Barfly’s Guide to Halloween in New York: Things to Do, Drink, and Die For on October 31st

As the most sophisticated New Yorkers know, Halloween is a tricky holiday. There are plenty of spooky things to do in New York City, but not all of them are the type of horror that you are looking for. Much like the Zombies in Thriller, Halloween awakens the socially dead and compels them to march across the bridges and tunnels that lead into Manhattan. Unfortunately the only fancy-dance that these monsters have prepared is the “getting blasted while dressed like a sexy cat” shuffle, and it’s not pretty. Good thing there are a few bars, clubs, and events worth attending on Halloween. Check these out, and be prepared to barricade yourself inside before Michael Jackson gets those crazy werewolf eyes and comes after you:

1.   Formerly Divine Bar East, new spot Haven is dressed up for Halloween. They are offering an open bar from 9 – 11 for the bargain price of $50. They also have a cash prize for the best costume, but be warned: this place is not about to reward the same old Sexy Cat or Heath Ledger’s Joker the cash. The lounge, located on East 51st Street, is far enough from the mad-house Village and the douche district (Upper East Side) that it should attract some truly sophisticated get-ups.

2.   There is another strategy for avoiding the horrifying crowds that Halloween draws: stay mobile. There is an excellent Halloween Pub Crawl that takes you from the old Village Pourhouse (downtown) to the new one (uptown). With stops at over 40 bars, the crawl is 5 miles long and lasts for three days. The scariest part? What you will look/smell like if you are able to make it across the finish line. The kids will scream and run from you as you stumble home singing “One, two, drunky’s coming for you. . ."

 

3.   It’s always fun to stay in and play with the trick or treaters. No, not the children   running around the building. You can use a large knife (preferably serrated) to shoo them away. We’re talking about having a few friends over, and plying them with cocktails when they come to the door. How is this different than your normal night in? Make the drinks spooky. We enjoy this recipe for “Vampire Juice”. If your guests aren’t sufficiently scared, threaten to take away all alcohol from them and serve coffee.

 

             Finlandia Vampire Juice -In a tall glass with ice mix:

            2 oz Finlandia Lime Vodka

            4 oz tomato juice

            1/2 teaspoon fresh horseradish,

            Splash of steak sauce (any brand)

            Splash of hot sauce

            Garnish with eyeball radish.

To make ice "eyeballs": Peel radishes, leaving thin streaks of red skin on to represent blood vessels. Using the tip of the vegetable peeler, or a small, knife, carefully scoop out a small hole in each radish, roughly the size of an olive. Stuff a green olive, pimiento side out, in each hole. Place one radish eyeball in each section of an empty ice cube tray. Pare the radishes down a bit to fit, if necessary. Fill the tray with water and freeze overnight.

 

4. East Village’s Theater for the New City let’s you go all out at their annual Halloween Costume Ball. The event promises a respite from the mania of the village, with sophisticated trappings like live cabaret, vaudeville acts, big band orchestras and (of course) drinking. This is an excellent option for those who want to get all dolled up without having to deal with the “it’s not just a costume, I dress like this every day” lunatics at the parade.

If these suggestions aren’t blood-curdling enough for you, then you are quite the hard Halloween-goer to please. If you’re going to take the holiday that seriously, then you know what you’ll end up doing for the night. Yes, we know that it's only one night a year that you get to crouch in the corner of the subway platform and swipe menacingly at passerbys. Just because it scares the shit out of us, doesn’t mean that it made our list!

 

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[Louis Vuitton Cosmic Blossom]

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