few other parents after a long evening of trick-or-treating with the kids. The cocktail is made with two cups of cold decaf espresso, suitable for late-night sipping without costing you any sleep.

To that, she adds the same amount of orange vodka (Stoli preferred) and one cup of the absolute best coffee liqueur (Kahlua preferred). Everything goes in a shaker with plenty of ice until foamy, although you may need a few rounds if serving a bigger crowd. Poured into a classic martini glass, Garten garnishes the drink with an orange peel for that little pop of Halloween color and citrus freshness.

Garten's use of orange vodka also opens her Halloween martini to other tasty variations to suit your party guests. The flavor of the cocktail is already channeling the popular holiday pairing of chocolate and orange, and you can go all the way with it by swapping out the Kahlua with chocolate liqueur. If you want something a little sweeter, an orange vanilla pairing is always popular, and you can get that with some vanilla cold brew espresso instead of the standard espresso. Finally, nutty, spicy flavors complement both orange and coffee, and cinnamon or ginger syrups can be swapped in for part of the Kahlua if you like. Want to go extra dark for a real spooky visual effect? Consider some food coloring to turn the vodka into black vodka for stunning Halloween cocktails.

So, once you have your Halloween espresso martini, what should you serve it with? Well, Garten recommends a nice color pairing by serving chocolate ganache cake with orange frosting. But there are plenty of creative Halloween party foods to fit the theme. A classic like pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake will be a great taste pairing with the intense espresso, or you could try other black-and-orange bite-sized treats like Oreo balls or candy corn and popcorn balls. As Garten knows, you shouldn't let the kids have all the fun on Halloween.