After the Fog: Recreating the Killer Cocktails of HHN 2025

November, 2025 – A crisp autumn morning breaks, and the famous fog finally lifts… but the flavors (and the screams) continue to echo and haunt my dreams. This year’s Halloween Horror Nights will be one for the history books, and, once again, Universal is setting the bar high for next year’s 35th anniversary. Until then, my palate is eager to recreate my favorite drinks and snacks from this year’s menu. 

If you’ve got a craving for another foot-long corndog or a RadAway mocktail, these copycat recipes are here to keep your favorite flavors alive. Since there were so many tasty treats this year, I’ll be publishing this blog in two parts – one for drinks and one for food. Please let me know your favorites in the comments, and, of course, drink responsibly.   

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🃏 Dead Man’s Hand

Original Ingredients: Misguided Spirits® Whiskey, Angostura® Bitters, Sparkling Apple Cider

Copycat Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 oz rye or whiskey
  
• 2–3 dashes bitters
  
• 4 oz sparkling apple cider (sweet or semi-dry)
  
• Optional: ½ tsp maple syrup (for depth)
  
• Ice
  
• Garnish: A playing card (sealed in plastic sleeve) or a dried apple slice
  

Instructions:

1. Fill a rocks glass with ice.
   
2. Add whiskey and bitters, stir gently.
   
3. Top with sparkling apple cider.
   
4. Garnish with a card on top or lean it on the rim for that HHN flair.
   

Tasting Notes:

By far my favorite drink this year, the Death Man’s Hand is warming, crisp, and autumnal — like sipping an Old Fashioned in an apple orchard at midnight.

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👻 Phantom Punch

Original Ingredients: New Amsterdam Vodka, 360 Vodka Sorrento Lemon, DeKuyper Triple Sec, lime, orange, and cranberry juices, dragon fruit syrup, simple syrup

Copycat Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 oz vodka (regular or citrus)
  
• ½ oz triple sec
  
• 1 oz orange juice
  
• 1 oz cranberry juice
  
• ½ oz lime juice
  
• ½ oz dragon fruit syrup (Monin or homemade)
  
• ¼ oz simple syrup
  
• Ice
  
• Garnish: Orange slice or edible flower
  

Instructions:

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
   
2. Shake until cold and frothy.
   
3. Strain into a chilled coupe or lowball glass.
   
4. Garnish with a bright citrus slice or pink flower.
   

Tasting Notes:
Vibrant and fruit-forward with a tart edge — the perfect “blood punch” for horror night. Visually, it shimmers pink-red with an eerie glow under UV light.

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🌌 Starry Nights Spritz

Original Ingredients: Gran Gala Orange Liqueur, Cranberry Juice, Cavicchioli 1928 Prosecco

Copycat Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 oz orange liqueur
  
• 2 oz cranberry juice
  
• 3 oz prosecco
  
• Ice
  
• Garnish: Lemon twist or sugared cranberry
  

Instructions:

1. Fill a stemmed glass or wine goblet with ice.
   
2. Add orange liqueur and cranberry juice, then top with prosecco.
   
3. Stir gently.
   
4. Garnish with lemon twist or sugared cranberries for that “starry night” sparkle.
   

Tasting Notes:
Effervescent and elegant — light citrus sweetness balanced by crisp cranberry and bubbles.
The kind of drink you sip while watching the fog roll in.

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💜 Deadly Nightshade

Original Ingredients: Cuervo Tradicional Blanco Tequila, Lime Juice, Grapefruit Juice, Pomegranate, Simple and Blue Curaçao Syrups

Copycat Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz blanco tequila
  
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
  
• 1 oz grapefruit juice
  
• ½ oz pomegranate syrup or grenadine
  
• ½ oz simple syrup
  
• ¼ oz blue curaçao
  
• Ice
  
• Garnish: Dehydrated lime wheel or edible glitter
  

Instructions:

1. Shake tequila, lime, grapefruit, pomegranate, and simple syrup with ice.
   
2. Strain into a glass with fresh ice.
   
3. Slowly pour blue curaçao over the top for a swirling ombré effect.
   
4. Garnish with shimmer or lime slice.
   

Tasting Notes:
Citrusy, tangy, and dangerously pretty — the perfect “poison” reminiscent of the wisteria of Sergio’s nightmare in the El Artistia house.

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☢️ RadAway Mocktail

Original Ingredients: Lemonade with Chipotle Pineapple and Spiced Brown Sugar Syrup

Copycat Recipe

Ingredients:

• 6 oz lemonade
  
• 2 oz pineapple juice
  
• ½ tsp chipotle powder (or a drop of liquid smoke for milder spice)
  
• 1 oz brown sugar syrup (brown sugar + water, simmered 1:1 with cinnamon stick optional)
  
• Ice
  
• Garnish: Pineapple wedge or glow straw
  
• Optional: Serve in a beaker for a Fallout-style presentation
  

Instructions:

1. In a shaker, combine lemonade, pineapple juice, chipotle, and syrup with ice.
   
2. Shake lightly and strain over fresh ice.
   
3. Garnish and enjoy the post-apocalyptic refreshment.
   

Tasting Notes:
The RadAway necessitated the return of the IV bag drink, a theming choice we haven’t seen for several years. This Vault Boy-approved mocktail is bright, tropical, smoky-sweet — like sunshine with a radioactive twist. 

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🎃 Final Sip

Each of these drinks defined HHN 2025’s eerie elegance — a mix of nostalgia, novelty, and nightmarish presentation. Whether you’re craving the gambler’s burn of Dead Man’s Hand, the glowing citrus rush of Phantom Punch, or the fan-favorite RadAway mocktail, these recipes let you bring the flavors of the fog home long after the screams have faded.

Stay tuned for part two of this blog, where we concoct your favorite food from the fog.

See you in the Single Rider Lane 😉