Cocktails
Halloween Headless Horseman Cognac Old Fashioned
The Headless Horseman Cognac Old Fashioned is a slow-sipping Halloween cocktail: cognac supplies the oak and dried-fruit character, a small measure of amaretto adds almond sweetness, and bitters keep the finish from feeling sugary. A pumpkin face cut from orange peel sits on the ice. There is no juice, cream or vodka.
Recipe reviewed 8 Oct 2026. How we test recipes.
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WHAT YOU NEED
Ingredients
METHOD
How to make it
- Make the pumpkin garnish first. An adult should cut a roughly 1 1/2-inch circle from the wide orange peel with a small knife on a board, then cut two small triangular eyes and a small mouth. Keep it flat; do not cut while holding the peel in your hand.
- Measure the cognac and amaretto using the ingredient list above and pour both into a mixing glass or sturdy jug. Add the aromatic bitters.
- Fill the mixing glass about two-thirds with ice. Stir with a long spoon for 20 to 30 seconds, until the outside feels cold.
- Put one large fresh ice cube, or several smaller cubes, in each short rocks glass.
- Hold a strainer over the mixing glass and slowly pour the chilled drink into the prepared glass, leaving the mixing ice behind. For several servings, divide the liquid evenly between the glasses.
- Float one orange-peel pumpkin, orange side up, on the ice in each glass. Serve immediately; lift out the peel before sipping.
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Adjust it and serve it
Use a VS or VSOP cognac you enjoy; a very expensive bottle is unnecessary. Start with the listed amaretto amount: it sweetens the drink without turning it into a dessert cocktail. For a drier next glass, halve the amaretto; for a softer drink, stir a little longer rather than adding juice. Check the amaretto label if serving anyone with a nut allergy.
For a party, use the serving selector to scale the liquids, then stir batches that fit comfortably in your jug. Do not fill a small mixing glass to the brim. Cut one peel face per glass shortly before serving and keep the peels covered in the fridge. Plain orange twists work if you would rather skip the carving.
Pair it with the children's Bat-Wing Rooibos Tea. For a warm adult alternative, try Graveyard Irish Cream Hot Chocolate, or browse the Halloween drinks collection.
Amaretto replaces the usual sugar or syrup; do not add both. This is a spirit-forward adult drink, not a fruit punch. Estimated calories exclude the peel; ABV assumes 40% cognac, 28% amaretto and 20% stirring dilution. Bottle strengths and melting ice change the actual strength.
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