Black Widow Cocktail – a Halloween and Marvel drink

The Black Widow Cocktail is a dark, shimmery, and deceptively sweet cocktail. It is the perfect spooky sipper for Halloween and the next instalment of my Marvel Cocktail Series. It’s made with gin, crème de mûre, and black sesame syrup. It’s sweet, a little nutty, and visually awesome. 

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Recipe video: 

While I’m a firm believer that hard work pays off, and if you want good things you need to work for them, I’m also all about making life easy where you can! So when I was coming up with ideas for a fun and spooky Halloween cocktail and I had the idea to combine a Halloween cocktail with the next drink in my Marvel Cocktail Series, I was all over it! And thus, the Black Widow Cocktail was born! It’s suitably spooky and fun for Halloween, and works brilliantly for Natasha Romanoff’s Black Widow – winner!

This dark and mysterious Black Widow cocktail gets its intense colour from black sesame syrup, a real game changer for me in my cocktail adventures. It not only gives you an all natural black for your cocktail, it gives an amazing flavour too – it’s sweet and has a toasted, nutty flavour to  it. If you love black sesame ice cream, you’re going to love this Black Widow cocktail. The black sesame syrup is combined with gin and crème de mûre, and some lime juice to cut through the sweetness a little. And to really bring this Black Widow Cocktail a whole new level of fun and awesomeness, I made it sparkle! Because you can be dark, mysterious, AND sparkly, don’t let anyone tell you any different! 

All credit for the sparkly, shimmery awesomeness goes to the super creative Dini at The Flavor Bender. She was the first one to show us how to make amazing shimmery liqueur at home, and you can find her recipes and the fun science behind it all right here. Ever since she first gave us this recipe and method for Homemade Shimmery Liqueur I’ve been wanting to try it out – this Black Widow cocktail was the perfect way. Because I’m not as skilled a photographer as Dini, I had a hard time capturing how cool the sparkle and shimmer was in this Black Widow cocktail, but trust me, it was there and it looks amazing! Whether you try it in this recipe or something else, shimmery drinks are 100% worth trying. If you want another shimmery Halloween cocktail, this Witch’s Heart Cocktail is awesome too!

Marvel Cocktail Series – Elektra

This Black Widow cocktail will be a big hit at any Halloween party or gathering, but it is also perfect for my Marvel Cocktail Series. Natasha Romanoff is another of my favourite characters, she’s bad ass as the Black Widow and really interesting character all round. The Black Widow cocktail captures her character well by being dark and scary on appearances, but surprisingly sweet and easy to drink. Of course, Natasha is kicks butt like nobody else, but she’s also got a good heart and ultimately wants to do the right thing. That was a really simplistic way of describing her character, but I’m sure nobody wants me to ramble on about Marvel characters when all you really want is to try this amazing Black Widow Cocktail, am I right?!

Marvel Cocktail Series – Bucky Barnes

So, whether you’re a big Marvel fan looking for a fun drink, or want to impress your guests with a spooky and delicious drink at Halloween, or both, this Black Widow Cocktail is the drink for you!

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The Black Widow Cocktail

Prep 5 mins

Cook 4 mins

Total 9 mins

Author Michelle

Yield 2 drinks

A dark, shimmery, and deceptively sweet cocktail that is sure to be a hit this Halloween! 

Ingredients

To make the black sesame syrup:

• 1 cup (120g) black sesame seeds
• 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp water (135ml) water
• zest of half a lime (1 tsp)
• 2 oz vodka

To make the black widow cocktail:

• 1 oz gin
• 2 oz crème de mûre/blackberry liqueur (recipe here)*
• 1oz black sesame syrup
• 1 oz lime juice
• 1 large egg white**
• 1 tsp black lustre dust ***(plus extra for sprinkling)
• 1 tsp silver lustre dust

Instructions

To make the black sesame syrup:

1. Toast the black sesame seeds in a saucepan over a medium heat, for about 2 minutes, keeping them moving all time. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. Blend the seeds until they are a powder, set aside. 
3. Put the sugar, water and lime zest in a small saucepan and bring to a low simmer, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. 
4. Add the black sesame seed powder and bring to a boil. Let bubble for 2 minutes. 
5. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely.
6. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, and then again through cheesecloth, so you have a smooth and silky syrup. It will be quite thick.
7. Stir in the vodka. It will keep in the fridge for up to three months.

To make the black widow cocktail:

1. Put all the cocktail ingredients in a shaker and shake vigorously for 60 seconds.
2. Add ice, and shake again for 30 seconds or until cocktail feels cold through the shaker. 
3. Strain into cocktail/martini glasses
4. Sprinkle some black lustre dust on top. 
5. Serve immediately. 

Notes

*You can use store bought crème de mûre/blackberry liqueur or make your own, I have a really easy recipe here - just note, it takes 48 hours to make so make sure you plan ahead of time. 

** Egg whites with the lion stamp (in the UK) are generally considered okay to consume raw unless you have a suppressed immune system (young children are also not supposed to have raw egg, but they shouldn't be drinking cocktails anyway!). Just make sure to use fresh eggs! However, if raw egg worries you, you can buy pasteurised egg whites in cartons - it's usually somewhere in the dairy aisle. 

***Lustre dust, or petal dust, is an edible powder used in cake decorating. I use the Sugarflair brand which is gluten free, make sure to check the label if you buy a different brand. You can get it on Amazon here (affiliate link)

 

Calorie information is generated using an app and may not be accurate, it should be used for a estimate only. 

 

 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 drink

Amount Per Serving
Calories 336
% Daily Value

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

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