ASHEVILLE - There's something strange happening in Asheville's neighborhoods, but you don't need to call the Ghostbusters. You'll want your friends by your side as you investigate the city's eerie Halloween-themed bars.
Two bars on Haywood Road are serving up their fair share of scares, with more potions being poured across the city: Scare-acter Study and The Haunting at The Golden Pineapple.
"West Asheville is known for being a Halloween part of town. All of Haywood and West Asheville have always been the place to be for Halloween," said Katey Ryder, bartender and co-owner of The Golden Pineapple. "And what's nice is, every year, it feels like Halloween is longer than the one day."
Character Study is out, Scare-acter Study is in season
Character Study, a literary-themed bar, has flipped its concept
for October, bringing horrors from the page to the cocktail glass as Scare-acter Study.
The bar's crafty staff members pitched in to create decorations and deck out the space, including the larger-than-life cat over the entrance, created by Elaina Haile, the general manager, who, for the Halloween season, is retitled the Crypt Keeper.
"Halloween is absolutely our busiest time of the year. Last year, we broke records by double," Haile said. "It's exciting, fun and mobs and mobs of people all dressed up."
Scare-acter Study attracts hordes of zombies, ghouls, and others slinking in from the annual outdoor rave-style Halloween party at The Brew Pump and from Vermont Avenue, a neighborhood popular for its outlandish home decorations and trick-or-treating.
Haile said that so many costumed characters and businesses get into the Halloween spirit, making Haywood Road the place to be on Halloween night.
Michael Beckwith, the bar lead ― or High Alchemist ― concocted a list of original recipes to pique one's curiosity. The Midnight Margarita takes a dark approach to a classic, turning the tequila-based cocktail purple and lining the rim with black salt.
"We wanted to do a full menu takeover that's Halloween-themed but also alter the lighting and do all those touches that make it feel almost like a different bar. We leaned even more into the Halloween spirit," Beckwith said.
Beckwith loves to sink his fangs into The Devil's Dictionary, a citrusy cocktail packing lots of punch, made with mezcal and spicy ginger ― a recipe said to come "straight from the book of the Dark Lord."
Haile's go-to it The Mind Goblin, made with gin, matcha and pistachio.
"It is so delicious. It's green, and it's got a little Jell-O brain on it. It's a little bit sweet. It's easy, good, and spooky-looking," Haile said.
A non-alcoholic version is available of The Mind Goblin and The Witching Hour Sour ― a devilishly good libation made with Earl Grey-infused bourbon and Amaro Braulio. It's finished with a jack-o'-lantern topper.
Other mocktails and zero-proof drinks are available, along with a selection of wine and beer.
Scare-acter Study, 797 Haywood Road, is open 4-11 p.m. daily. For more, visit characterstudybar.com and follow @characterstudybar on Instagram.
The Haunting at The Golden Pineapple
The Haunting at The Golden Pineapple has transformed the restaurant and bar into a place where nightmares and nightcaps collide.
The Haunting's decorations and beverages are inspired by childhood haunted houses, glowing jack-o’-lanterns, vintage decorations and late-night horror movie marathons.
The Haunting comes from the same creators as the Christmas-themed pop-ups Miracle and Sippin' Santa. The Golden Pineapple will shift from haunted to holly-jolly from Thanksgiving weekend through December for another year of Miracle.
"We've always done Halloween-themed drinks, but this is on another level. We went all out," Ryder said.
A towering skeleton greets guests at the door, ushering them in for a bone-shaking good time, whether they're dining in or only desire to partake of the drinks.
The signature cocktail lineup includes Widow’s Whisper, Scream-sicle, Poison Apple and Clown Pear-anoia, with mocktails and other spirit-free libations available.
And the Tangled Web, made with vodka, ube, passion fruit, vanilla, lemon, prosecco and topped with a web-like foam, has guests screaming for more.
The Hex Appeal features gin, whiskey, Campari, peanut butter, pandan, coconut, celery and lemon. It's a bright green drink served in a tall glass, with a fizzy top.
Liquid Lobotomy is a mind-numbing libation made with rum blend, falernum, pumpkin-spiced pineapple, lime and aromatic bitters, served over crushed ice and in a creepy antique doll's head.
Like Miracle, patrons can enjoy The Haunting's limited-edition custom-made glassware at the bar and purchase their own to take home. Guests who purchase the shot called The Pumpkin Payback ― made with calvados, ginger, sage and lemon ― can take their collectible Haunting shot glass home.
The Haunting at The Golden Pineapple, 503 Haywood Road, is open 5-11 p.m. Thursday-Monday and 5-10 p.m. Sunday.
"It's really cute but scary. The drinks are really good. It's the most fun, and I love it," Ryder said.
The Haunting Halloween bar is also happening at City Walk Brewing and Distilling in Hickory, Chimney Rock Smokehouse in Chimney Rock and Killjoy in Raleigh.
Both The Haunting at The Golden Pineapple and Scare-acter Study intend to stay open longer on Halloween night.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Co., covering the food and beverage industry, including the James Beard Awards, Michelin Awards, restaurant openings, closings and other hospitality industry news and events. Tips, comments, questions? Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow @PrincessOfPage on Instagram. Sign up for AVL Bites and Brews, our weekly food and drink newsletter here.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Halloween bars' creepy cocktails scaring up fun in Asheville
