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Bringing together all the spooky haunted graveyard vibes with The Grave Digger cocktail. Smoky mezcal (or tequila) mixed with a splash of orange liquor, spiced apple cider, a touch of citrusy lemon, bitters, and spicy ginger beer. This Halloween cocktail is the perfect warming October cocktail to sip on with friends and family this month. Finish this smoky libation off with smoking rosemary for an extra eerie touch.
Happy to be back for yet another HBH spooky Cocktail Saturday recipe! I LOVE these posts so much. And I LOVE this Grave Digger cocktail. It includes many of the ingredients I enjoy most in fall, with the addition of smoky mezcal. Not too sweet, perfectly spiced, and just a touch bit smoky.
The very quick details…
First, find your favorite bottle of smoky mezcal. Or if you don’t enjoy mezcal, use your favorite silver tequila. But know that the mezcal is what gives this drink its smokiness.
Now, add a splash of orange liquor, spiced cider, a little lemon, and a dash of bitters. Shake, and strain into glasses, then top off with ginger beer.
Simple…but so spookily good.
To make this extra eerie, add a sprig of rosemary and light it on fire. It adds to the ambiance of this mysterious drink and infuses it with a touch of rosemary too.
Have a graveyard smash of a Saturday and enjoy!
Looking for other spooky cocktail recipes? Here are a few ideas:
“I put a Spell on You” Poison Apple Martini
Lastly, if you make the Grave Digger, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
The Grave Digger
Servings: 1 drink
Calories Per Serving: 537 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces mezcal or tequila (1/4 cup)
- 2 ounces spiced apple cider (1/4 cup)
- 1/2 ounce lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
- 1/2 ounce Cointreau (orange liquor)
- 2 dashes rosemary or orange bitters (optional)
- ginger beer, for topping
- rosemary, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Fill a cocktail glass with ice.2. Combine the mezcal, apple cider, lemon juice, Cointreau, and bitters in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake until combined, about 1 minute. Strain into your prepared glass. Top with ginger beer and a rosemary sprig.3. If desired light the rosemary on fire for a smoky effect.
YUM! The flavors are so cozy for fall. LOVE it.
Thank you! So glad to hear you’re enjoying this recipe! xT
Delicious and perfect for a Halloween party with friends. The smoky rosemary was icing on the cake to make for the perfect spooky cocktail.
Hey Katherine,
Love it!!🤩 So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xx
I’ve been staring at these glasses on Pottery Barn or the last two years. Now I’m gonna have to buy them just to make this drink! ? ? ?
Lol they are pretty cute!!
Alrighty now! Where did you find those skeleton glasses?
Hi Avery,
Here is the link for the glasses:
https://www.potterybarn.com/products/skeleton-stemless-wine-glass/?clickid=2ha2OwUbJxyLWUhwUx0Mo36bUkBXpPVT0RGDUQ0&irgwc=1&cm_cat=116548&cm_ven=afshoppromo&bnrid=3317500&cm_ite=&cm_pla=ir&irpid=116548
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
My company had a “cocktail/mocktail” competition at Halloween. I made this and won first place!
Hey Judy,
That is so amazing! Lol love to hear this, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
I made this for me and my husband last night, to try it out and we both loved it! I’ll be making it again for our friends tonight. Delicious!
Hey! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for trying it out and Happy Halloween! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! This recipe looks delicious, is there a way to make this ahead of time in bulk and how would you go about it? Thanks!!
I would also love to know about making this un bulk for a party!
Has anyone come up with a bulk recipe for this drink? I really don’t feel like measuring 1/2 ounce 20 times for our Halloween party haha
Same! Would love the bulk recipe and/or could this be put together early in pitchers or a punch bowl to self-serve with extras on the side to garnish?
Just multiply! 1/2 x 10 = 20. 8oz = 1 cup, so 2 and 1/4 cups for 20 servings, etc!
Whoops sorry I misspoke. At 1/2 ounce per serving, if you want 20 servings, you would have 10 ounces, so 1 cup and then an extra 2 ounces. Sorry!
Likewise for 2 ounces x 20 servings = 40 ounces which equals 5 cups
Hi there! Yes, I would just double or triple the recipe (depending on how much you need) And store the measured out ingredients the day before and then mix them all together when you’re serving the day of! Hope this helps! xTieghan
Any chance you know the bulk quantities off hand? I’d love to put this together in a pitcher for a party of 20 but don’t want to measure out 1/2 ounce 20 times ?
Sooo good! I love all the individual ingredients so I assumed I would love the drink, but the pairing was even better than we anticipated. We didn’t have the rosemary ingredients, but I’d like to try that next time.
Hey Rachel! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I hope you enjoyed it! Happy Weekend 🙂 xTieghan
Such a good fall cocktail. I scorched the rosemary to add smokiness, and it really elevated an already elevated cocktail!
Hi Chanel! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I hope it was delicious! 🙂 xTieghan
Do you use the spiced apple cider concentrate that there is a link to in the recipe? Or do you add water to the concentrate to make cider first?
Hi there! You add water to the concentrate to make cider 🙂 xTieghan