Cocktail of the Month: Candy Corn Martini

Halloween and the arrival of fall signify an array of delightful holiday pleasures. Whether you fill a bag of trick-or-treat goodies or carve a pumpkin, it’s the spooky season of amusement.

At one time, Halloween was mostly a child’s holiday, but those days are long gone. According to Fortune magazine, more money — $1.4 billion — will be spent on adult costumes than on children’s costumes (just $1.1 billion). Considering this trend, it’s not surprising that now there are now grown-up versions of your childhood delights.

Being a chocoholic, my favorite girlhood Halloween memories involved foraging through my bag of goodies and discarding or trading all of my non-chocolate loot. Nowadays, my tastes have evolved from Mr. Goodbar and 3 Musketeers to Belgium’s finest. A sophisticated way to satisfy your cravings is a trip to Co Co. Sala chocolate lounge on F Street NW, where the cocktail list boasts a variety of chocolate-infused tipples, including a chocolate malted milk martini, the Libido, which comes with chocolate ice cubes, and the Apollo, prepared with 72-percent dark chocolate.

Perhaps the candy most synonymous with Halloween is a bag of cone-shaped cloyingly sweet candy corn. Better Homes and Gardens magazine reports that George Renninger, a candymaker at the Wunderle Candy Company in Philadelphia, invented the revolutionary tricolor candy in the 1880s. When candy corn was first produced, it was called “Chicken Feed.” The boxes were illustrated with a colorful rooster logo and a tag line that read “Something worth crowing for.” According to the National Confectioners Association, more than 35 million pounds (or nine billion pieces) of candy corn will be produced this year.

An adult version of this time-honored sweet can be found at Cuba Libre, on 9th Street NW. The restaurant’s Candy Corn Martini is formulated from a combination of vanilla vodka, butterscotch schnapps, crème de cacao and fresh orange juice, which are layered and served in a triangular-shaped martini glass so it resembles the familiar sweet. Guillermo Pernot, Cuba Libre’s chef-partner, says, “The idea for Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar’s festive candy corn martini was inspired by everyone’s favorite Halloween candy, the classic candy corn, but then converting it into a fun seasonal drink … for adults.” As they say in Willy Wonka (quoting Ogden Nash): “Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker!”

Another universal symbol of Halloween and fall is pumpkins. Making jack-o’-lanterns is a long standing ritual and pumpkins are also used to make soups, desserts, breads and pies. One of the most anticipated G-rated seasonal inventions is the artificially flavored pumpkin latte from a ubiquitous coffee chain.

A far superior choice to quell your longings is the pumpkin spice margarita from El Centro D.F., in Georgetown and on 14th Street NW. The drink is forged from tequila that has been infused with roasted pumpkin and spices such as nutmeg, allspice, sugar and cinnamon. While these seasonal essences may seem an odd match for tequila, remember that the folks at El Centro are experts at marrying tequila with flavors. Their extensive list of tequila infusions includes grilled pineapple, serrano, lemon tea and strawberry basil.

Another option, which combines pumpkin with another fall staple, apple, is the Oval Room’s Grim Fandango cocktail, named for the video game and made from a combination of Gala apple cider, pumpkin puree, ginger root, honey, brown sugar, cloves, cinnamon stick and rum.
Finally, to cure your holiday overindulgence ills, head to Macon Bistro and Larder on upper Connecticut Avenue for their Isle of the Dead cocktail, inspired by the classic Corpse Reviver No. 2. The Corpse Reviver family of definitive cocktails were intended as “hair of the dog” hangover cures. Popular during the late 19th and early 20th century, they began to die out after Prohibition. The Corpse Reviver No. 1 and No. 2 were first listed in the “Savoy Cocktail Book” by Harry Craddock in 1930.

The Isle of the Dead is made from a combination of Damoiseau VSOP Rhum, Dubonnet, orange juice, Cointreau and Laphroaig Scotch. The combination of both rum and Scotch should pack a powerful punch — enough to scare the ghosts and goblins away until next year.

Candy Corn Martini

1.25 ounces vanilla vodka

.5 ounce butterscotch schnapps

.5 ounce crème de cacao

2 ounces fresh orange juice

Pour a splash of grenadine slowly over a bar spoon for a layered effect. Garnish with candy corn.