The El Diablo cocktail is exactly what you need for Halloween. It’s simple and the perfect drink to for any fall gathering or to sip on on the porch while you’re handing out candy, which may or may not be my plan this Halloween. (Don’t worry, while the candy will be enjoyed by adults and kids alike, the cocktails will be adult only!) I mean how can you not have a cocktail named “el diablo” on Halloween. Tell me, I’m listening.
This classic cocktail is just slightly sweet and a little spicy thanks to the addition of ginger beer and creme de cassis. To give the drink an extra tang, make sure that you use a good quality ginger beer that will give you the spice required for this drink. I recommend Fever Tree or Barritt’s ginger beer – I have used both with great results in the past. The creme de cassis adds a deep earthy sweetness as it is a liquor made from black currant berries. It adds a nice deep reddish/purple hue that just screams Halloween. Lime juice gives the drink acidity and tartness to balance the spice and sweetness from the ginger beer and creme de cassis. The drink hits all the key flavor points of a quality cocktail (at least in my book): slightly sweet, a tad spicy, and a good bit tart.
You can serve the drink on the rocks or neat in a champagne coupe like I did for a little extra drama. Top it with an extra squeeze of lime and a lime wedge, and you’re golden.
PrintEl Diablo Cocktail
- Yield: 1 1x
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp. (or 1.5 oz) tequila blanco
- 1 tbsp. (or 1/2 oz.) creme de cassis
- 1 tbsp. (or 1/2 oz.) lime juice
- 6 tbsp. (or 3 oz.) quality ginger beer (such as Fever Tree or Barritt’s)
Instructions
- Pour tequila, creme de cassis, and lime juice into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake, then strain into a glass neat or one filled with ice for on the rocks. Top with ginger beer.
Shop the recipe:
Fever Tree or Barritt’s Ginger Beer