Looking for a slightly ghoulish grown up halloween drink? AKA- there is candy, but also booze. Try this caramel for brains hot shot.
These halloween hot shots warm you three ways- caramel, heat- and brandy or whiskey. Plus pomegranate juice for a art balance.
updated September 5th, 2019
looking for hot drinks that aren’t shots?
- these hot chocolate shooters with ginger rum almost qualify
- the pimms hot spiced cider is a lower booze alternative that definitely qualifies
FAQ
what if I don’t have pomegranate juice?
- try cranberry or even tart cherry, you want something red with a bit of pucker
- I used unsweetened- but many pomegranate and cranberry juices are sweetened. this is up to you. I like the balance of booze, burnt sugar and salt from the caramel, and bite from the pomegranate.
rum or whiskey?
- I don’t drink american whiskey (just blame manhattans) so I prefer my brown liquor to be brandy or rum, that said if I did like whisky that is what I would put in this instead of brandy. In either case opt for a solid middle ground, something with a bit of an oak aged profile but it’s a shot so don’t go crazy on quality. Esquire has some good places to start for lower end but not rot gut.
what sort of caramel should I use?
- I’ve used homemade caramel gone awry and very good gift caramel. Any soft caramel will work.
Can I use caramel sauce?
- Why not! If you want the shot not hot this is definitely the way to go
Hot Shots For Halloween
A little boozy and a little tangy with a sweet candy finish perfect for cool autumn nights

Caramel Pomegranate Hot Shots (AKA Brains in a Bucket)
a quick and easy hot drink or shot- use brandy or substitute whiskey
Equipment
- microwave
- microwave safe shot glass (or small demitasse, microwave safe)
Ingredients
- 1 piece of soft caramel
- 1 ounce rum
- 1 ounce pomegranate juice
Instructions
- combine all ingredients in a 3 ounce shot glass and heat in microwave until hot (15-25 seconds)
- stir and consume
Tried this recipe?Mention @recipefiction or tag #recipefiction!

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