As Halloween draws near everyone on the Dark Isles cheers our great horror hero. No petrifying party is complete without a toast to Vincent Price. So raise your glasses Tikiheads to a true master of horror.

If I was forced to name what I thought was the greatest horror movie ever, the answer wouldn’t be too hard. It’s no secret that we’re huge Vincent Price fans here, and the original House on Haunted Hill is a must watch when this time of year rolls around. It may not be very tiki, but I often find tiki inspiration in those refined older movies. After all they did come from around the same time period.

Whats a luau without a little dance? I don’t own this photo.

In the movie the character Ruth Bridges continually orders “Scotch and…” as her drink of choice. While it appears she meant soda simply saying “and” gives a nut like me way to much creative license. It was the mid 50′s and so everyone was smoking all the time adding even more inspiration. Islay scotch was a natural choice for this drink as was the cigarette garnish. The miniature noose can be made with butcher’s twine, they aren’t to hard just follow the guide here. The twine can be a touch hard to work with because it keeps recoiling. I used a door nob to straighten out and turned it upside down.

Haunted Hill

1 ¼ oz Laphroaig Scotch

¾ oz Cinzano Sweet Vermouth

¾ oz fresh lime juice

¼ oz fresh pineapple juice

½ oz orgeat

Shake together with ice and strain into a coupe. Garnish with miniature noose or a cheap cigarette or both.

The nose features wisps of smoke, lime, and light orange zest. The flavor marries very nicely; lime, orgeat, and pineapple swirl together in the center to unite in a tropically sweet and tart medley. The sweet vermouth provides a nice herbal note and it’s sweetness marries well with the orgeat. Faint green smoke surrounds the front and finish of the drink but doesn’t overtake the cocktail. The finish is zesty and slightly oakey with strong notes of citrus with wafts of smoke

Vincent Price is ever the elegant gentleman and this movie has him at his very best. The movie has a few fun twists and a lot of classic dialogue. We already have a Vincent Price tribute drink here, but I think the master of horror deserves more than that. I hope your Halloween is a happy one boys and ghouls. Until next time from us on the Dark Isles to you…

“You get Hammered America” – JFL