Halloween on a Tuesday shouldn’t stop you from celebrating the spooky holiday the weekend prior. But what’s a ghoul to guzzle for an appropriate haunted holiday quaff?
We stopped and asked ourselves: What would Beetlejuice drink? You remember him — Michael Keaton’s most excellently giddy and grotesque performance of the undead title character.
This lovely, bright red riot of a drink, though, might have you exclaiming the name aloud, and finding a brand new love of that wonderful fall veggie, beets. Yup, that’s where that gloriously saturated, bloody color comes from. Pick up a couple of robust specimens from Amber Waves in Amagansett to make the requisite beet syrup (see below), and prepare to have your mind blown at how perfectly that root veg complements the earthiness of tequila.
And if you’ve been looking for a use for that lonely bottle of Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge you have at home, this drink is a treat especially for you (and if you don’t have any one hand, hit up Domaine Franey in East Hampton — they’ve got plenty!).
Just, you know, avoid saying the name of the drink three times in a row. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Beetle Juice
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz Espolon Blanco tequila
- 3/4 oz Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
- 3/4 oz fresh orange juice
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz beet syrup
- 1 orange wheel, sliced in half
For the beet syrup
- 1 cup beet juice
- 3/4 cup sugar
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled shaker.
- Shake until thoroughly chilled, about 10 seconds, and strain into a double old fashioned glass over pebbled ice.
- Garnish with an orange half. Boo!
For the beet syrup
- In a small pot, combine the beet juice and sugar over medium heat.
- Stir until the sugar dissolves and the liquid begins to thicken a little, about 15 minutes.
- Allow to cool and store in an airtight glass jar for up to 2 weeks.
