Last Updated on October 9, 2020
Bourbon, St Germain and Ginger with a good dash of Angostura Bitters – The Skeleton Key
Shouldn’t a Halloween cocktail be something unexpected? I’m particularly fond of a St Germain Spritz made with Champagne – and rather partial to Bourbon on the rocks or made into a Whiskey Sour. But, the idea of mixing Bourbon with St Germain, adding lemon juice and a good slug of ginger beer and then topping the whole thing off with far more Angostura bitters than I would ever normally add to a glass, is one which, in its own way has a somewhat macabre sense to it.
The Skeleton Key cocktail is a contemporary mix – the invention of Brian Vollmer from Detroit. He says
‘I created this drink while working at Michael Symon’s Roast in Detroit. MI. I served it for a couple of days before I came up with the name. The rusty colour of the drink made me think of the skeleton keys that opened the old locks in my grandparent’s house.’
Looking for a Halloween cocktail, I chanced on the recipe and decided to try for myself. I prefer a little more St Germain than the original, but that apart, I made the drink much as Vollmer suggested layering Bourbon, lemon juice, St Germain and ginger beer into an ice-filled glass before topping it off with bitters. I was intrigued to find that the Angostura bitters really do float on top and slowly cascade through the drink and I thought it had the perfect spooky effect for a simple Halloween drink.
It’s a long cocktail with just the right balance of sweetness for me – and very refreshing thanks to the lashings of ginger beer. And, I think it looks really striking – the perfect Halloween cocktail.
If you’d like to try for yourself, here’s the recipe
A Bourbon and St Germain cocktail for Halloween
- 35 ml Bourbon
- 25 ml St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
- 15 ml Lemon Juice
- 60 ml Ginger beer
- 8 dashes Angostura bitters
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Fill a tall glass with ice (I used my St Germain Spritz glass, but a Collins glass is what was originally specified)
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Pour in the Bourbon, followed by St Germain, followed by the lemon juice and stir
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Top with ginger beer and stir gently again
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Finish with the Angostura bitters, allowing the bitters to float on top and gently mix through the rest of the drink giving a 'rusty' effect
Oh, and perhaps try to make sure that the Halloween spiders and bats don’t make it into your glass!
Disclosure: I was given the bottle of St Germain used to make this cocktail but all content is editorially given. For more about St Germain, do check their website
I might just try this, could be a good winter warmer
Good to have a special drink for halloween
What a great idea for Halloween
Perfect for Halloween! This would be a definite favourite for my husband