Vampire's Kiss Cocktail

By
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
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Updated on 12/3/21
Vampire's Kiss Cocktail
The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios
Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 3 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 cocktail

"Vampire's kiss" is a popular name for Halloween cocktails. These recipes often include a dripping blood effect and this vampire's kiss follows that trend. It's rather delicious, too, and is a hard cocktail to reserve for one occasion, so mix it up year-round!

The recipe pairs the blood orange vodka with melon liqueur which contributes its signature green glow and adding pineapple juice and a bit of cream makes it resemble a ​​piña colada (hold the coconut). The "blood" comes from a drizzle of grenadine while adding to the drink's sweetness. Once you bring all this together, you have a great drink that's spooky enough for your next Halloween bash!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces melon liqueur

  • 1 ounce​ blood orange vodka

  • 2 ounces pineapple juice

  • 1/2 ounce cream

  • 1 splash grenadine

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour the melon liqueur, citrus vodka, pineapple juice, and cream.

  3. Shake well.

  4. Strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with fresh ice.

  5. Drizzle the grenadine on top to create a dripping blood effect.

  6. Serve and enjoy!

Tips

  • The dripping blood effect is only temporary. Within a few minutes, the grenadine will settle to the bottom (like the tequila sunrise). Be sure to make this in front of your guests so they get to experience it before it's gone. Also, don't stir it or the cocktail will become a muddy brown—it will taste ok but doesn't look spectacular.
  • Shaking pineapple juice creates a foam on top of the cocktail and the cream will contribute to that as well. This will settle after a few minutes. Take advantage of it when drizzling the grenadine and you'll have a "bloody snow" look.
  • Feel free to use milk, half and half, or regular cream. Each will produce a slightly different cocktail: milk is the lightest and cream the heaviest.

Recipe Variations

  • Any citrus vodka will work just fine in this cocktail, though there will be subtle differences.
  • Switch out the flavored vodka entirely. Coconut is a natural choice for this recipe, though some of the berry flavors would be excellent as well. You can even go with a clear, unflavored vodka if you like.
  • Rum is another good option and you can find that spirit infused with citrus fruits as well.
  • Pour RumChata rather than Irish cream if you'd like to use a cream liqueur. It has a more neutral base and color and is the better substitute for the recipe's cream.

How Strong Is a Vampire's Kiss?

The vampire's kiss may have a wicked look, but it a surprisingly gentle cocktail. When you use the recommended brands, its alcohol content mixes up to 9 percent ABV (18 proof) or so. To put that into perspective, it's not quite as strong as the average wine.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
438 Calories
6g Fat
61g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 438
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 4g 18%
Cholesterol 17mg 6%
Sodium 43mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 61g 22%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 50g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 92mg 462%
Calcium 36mg 3%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 590mg 13%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)