Recipes Below
Sandy Claws and the Pumpkin King
Inspired by Jack Skellington’s plot to take over Christmas, the “Sandy Claws and the Pumpkin King” cocktail layers minty candy-cane flavors beneath a creamy pumpkin-pie topping to create a festive, spooky drink that visually and deliciously blends Halloween and Christmas.
Sally’s tale of longing for Jack, escaping Dr. Finkelstein, and inspiring the absinthe- and nightshade-themed “Sally’s Revenge” cocktail is distilled into a drink that blends story elements—her poisons, ingredients, and Halloween Town imagery—into a silky, autumnal concoction.
A Spookmas Tale Reimagined in a Glass: How The Nightmare Before Christmas Inspired Two Cocktails Blending Jack’s Holiday Hijinks and Sally’s Witchy Ingenuity
Jake Skellington (Chris Sarandon and Danny Elfman) at the height of his career is tired of planning the same party every year. In search of reinvention, he lands in Christmas Town and is inspired to try his skeleton hand at being "Sandy Claws". With the help of Halloween Town and its mayor (Glenn Shadix), he makes gifts, decorations, works on Christmas Carols, has a sleigh and reindeer created by Dr.Finkelstein (William Hickey), abduct Santa Claus (Edward Ivory), and have his red and white 'fit made by Sally (Catherine O'Hara).
Sally is a creation of Dr. Finkelstein and admirer of Jack Skellington made evident by her stalking Jack while foraging for Deadly Nightshade near the Halloween Town hill that Jack laments in song on. Held captive by Dr. Finkelstein, she is regularly looking for ways to escape him, including poisoning his food. That is the inspiration for out first cocktail "Sally's Revenge". The base of this cocktail is made with Absinthe which is a high-proof sweet liquor flavored with fennel, anise, and worm wood- likened to the "Worm's Wort" that Sally puts in her soup to offset bitterness. The second main component is the "Deadly Nightshade" we went with the nightshade, but ditched the deadly by using a tomato saccharum. The vegetal flavor is a perfect pair with the flavors of absinthe and the fresher the tomatoes, the better the cocktail. Bring it all together in a shaker with lime juice and aquafaba; a vigorous shake will give you a silky texture that looks like Frog's Breath Soup and tastes like summer slipping into fall. Serve this cocktail in a coupe glass and garnish it with a salt and pepper Fibonacci swirl to give it the Halloween Town hillside look. As Sally tries to distance herself from Dr. Finklestein, she tries to get closer to Jack Skellington, and she does not think that Jack's plan is a good one.
Jack Skellington as the Pumpkin King is planning on taking over Christmas. This inspired our second cocktail "Sandy Claws and the Pumpkin King". This layered cocktail has Halloween Pumpkin Pie flavors on top and finishes with a shot of Christmas candy cane; served in a tall Collins glass so you can savor this cocktail through (Ken Page) Oogie Boogie's song. Start with the candy cane layer by mixing together Green Crème De Menthe and White Crème De Cacao, layer on top of that a mix of Rumpleminze and Grenadine Syrup for the look and taste of Sandy Claws. Then top with pumpkin pie by shaking together Spiced Rum, Butterscotch Schnapps, Fireball, Half and Half and Pumpkin Puree. The result is a creamy, sweet and spiced layer; top it with nutmeg and it'll taste just like a pumpkin pie smoothie. Just as smooth as the Pumpkin King's Christmas takeover. Finish the look by adding a spooky cherry garnish dipped in Halloween sprinkles.
It comes as no surprise that a Tim Burton story would become a major hit over the Spookmas season, and we've given you two cocktails that do the same. The movie does finish like our "Sandy Claws and the Pumpkin King" cocktail, with Christmas cheer and Sally does finally escape Dr. Finkelstein so she can forage the Halloween Town hillside for something delicious and less toxic like the "Sally's Revenge" cocktail.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Directed by Henry Selick, Adapted from The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton. Music by Danny Elfman.
Performances by Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Glen Shadix Paul Reubens Ken Page and Ed Ivory.
Production by Touchstone Pictures and Skellington Productions. Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
Sally’s Revenge
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1.5 oz (45mL)Absinthe
.5 oz (15mL)Lime Juice
1 oz (30mL) Tomato Saccharum
1 oz (30mL)Aquafaba
Fine Sea Salt and Fine Black Pepper Mix
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Chill a coupe glass. In a shaker tin, combine 1.5 oz Absinthe, .5 oz Lime Juice, 1 oz Tomato Saccharum, and 1 oz prepared aquafaba. Add ice, a spring and more ice. Cover, shake for 30 seconds, and double strain into coupe glass. Sprinkle black sea salt on top bonus if you do it in a fibonacci swirl.
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1/2 cup (118 g) Diced Fresh Tomato
1/4 cup (59 g) Sugar
Mix diced tomatoes and sugar together being careful not to crush the tomatoes. Let it macerate for 30 minutes. Strain out tomato solids and pour into a syrup bottle. Store in the refrigerator.
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1- 15 oz can Garbanzo Beans/Chickpeas 1
barspoon Cream of Tartar
Strain out the chickpeas using a fine mesh strainer. Pour chickpea brine in a clean and dry condiment bottle, add 1 tsp cream of tartar and stir gently to combine. Seal and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. * A note on using aquafaba for cocktails: Gently swirl prepared aquafaba before use to redistrubute the settled cream of tartar; acid such as citrus juice will be necessary for frothing emulsion.
Sandy Claws and the Pumpkin King
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1 oz (30 mL) Rumple minze
.5 oz (15 mL) Grenadine Syrup
1 oz (30 mL) Spiced Rum
.5 oz(15 mL) Butterscotch Schnapps
.5 oz (15 mL) Fireball
.5 oz (15 mL) Half and Half
.5 oz (15 mL) Pumpkin Puree
4 dashes Orange Bitters (divided)
2 Droppers Saline (divided)
.5 oz (15 mL) Creme de Menthe
.5 oz (15 mL) Creme De Cacao
Maraschino Cherry
Halloween Sprinkles
Christmas Sprinkles
Grated Nutmeg
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Prepare a Collins Glass with a rim of Halloween sprinkles on one half and Christmas Sprinkles on the other half. Chill
Combine in a mixing glass 1 oz Rumple Minze, .5 oz Grenadine, dropper of saline and 2 dashes of orange bitters. Stir to combine (No ice needed)
Combine in a shaker 1.5 oz Spiced Rum, .5 oz Butterschnapps, .5 oz Fireball, 5 oz Half and Half, .5 oz Pumpkin Puree, dropper of saline and 2 dashes of orange bitters, dry shake with a spring for 10 seconds. Fill with ice and shake for 30 seconds.
Into the collins glass add .25 oz Creme De Menthe and .25 oz Creme De Cacao. Add ice.
Layer Rumple Minze mixture. Then, Strain Pumpkin Cocktail on top.
Garnish with grated nutmeg, and a maraschino cherry on top
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1 cup (8 oz, 240mL) Pomegranate Juice
1 cup (200 g) Organic Cane Sugar
In a small saucepan, combine Pomegranate Juice and Sugar over medium low heat. Stir to combine and allow to heat until the sugar has dissolved and very small bubbles appear, remove from heat and do not stir. Allow to cool to room temperature and strain into a syrup bottle.
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