SAN DIEGO, CA — Ghost-topped dumplings, crispy chicken made to look like a bat, and a cocktail served in a skull are among the tricks and treats waiting inside Cutwater Spirits this Halloween.
The San Diego-based distillery has transformed the Cutwater Tasting Room & Kitchen into the House of Spirits, a seasonal takeover featuring Halloween-inspired food and cocktails, spooky décor and a reservation-only speakeasy hidden deeper inside the distillery.
Patch got an early taste of the experience during a media preview Sept. 16, sampling the Halloween menu before venturing into the Crypt Speakeasy.
The transformation extends from the décor to the dishes, with familiar bar food given playful Halloween makeovers.
The Ghostly Meatballs, $13, turn spicy meatballs into not-so-spooky but cute ghosts. The dish features lemongrass Vietnamese pork mix in wonton wrappers and is served with Vietnamese sweet-and-sour sauce. The steamed bites arrive with tiny ghost faces peeking out from a basket.
The Crimson Curse Queso, $14, combines mozzarella, Oaxaca and jack cheeses with chorizo and fire-roasted poblano peppers. It's served bubbling alongside blue corn tortilla chips.
One of the night's most dramatic dishes was It's Frickin' Bats, $17, crispy fried breaded half chicken coated entirely in black and suspended from a stand to resemble a bat. It comes with Cutwater Bloody Mary ranch for dipping.
The Hallo-Wings, $16, embrace the Halloween theme with a spicy black garlic-gochujang sauce, sesame seeds and green onions.
For something more substantial, Dracula's Bite is a burger served on a charcoal bun with pepper jack cheese, Cutwater Bourbon hot honey ketchup, fried jalapeños, pickles, tomato, lettuce and smoked paprika aioli.
Dessert is the BOOzookie, $12, a triple-chocolate skillet cookie topped with Cali Cream Pumpkin Spice White Russian ice cream and plenty of whipped cream and Halloween sprinkles. The dessert is for guests 21 and older.
The Halloween theme carries over to the cocktails.
Patch sampled Cutwater's Fright Flight, a $25 trio featuring miniature versions of three Halloween cocktails: the Spirit Vessel, Spellbook Spritz and Serial Painkiller.
The Spirit Vessel, $19 on its own, combines Cutwater Tequila Blanco with passion fruit, vanilla, curaçao and lime. Its presentation is part of the fun: The brightly colored cocktail is served in a skull-shaped vessel.
The Spellbook Spritz, also $19, mixes Cutwater Vodka and sparkling red wine with spiced cranberry, apricot liqueur, orange and lemon.
The flight's third drink, the Serial Painkiller, also $19, combines Cutwater Tiki Dark Rum with pumpkin, pineapple, coconut, orange, fall spices and pomegranate "blood."
Beyond the flight, Patch also sampled full-size versions of the Spellbook Spritz and Spirit Vessel. The Spellbook Spritz was a favorite.
Other cocktails on the House of Spirits menu include the gin-based Murder of Crows, served in a birdcage, and Midnight Manor, made with Cutwater Bourbon. In the Attic features smoked black tea-infused Cutwater Bourbon, while Grave Keeper combines Cutwater Vodka with matcha, pandan, oat milk, white chocolate, pistachio cream and charcoal cold foam.
The menu also features two spirit-free drinks and seasonal frozen cocktails, including Frozen Cutwater Pumpkin Spice White Russian and Screamsicle.
The Halloween experience doesn't end in the tasting room.
Guests can venture deeper into the distillery for the Cutwater Crypt: Halloween Speakeasy, a reservation-only, 90-minute speakeasy experience inside the Foeder Room Bar, offered Sept. 29 through Oct. 31.
The atmosphere changes as guests descend into the dimly lit space, where spooky details and interactive elements turn a cocktail tasting into something closer to a Halloween attraction.
Guests knock to "summon the spirits" and receive a welcome shot in a commemorative glass they can take home. The experience also includes access to a limited-edition cocktail menu and samples of mystery Cutwater spirits and experimental cocktails pulled from the distillery's vault.
One of the more unusual elements leaves the drink order to fate. During an interactive cocktail reading, cards determine which cocktail a guest receives.
The Cutwater Crypt costs $30 per person and accommodates up to 12 guests per booking, with multiple evening sessions offered on select dates. Guests can also purchase a Halloween-exclusive bottled spirit and receive a complimentary wax-dipping experience.
For visitors more interested in what happens behind the scenes, Cutwater is offering a separate House of Spirits Halloween Pairing Tour through Oct. 31.
The $30, 50-minute experience includes a 20-minute guided distillery tour followed by a 30-minute guided tasting and pairing.
The tasting features a flight of fall-inspired Cutwater cocktails and spirits with paired sweets: Cutwater Barrel Aged Rum with a Lindt caramel truffle; Cutwater Whistle Shot with a Lindt carrot cake truffle; Cutwater Chocolate Espresso Martini with sour gummies; and Cutwater Vodka Mule with dehydrated apples.
Guests also receive an exclusive take-home shot glass.
The seasonal tour offers a different experience from the Crypt, focusing on Cutwater's production process and the spirits behind its cocktails.
Cutwater is a San Diego-based distillery that makes the spirits used in its lineup of more than 20 canned cocktails. The Tasting Room & Kitchen has showcased the brand's San Diego distilling roots since 2017, offering food and cocktails along with distillery tours, tastings and cocktail-making classes.
This fall, Cutwater's roots come with ghosts, bats and a few spirits of a different kind.
The Cutwater Tasting Room & Kitchen is at 9750 Distribution Ave. in San Diego. The House of Spirits Halloween menu is available at the tasting room, while reservations are required for the Cutwater Crypt and Halloween Tour.
For more information or to make a reservation, visit the Cutwater Tasting Room website.
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