A Spooky Anise Cocktail for Your Halloween Party

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Anise Halloween Drink
Anise Halloween Drink

Halloween calls for creative costumes, decorations and fun gatherings. I love to host a good costume party and, of course, I always try to make a drink to suit the occasion. With temperatures dropping, I make sure to have a drink for warming up by the fireplace or out on the porch.

Our traditional liquor in Colombia is Aguardiente, an anise and sugar-based drink with a very unique and strong flavor. Some people drink it straight up, but in many bars and restaurants it is mixed in cocktails and hot drinks. Another typical beverage is the Agua de panela con limon. Panela is the final product of unrefined whole cane sugar. It is used in drinks, desserts, and some abuelas even use it to give their beans a sweet kick. So, I combined panela and anise liquor to make the perfect Halloween-inspired hot beverage. I took some pumpkin-shaped buckets and turned them into my serving cups. For a fancier, autumn presentation, serve the drink in an Irish coffee mug.

Anise Halloween Drink
Anise Halloween Drink

Try this recipe with my cilantro and plantain chicken soup.

Ingredients
(8 servings)
4 cups water
16 oz. panela
8 oz. anise liquor
2 limes, juiced

Directions

Place the water and panela in a deep pot at medium-high heat. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add the anise liquor. Mix well and serve. Add lime juice to taste.

Anise Halloween Drink
Anise Halloween Drink

Notes
You can usually get panela in Latin supermarkets. However, it is a very unique ingredient which can be difficult to find. If you cannot find it, then replace it with dark brown sugar, adding 1 tablespoon of sugar per cup.



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