The Grave Digger Cocktail can be quickly made up for a crowd or for solo sipping for a ghouslishly good time! This Halloween cocktail is a refreshing, fizzy fall cocktail perfect for celebrating.
A signature cocktail always makes a party festive and gives cause to celebrate the season.
The Grave Digger cocktail does both.
With familiar fall flavors and some fizz, this Halloween cocktail will make your party the favorite.
It will be the cocktail friends ask you to make on repeat as the cold weather rolls in.
A Delicious Halloween cocktail
There is no better way to celebrate October than with a fall-inspired Halloween cocktail!
The Grave Digger cocktail was created after pondering 'if I were a grave digger, what would I drink?'
Whisky, would be what I would drink.
I could picture man with a shovel in the thick of night silhouetted only by a harvest moon.
Wiping his brow, he would pull out a small flask for a sip before burying the new casket by morning.
I frankly know nothing about grave digging other than what I've seen in movies.
But I liked this eerie visual all the same.
Grave Digger Cocktail Ingredients
The ingredients in this Halloween cocktail are simple and full of fall flavors:
- Hard Cider
- Bourbon or other Whiskey
- Ginger Ale or Ginger Beer
Hard Cider
It's apple season and hard cider is a great alternative to beer especially for fall.
Most hard ciders are also gluten-free which is a plus for those needing to avoid gluten.
If you are gluten-free always check the hard cider label!
It has a bright flavor and carbonation making for a delicious apple-cider-meets-beer alternative.
I love the combination of bourbon and ginger, as well as apple and ginger.
It seemed natural to combine all three into a concoction to celebrate fall and certainly for Halloween parties.
The Grave Digger ingredients make a delicious combination.
What’s the Difference between Ginger Ale and Ginger Beer?
Both are carbonated ginger-flavored non-alcoholic drinks.
Ginger Beer has a much stronger ginger flavor. It is usually brewed using fresh ginger.
Ginger Beer is a signature ingredient in Moscow Mules.
Ginger ale has a lighter ginger flavor and is made from ginger syrup.
Both are delicious in this halloween cocktail.
This Halloween cocktail also doesn't pack too big a punch thanks to the ginger ale filler.
How to Make it – Step-by-Step
This cocktail is made per drink for the best results.
STEP 1. In a 12-16 ounce glass, combine the hard cider and whiskey.
STEP 2. Fill with crushed ice. Fill to top off with ginger ale or ginger beer.
Can this be made as a large Batch Cocktail?
This is not a cocktail that translates easily into a punch-style recipe for two reasons.
- It has two carbonated ingredients which can go flat over time leaving a less desirable cocktail.
- Adding ice per glass and ginger ale ‘to fill’ is not easy to directly translate into a large batch.
How to make this for a Party or large Group
Instead of making it into a punch style drink, I would suggest:
- Figure out how many cocktails you’ll need to make.
- Set out that number of glasses and add the whiskey to each before guests arrive.
- Have the other ingredients chilled and ready, including measuring jigger for the hard cider.
- As guest arrive finish assembling the cocktails so they will be fresh and delicious.
Make a Punch instead
Vampire punch or Off With Your Hand Halloween Punch are both great options.
Vampire Punch is warm and in a slow cooker so easy for self serving.
It’s a mocktail punch so great for a mixed group. You can add syringes of liquor for guests to inject or just have liquor options for spiking if desired.
Sparkling Cranberry Vodka Punch is another option.
Using Dry Ice in a Halloween Cocktail
IMPORTANT NOTE! The addition of dry ice is a fun visual however drinks should not be consumed with dry ice in them!
Dry Ice is solid carbon dioxide frozen to -100 degrees which will cause frostbite.
Once the dry ice has evaporated fully, drinks are fine to consume (I actually checked with a physician on this!).
READ THIS Dry Ice Guide for everything you need to know about dry ice. Where to buy it, how to handle it and more.
Halloween Recipes to Serve with the Grave Digger Cocktail
- Pumpkin Chipotle Cream Sauce for Pasta
- Turkey Meatball Eyeballs & Black Bean Pasta: a Halloween Dinner Idea
- Graveyard Halloween Cupcakes: Favorite Halloween Party Recipe (+ VIDEO)
- Roasted Pumpkin Seeds + VIDEO: The Best Method Ever!
- Caramel Coated Candy Apples Recipe
- Pumpkin Spice Hello Dolly Bars
Try these Cocktail Recipes too!
- Glow-in-the-Dark Infected Brain Cocktail
- Squirm Jello Shots: A Perfect Halloween Party Recipe
- Bloody Maria Shots
- Salty Dog cocktail: a Favorite Winter Cocktail!
- Old Fashioned cocktail: The Walking Dead style
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Recipe
The Grave Digger Cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Hard Cider
- 1 ounce Whiskey (I used Bourbon)
- Ginger ale , to fill
- Crushed ice
Instructions
- In a 12-16 ounce tumbler or high ball glass, combine the hard cider and whiskey.
- Fill the glass with crushed ice. Fill with ginger ale.
Nutrition
Originally published: September 30, 2014
The Grave Digger cocktail is a perfect Halloween cocktail with fall flavors and some fizz!
Eden Passante says
The bubbles on top make it so spooky! Thanks for sharing your recipe, it looks delicious!
Brittany says
These look great! May I ask where you got those glasses??
Krista says
Excited to try the drink..
Alisha says
Stumbled upon your site via kitchn… I have a friend who collects skull stuff.
Brooks says
I always know when October rolls around, something of great fun will be going on at your place. The photos stun, and your spirit for the season is oh so delightful!
Toni Dash says
You are the SWEETEST Brooks! I do love this time of year (especially now that it is out of the 90’s we’ve had until last week). I hope to have more ghoulish fun before the month is over.
Always love to see your smiling face and kind comments on Boulder Locavore. Really appreciate it.
Pamela Morse says
This has many things I like. I bet I will like them combined!!! thanks
Jenn says
How perfectly festive for Halloween!! Oh, I love this idea! How cute. 🙂
Lindsay @ The Live-In Kitchen says
What a fun cocktail! The dry ice really takes it over the top.
Christie - Food Done Light says
I love your cocktails. This would be perfect for the Halloween dinner I am thinking of having.
Toni Dash says
How funny Linda! Clearly a case of great seasonal food minds (or cocktail minds) thinking alike. I hopped over and love your cocktail too. Perfect fall flavors.