Halloween Grave Digger Cocktail with Crown Royal Whiskey
Home » COOK » Recipes » Beverages » Cocktails »Hey, boo-tiful souls! Halloween is just around the corner, and we have a chilling concoction for you—our Grave Digger Cocktail featuring Crown Royal whiskey.
Grave Digger Cocktail
If you’re in the mood for a spooky cocktail that combines the perfect balance of flavors and a creepy twist, then you’ve come to the right place.
Made with ginger beer, pineapple juice, and Crown Royal Whiskey, this eerie elixir will be the star of your Halloween festivities.
Ready to shake things up? Let’s dive into this bewitching brew!
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While you may prefer to skip to the recipe card, we suggest reading the entire blog post to avoid missing valuable tips and substitution suggestions and to ensure you have the necessary ingredients, equipment, and understanding of the steps and timings.
Grave Digger Halloween Cocktail
As Halloween approaches, your thoughts might be turning to ways to celebrate the spooky season, and if you love mixing up a few cocktails, it’s time to add a Grave Digger to your list!
This Halloween themed drink is easy to make and requires only a few simple ingredients.
The warmth of Crown Royal Whisky pairs beautifully with peppery ginger beer and sweet pineapple juice, which is shaken up and poured into your prepared glass.
The chilling concoction is topped off with a Crown Royal float, giving you that hit of whiskey as you take your first sip of this Halloween cocktail.
For a smoky effect and added drama, check out our blog post on Dry Ice In Drinks for Halloween. The foggy mist crawling over the glass rim will send shivers down your spine!
Halloween Party Food
The Grave Digger is a delicious libation whether you are spending Halloween night watching a few scary movies or throwing a Halloween Party!
But what’s a cocktail without some appetizers and desserts, right?
Consider serving ghoulish goodies like Jalapeño Popper Mummies or Halloween Quesadillas. And how about some Creepy Skull Cupcakes or Witches Shortbread Fingers for dessert?
With 50+ Halloween Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog, there is a spectrum of options to feast upon with appetizers, main dishes, desserts, and more Halloween Cocktails!
Cocktail Ingredients & Equipment
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Grave Digger Cocktail Ingredients
- Crown Royal – A blended Canadian whisky, made as a tribute to the royal visit to Canada in the 1930s. If you can’t source this liquor, use your preferred whiskey or bourbon brand in your spooky cocktail.
- Ginger Beer – a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage, despite its name.
- It was once an alcoholic drink in the 1800s, but modern ginger beer is not fermented, so it is a soft drink.
- That said, there is Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer available, which makes it clear that it contains alcohol.
- I mention all of this should you wish to make the mocktail version (see the cocktail alternatives in this post).
- Not to be confused with Ginger Ale, a carbonated soft drink flavoured with ginger. Ginger beer offers a bolder, spicier flavor compared to ginger ale, and it’s less fizzy.
- Pineapple Juice
Cocktail Equipment
- This cocktail is shaken, but don’t worry if you don’t have a cocktail shaker—use a container with a tight-fitting lid—like a mason jar, or the cup on a blender or smoothie maker.
- Cocktail Picks – for skewering cherries and other cocktail fruits
- Cocktail Glasses – we used a standard highball glass, but you can use any type of glass you prefer.
- Cocktail Stirrers – to keep with the theme, why not add a tiny shovel to the drink to stir it?
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More Whiskey Cocktails To Make
If you enjoy whiskey in your drinks, you’re going to love making these cocktails:
Grave Digger Variations
Here are some variations of the original cocktail recipe you might like to try.
Grave Digger Mocktail – Pour 3 oz Ginger Beer into a glass and stir with 3 oz Pineapple Juice and 2 oz Apple Juice. Add ice and garnish with some gummy worms. This concoction is ideal for under 21s.
Virgin Grave Digger – For adults who would still like to enjoy the taste of spirits in their drinks—no pun intended!—consider non-alcoholic alternatives such as Lyre’s American Malt, a Bourbon-style non-alcoholic spirit, instead of Crown Royale.
Frozen Grave Digger – In a blender, blend the cocktail ingredients with a generous amount of ice to turn to make a frozen cocktail or mocktail. Add a straw and watch out for brain freeze!
Apple Cider – If you’re not a fan of ginger flavor, you can replace the ginger beer in the cocktail and mocktail versions with apple cider*. Garnish the drink with an apple slice or cinnamon stick stirrer.
*Apple cider in the USA is unfiltered apple juice, and the closest thing in the UK is cloudy apple juice. Not to be confused with hard cider, which is the alcoholic version that we Brits just call cider.
Sprite – Alternatively, for a little fizz, replace ginger beer with Sprite (or other lemon-lime soda).
Grave Digger Margarita – Shake together 2 oz Gold Tequila, 1 oz Triple Sec, or other orange liqueur such as Cointreau, ½ oz Lime Juice, and 2 oz Ginger Beer. Pour into salt-rimmed glasses. For a smoky depth, use mezcal instead of tequila.
Russian Grave Digger – Pour ½ cup Ginger Beer into a glass with ice cubes and stir with 1½ oz Vodka and ½ Lime Juice. Add a lime wedge garnish and a mini shovel to stir with.
Grave Digger Punch
Use the parts method to make a big batch of this Grave Digger cocktail for a large party or gathering.
If you use the same measuring container (glass, cup, jug, etc.) for the “1 part”, the ratios will be correct, and you can make as much as you need for your entire party:
- 2 parts Ginger Beer
- 1½ parts Crown Royal
- 3 parts Pineapple Juice
Serve the large batch cocktail in a drinks dispenser or pitcher, or go retro and serve from a punch bowl.
Add plenty of ice to your serving container to keep the cocktail chilled.
Setting Up Your Halloween Cocktail Bar
When setting up your bar or cocktail serving area, don’t forget:
- Ice Bucket – Filled with ice. Don’t forget a scoop or tongs.
- Cocktail Glasses – Any glass is fine for a cocktail, but a Halloween one is even better!
- Cocktail Napkins – Patterned napkins are fun, but plain Halloween colors like black, orange, or purple work just as great.
- Cocktail Stirrers/Swizzle Sticks – Fun and functional!
- Cocktail Sticks/Picks – Skewer fruit onto cocktail picks for guests to garnish their drinks.
- Cocktail Decorations – Add additional cocktail kitsch with umbrellas, straws, etc.
This cocktail recipe is intended for adults of the legal drinking age in your country of residence.
Please drink responsibly. Do not drink and drive.
How Do I Make a Grave Digger Cocktail?
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Grave Digger Cocktail
Halloween approaches, and what better way to celebrate than with our Grave Digger Cocktail?
Ingredients
- 2 oz Ginger Beer
- 1 oz Crown Royal
- 3 oz Pineapple Juice
- Ice Cubes
- ½ oz Crown Royal, to float
- Fresh Mint Leaves, to garnish
Instructions
- Fill an 8-oz glass with ice and pour the ginger beer into it.
- Place 1 oz Crown Royal and pineapple juice into a large cocktail shaker with ice.
- Shake for 15-30 seconds to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the glasses.
- Pour the ½ oz Crown Royal on top to float.
- Garnish with fresh mint leaves. Enjoy, and Happy Halloween!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 86Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 11mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 1gSugar: 17gProtein: 1g
This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Dinner Party Menu Suggestions
The beverage is covered, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to create a menu for a dinner party or special meal:
- Appetizer: Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Soup: Spicy Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup
- Salad: Roasted Golden Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
- Main Dish: Apple and Rosemary Stuffed Pork Chops
- Side Dish: Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Dessert: Halloween Skillet Cookie