Cocktails and Crime, what a great combination?! Murder Mystery dinner parties have become a great source of entertainment and have become hugely popular at any sort of social gathering. Whether opting for something silly, fun and family friendly or something dramatic and grow up. Whether you want a lazy afternoon tea party for your relatives or a jazzy night out with your best pals there’s a huge variety of themes to choose from. Masters of Mystery have got you covered. Browse through their wide selection and pick something that takes your fancy.
Of course, no party would be complete without cocktails, fruity, boozy, milky, spicy, smooth or fizzy there’s something for everyone. We’ve compiled a list of great cocktails you can serve to your guests at your murder mystery party.
First, lets look at some traditional cocktails, these are shaken in a cocktail mixer or stirred directly into the glass and are suitable for many themed or historic murder mysteries. Some good examples would be our 1920’s murder mystery or our 1940s murder mystery.
The Sidecar
This was created around 1918 and is named after an American captain in Paris who rode in the ‘sidecar’ of a motorbike. It’s simple to make, three steps, three ingredients, Cognac brandy, orange liqueur and lemon juice. If you don’t have brandy it can also be made with Vodka or bourbon instead.
Step One
Add a rim of sugar to the glass.
Step Two
Put 2oz of Cognac, 2oz of orange liqueur and 2 oz of lemon juice in a cocktail shaker with some ice cubes and shake.
Step Three
Pour into the glass and add some ice and there you have a simple Sidecar.
The Bees Knees
A popular cocktail from the 1920s, it’s a simple combination of gin, honey syrup, and lemon and often served in the jazz bars and speakeasy’s
Step One
Mix together 0.75oz honey with equal parts water to make a syrup, you may want to warm the honey in a microwave or over the stovetop until you can stir the honey into the water entirely.
Step Two
Add 2oz gin and 0.50oz lemon juice into a cocktail shake, with ice and add the honey syrup, shake for approx. 30seconds.
Step Three
Pour into a glass and add a lemon peel for garnish.
The Cosmopolitan
A traditional cocktail made with Vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice and lime juice a popular drink in many cocktail bars.
Step One
Fill the cocktail shaker with ice and add 2oz vodka, 1oz Cointreau, 1 oz cranberry juice and 1 oz of fresh lime juice
Step Two
Shake well and strain into a glass.
Step Three
Serve with lime slice or twist.
Classic Daiquiri
A simple and classic cocktail made from just three ingredients. Sugar, lime juice and white rum.
Step One
Using a cocktail shaker, mix 1 oz of lime juice and 2tbs of sugar
Step Two
Fill the shaker with ice, add 2oz of white rum and shake until cold.
Step Three
Strain into a glass and serve with a slice of lime.
Mojito
A traditional fresh mint mojito is great on a hot summer afternoon. A popular drink made from mint. Lime juice, sugar, rum an soda.
Step One
In cocktail shaker add in 6 springs of fresh mint and crush, add 3tbs of lime juice, and 2tsp of sugar
Step Two
Add ice cubes and 1 oz of rum and then shake well.
Step Three
Fill a glass with ice cubes and strain drink, top off with the soda and garnish with mint and a lime wedge.
Long Island Iced Tea
A classic and very boozy cocktail made from vodka, gin, tequila, rum, cola and lime juice and of course ice, lots of ice.
Step One
Pour 1.75oz of vodka, gin, tequila, rum and a triple sec into a large jug (equal parts for all) and add 1.75- 3oz of lime juice.
Step Two
Half fill the jug with ice and stir until the outside of the jug feels cold and then fill with cola (approx. 500ml).
Step Three
Drop in the lime wedges and then pour into a tall glass with more ice.
Next, lets have a look at some refreshing and Fruity Cocktails, suitable for your garden or summer party. A good murder mystery games that could work well with the below recipes would be our Bake-off murder mystery or our Regency, Jane Austen murder mystery.
Mary Pickford
Names after the Hollywood sweetheart and silent film star of the 1920’s. This is a fruity gin-based cocktail, made from gin, pineapple juice, pomegranate and lemon.
Step One
Chill a martini glass.
Step Two
In a cocktail shaker add some ice and 1.5 oz of white rum, 1.5 oz of pineapple juice and 0.25oz of grenadine (sugar, pomegranate & lemon juice) liqueur and shake well.
Step Three
Strain into the chilled glass, add a few drops of maraschino liqueur and garnish with a cherry.
The Hanky Panky
The Hanky Panky was created by a a bartender at London’s famous Savoy Hotel in the early 1900s, it got its name when it was prepared for a famous celebrity and after tasting it they declared “that’s the real hanky panky” made from red wine, Italian bitters and ice.
Step One
Add 1.5 oz of Gin and 1.5 oz of red wine with a few dashes of Italian bitters to a glass with ice
Step Two
Stir until it’s mixed and chilled.
Step Three
Garnish with orange peel and serve.
The White Lady
An old fashioned gin, mixed with orange liqueur and lemon juice and then shaken with an egg white to create a zingy and sour cocktail.
Step One
Mix 2oz gin, 1.5 oz lemon juice, 0.5 oz of orange liqueur in a cocktail shaker and shake for 10 seconds until it’s frothy.
Step Two
Add a handful of ice and shake for a further 10 seconds.
