Killer Cocktails: Chattanooga restaurants suggest Halloween spirits

Having the guys and ghouls over Friday night?

Six local restaurant managers have some spirited ideas for Halloween party cocktails. You don't have to be an experienced mixologist to whip up the drinks; we've got the recipes. Just pick your poison.

AKO MANTO

* Restaurant: The Root Kitchen and Wine Bar

* Address: 313 Manufacturers Road

* Cool factor: Ako Manto is a Japanese spirit that haunts bathrooms, asking cubicle occupants if they want red or blue toilet paper, according to Gabriel Camp, Root Kitchen owner. This drink was inspired by his recent trip to New York.

"There is a Bubble Tea cart next to my favorite noodle shop, X'ian Famous Foods in Queens. They do a kiwi bubble tea that is super refreshing and I felt like I could borrow from the flavor profile to create an interactive cocktail that reminded me of childhood."

-- Gabriel Camp, Root Kitchen owner

•••

Ako Manto

3 ounces kiwi puree

1 tablespoon green tea powder

Black Tapioca Pearls, about 10

1/4 ounce Amere Nouvelle

2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters

1 ounce Jensen's Gin

Mix all ingredients together

photo Orange Maple Old Fashioned: 2 dashes orange bitters 1 freshly muddled orange slice 1 ounce Maker's Mark 1/2 ounce Cabin Fever Maple Whiskey 1/2 ounce Grand Marnier 3 brandied cherries to garnish Mix all ingredients together.

AUTUMN OLD FASHIONED

* Restaurant: Firebirds Wood Fired Grill

* Address: 2107 Gunbarrel Road

* Cool factor: "Think fall ... think bourbon! This particular cocktail is made with bourbon, and we've found that our guests tend to drink darker liquors when the weather starts to turn. We've taken a classic cocktail and put our own twist on it with our house-made ginger-honey syrup. The orange and cherry round off the perfect fall cocktail."

-- Becky Hall, Firebirds marketing manager

Autumn Old Fashioned

1 1/2 ounces Gentleman Jack

1/2 ounce Disaronno Amaretto

1 ounce ginger-honey syrup

1 maraschino cherry

1 orange slice

Muddle the orange slice and maraschino cherry at the bottom of a cocktail glass, releasing the flavor and juices of the fruit. Add Gentleman Jack, Disaronno Amaretto and ginger-honey syrup and pour into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and transfer back into the cocktail glass.

•••

CARAMEL APPLE MARTINI

* Restaurant: Flying Squirrel Bar

* Address: 55 Johnson St.

* Cool factor: "To me, caramel is quintessential to fall and one of my favorites. I worked with our chef to create a homemade caramel syrup, holding true to our vision as a bar and restaurant of using the freshest ingredients, and paired this with apple cider, another favorite fall flavor. The result is a dessert in a glass, with a house-made apple chip to finish it off."

-- Kaleena Goldsworthy, manager

Caramel Apple Martini

1 1/2 ounces Tito's vodka

3/4 ounce housemade caramel syrup (see below)

1 ounce apple cider

1 dash apple bitters

Mix all ingredients together. Goldsworthy says the caramel syrup is made of sugar, water, butter, cream and vanilla to taste.

GREAT PUMPKIN MANHATTAN

* Restaurant: Beast & Barrel

* Address: 16 Frazier Ave.

* Cool factor: "We wanted a drink that sets the season. This offering by David Kidwell is sweet and spicy, naughty and nice, trick and treat, even. With its cunning simplicity, it's ready to be sipped from Halloween all the way to Christmas."

-- Christina Duncan, manager

Great Pumpkin Manhattan

1 1/2 ounces pumpkin-infused Cumberland Cask

1/2 ounce Antica Carpano vermouth

1/2 ounce amaretto

1 dash Hellfire Bitters

Mix all ingredients together.

ORANGE MAPLE OLD FASHIONED

* Restaurant: Urban Stack

* Address: 12 W. 13th St.

* Cool factor: "This is a seasonal spin on our traditional Old Fashioned. The maple and orange notes blend to create a well-balanced flavor reminiscent of the fall season. Holding true to Urban Stack form, we add some Maker's to balance out the sweetness. Then we garnish it with our homemade brandied cherries that are better than candy."

-- Jacob Mundy, manager

Orange Maple Old Fashioned

2 dashes orange bitters

1 freshly muddled orange slice

1 ounce Maker's Mark

1/2 ounce Cabin Fever Maple Whiskey

1/2 ounce Grand Marnier

3 brandied cherries to garnish

Mix all ingredients together.

ZOMBIE KISS

* Restaurant: The Honest Pint

* Address: 35 Patten Parkway

* Cool factor: "I like zombies and I wanted a green drink for Halloween. This is a little sweet (like a kiss) and a little sour (the bite). I rimmed the glass in a mixture of corn syrup and red food coloring to make the blood."

-- Nick Arellano, bartender

Zombie Kiss

1/2 ounce melon liqueur

1/2 ounce sour apple liqueur

1/2 ounce vodka

Splash sour mix

Mix all ingredients and set aside. Rim glass in corn syrup-food coloring mixture and pour liquid in glass.

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