Well, well, well . . . we can’t say it’s a surprise to see you. There’s nothing else around for miles! As it goes, the Ill-Fated Inn makes the call, and those with a desire to fill their October with mind-bending mezcal cocktails always come knocking.

Take a look around. There’s no better bottle we could’ve chosen to match the spirit of this establishment. Bold, brooding, with rich, smoky aromas, mezcal never masks the secrets of its entire process—the crisp and earthy flavors of fresh espadin agave, the scintillating scorch of its roasting stage, and the citrus and spice elements that may emerge from fermentation. We may be hiding plenty of things here at the inn—don’t look behind that curtain!!—but mezcal is thankfully and unabashedly always very much itself.

So stay a while, won’t you? We here at Shrieker & Doom cordially welcome you to peek inside Mezcalloween IV: The Ill-Fated Inn Box, where the eye-opening flavors at play are enough to reanimate countless former guests of ours. The fridges are stocked and the doors are locked, so let’s get you checked in to check out the latest and greatest in macabre mezcal mixology!

It’s all fall-weather fun and games—featuring hayrides and bobbing for apples—until someone messes around and gets lost in the Corn Maze Margarita. Little do they know, the only way out is right through Greg Benson’s cocktail, which turns the familiar into a morass of mind-bending tastes. The mezcal, bright citrus, and salt are exactly what you’d expect, but, at each turn, something new emerges to upend your sense of direction: Lime juice infused with corn! Mexican chocolate bitters! a right-off-the-vine red syrup called tomatOH NO! and beet and celery seed in the rim! The crazy part? All these twists converge into one deliciously cohesive cocktail, and you’ll keep your bearings and make it out scot-free and then some. 

Greg is a Brooklyn-based writer, bartender, and educator. He has run bar programs in Washington, DC, NYC, and Glasgow, Scotland, and his work has appeared in The Knot, the Washington City Paper, and The Washington Post. He is the owner and operator of Quiote Imports, one of the only companies that imports high-quality, 100% pure agave from Mexico to the US.

What could be better as you’re Whistling Past the Graveyard than a stiff, soothing, and complex cocktail? Here, Sother Teague takes mezcal way beyond the burial grounds before it even opens the gate to old fashioned territory. First, with a mint tea infusion and then a quick stir with uncooked rice, which “thickens” the spirit and pleasantly washes over some of its more extreme notes. Then when this revived spirit mixes with rich clove syrup, smoked orange bitters, and flamed lemon oil, we’ll be living for it and resting peacefully all at once. We bow our heads in respect to such an audacious preparation yet elegant result! 

Sother is the beverage director at New York’s Amor y Amargo and host of The Speakeasy on Heritage Radio Network. In 2018, he was honored with Wine Enthusiast’s Mixologist of the Year Award, and he has authored two books, I’m Just Here for the Drinks and Let’s Get Blitzen, and created Driftwood Bitters and Garden Party Bitters. Catch up on all the Sother favorites in the S&S catalog, including The Weekender, Ash and Elm, Rye-napple Express, Dragon Tears, and Fruitcake Weather. 

The index of Negroni variations grows by the day and expands yet again with the latest sacrificial offering from Stacey Swenson. At her former bar, NYC’s Dante, she oversaw a menu that at times featured a staggering 16-plus permutations; the stiff mix of sweet, bitter, and spirit is in her blood, you could surely say. But it’s never been executed quite like this! The Blood Moon Negroni summons you, moving in a hypnotic circle and transforming into a rich red state as you stir the mix of mezcal, bitter blood orange syrup, chocolate bitters, and The Pathfinder non-alcoholic amaro-inspired elixir. Let loose and howl if you must, because this foray for mezcal into la dolce vita can occur much more often than a couple of times a year. 

Stacey is one of the most passionate and sought-after talents on the subjects of aperitivo and Italian drinking culture. In 2019, Stacey was named the StarChefs Rising Star Bartender, and she has been recognized and awarded for her sophisticated, balanced, and outright fun interpretations of aperitivo and Italian classics as well as innovative low-proof offerings.

All are welcome to post up and rest their bones alongside Mezcalloween IV: The Ill-Fated Inn Box—we’ve got an open gore policy!

🌽🪦🩸,
The Shaker & Spoon Team

*not vegan: nothing