Step Three
Pour into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist.
Lavender Lemon drop
This drink is made with fresh lemon juice and lavender syrup, mixed with vodka. Lavender syrup can be bought or made, all you just need is sugar, water, and lavender buds. If you’re unsure how to do this you can find the recipe for lavender syrup here.
Step One
Best served very cold so chill your cocktail glass before preparing and serving this drink
Step Two
Place all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with fresh ice and shake well for about 20 seconds
Step Three
Strain into the chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a fresh lavender or a lemon peel.
Blackberry martini
Made from vodka, blackberries, fresh lemon juice, and creme de Violette (you will need a cocktail muddler for this)
Step One
Place the blackberries at the bottom of a cocktail shaker and muddle to get as much juice from the berries as possible.
Step Two
Add 2oz of crème de Violette and 2oz of lemon juice along with some fresh ice and shake until nice and cold.
Step Three
Strain into a martini glass and garnish with blackberry or lemon.
For Those who quite like the idea of something a bit more spicy we have some great cocktail with a little bit of a kick to them. These would be great for a dark fantasy murder mystery such as our Vampire Ball Murder Mystery or our Halloween Murder Mystery.
The Bloody Mary
This is a spicy cocktail made from tomato juice, Vodka and hot sauce.
Step One
In the cocktail shaker add 1 oz. lemon juice, 2tbs of horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, celery seeds and 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper.
Step Two
Stir in 3oz tomato juice and vodka
Step Three
Rub the rims of glasses with lemon wedge and/or dip them in celery salt and then serve over ice with cucumber sticks and/or lemon wedges.
Maple Whisky Sour
A sour, strong whisky drink.
Step One
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 2.5oz. of bourbon, 0.5oz of lemon juice, 0,5 oz of lime juice, 0.5 oz of orange juice.
Step Two
Add 1tbs of maple syrup and 3 orange bitters.
Step Three
Strain over ice; serve with a citrus wedge.
Dark and Stormy
Made from dark rum, ginger beer and lime juice, it’s simple but has a nice kick to it.
Step One
Fill a glass with ice
Step Two
Add 3 oz, ginger beer, 0.5 oz of lime juice and 2oz of dark rum and stir.
Step Three
Garnish with candied ginger and serve.
Zombie cocktail
A strong, rum based cocktail. This spicy drink is made from three types of rum, grenadine, anise and bitters.
Step One
Put 25ml of white rum, dark rum and spiced rum, into a cocktail shaker with 0.5 oz of lime juice, 0.5 oz of anise liqueur, 100ml of pineapple juice and a handful of Angostura bitters with ice and shake until cold.
Step Two
Pour the mixture into a glass filled with ice cubes and drizzle over some grenadine.
Step Three
Garnish with mint, cherries and orange or pineapple wedges.
Spicy Margarita
A spicy take on a traditional margarita using chilli powder, lime juice, tequila, cointreau and hot sauce.
Step One
Mix together 1tsp of salt, 0.5 tsp of chilli powder and half a lime zest and sprinkle onto a plate.
Step Two
Rub the rest of the lime zest around the rim of a margarita glass, then dip in the chilli salt to cover the rim.
Step Three
Add 1 oz of lime juice, 1.5 oz of tequila, 21 oz cointreau and a dash of hot sauce in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well.
Step Four
Strain into the glass and serve.
Not everyone likes to drink alcohol, we don’t want them to feel left out so we’ve some great suggestions for mocktails you can whip up for those guests.
The Berry spritzer
Made from fresh berries, mint leaves, lime juice, honey, soda and some ice. (this drink also uses a muddler)
Step One
In a cocktail shaker muddle the berries and mix with lime juice and mint.
Step Two
Add in the soda and shake well
Step Three
Serve with berry, lime, or mint garnishes.
Elderflower mocktail
A quick and easy drink that is made with elderflower syrup or cordial.
Step One
Fill a glass half way with ice
Step Two
Add 2 oz of elderflower syrup or cordial and top off with the soda.
Step Three
Stir and serve
Virgin piña colada
A great cocktail for guests is the piña colada, made using pineapple juice, lime juice, coconut milk and rum. For a non alcoholic version simply substitute the rum for a syrup.
Step One
Pour 5 oz of pineapple juice into a glass, add 1.5 oz coconut milk and 0.5 oz of lime juice and stir gently.
Step Two
Fill up the glass with ice then slowly add 0.5oz of rum or syrup so it sinks to the bottom.
Step Three
Garnish with pineapple leaves and a cherry.
To make the mock rum syrup
Step one: mix brown sugar with 5 oz of water and heat in a saucepan, making sure you stir well until the sugar has dissolved.
Step two: Add in some pineapple, peppercorn or cinnamon will give it the kick you want. Bring to the boil. Once mixed turn off the heat and leave until it goes cold.
Step Three: Strain into a jug and refrigerate until needed (up to three days)
We hope we’ve given you some good ideas for cocktails you can serve up at your murder mystery dinner party. Masters of Mystery have a game for all seasons, many different themes and a great selection of Era’s to choose from. Keep an eye on our sales page, new games are being added all the time.
You can read our reviews and check out some of our other blogs too, for more great ideas to help you host your perfect murder mystery dinner party.
