In honor of Halloween, this week's Friday Happy Hour features two ghoulishly good cocktail creations from Yael Vengroff, Bar Director of The Spare Room in Los Angeles.
It’s fitting that Yael developed these spooky recipes—which will also be served at The Spare Room on Halloween—as her bar is located in the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where ghosts of the famous — including Humphrey Bogart, Montgomery Clift, and Marilyn Monroe are said to haunt the halls.
Children of the Corn
By Yael Vengroff, Bar Director of The Spare Room
2 oz Candy Corn Vodka*
0.75 oz Lemon
0.75 oz Cinnamon Syrup**
Method: Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin / Add ice / Shake for 10 seconds / Strain over fresh ice into a highball glass / Top with seltzer
Glass: Highball
Garnish: Lemon wheel & Candy Corn skewer
*Candy Corn Vodka -- Combine 1 cup candy corn with 1 liter of vodka in a large container / Stir for 20 seconds / Cover and let sit for 2 hours / Strain
** Cinnamon Syrup -- Measure out 60 g Cinnamon sticks into a bowl / Smash with a muddler or a pot / Combine with 1000 g superfine sugar and 1000 g filtered water / Heat over medium heat for about 20 minutes, until all sugar is dissolved / Remove from heat and let sit overnight / Strain out cinnamon sticks
Dr. Teeth
By Yael Vengroff, Bar Director of The Spare Room, and Eric Bugosh
2 oz Milky Way-Infused Bourbon*
0.25 oz Tempus Fugit Dark Cacao
1 barspoon Cane Syrup
2 dashes Aztec Chocolate Bitters
Method: Combine all ingredients in a rocks glass / Add ice / Stir
Glass: Rocks glass
Garnish: Lemon Twist & fun size milky way bar
*Milky Way Bourbon -- Cut up 4 milky way bars into quarters and place in a large container / Add 1 liter of bourbon / Lightly muddle the candies / Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours and then cover and place in freezer overnight / Strain the next day