Every Spooky Cocktail On Applebee's October 2024 Menu, Ranked

The bar at Applebee's is a special place. It may not be a place for high-end craft beverages, but it certainly is the place for affordable and fun cocktails, and for that, I am grateful. As of October 1, 2024, Applebee's is bringing back its annual Halloween drink menu, proving once again it is the hero we need.

On the menu this year was the return of the $1 cocktail. Yes, you read that right. It is $1 in the form of the Dollar Zombie. Not to be forgotten, though, there is the Boo Lagoon, Franken Mama, and Dracula's Juice, the latter two of which are Boo-zy Buckets. All of these drinks are affordable, on theme, and ready to drink for a limited time. Of course, you probably won't want to order every drink when you go. So, I am here to help you out by taking one for the team and trying each and every one of these spooky cocktails so that you know which ones are the best. These Halloween libations will be ranked according to taste, presentation, and price.

The Franken-Mama is one of Applebee's Boo-zy Buckets, which packs a whopping 32 ounces of drink. These cleverly named cocktails come in a literal bucket. At $10 it is one of the most expensive cocktails on the menu and, unfortunately, this particular one did not bring the taste to back up the price.

The Franken Mama is made with Bacardi Rum and melon liqueur, and has passion fruit, pineapple, cherry, and lime flavors. It is topped with a gummy brain, which I admit is a nice touch.

The presentation of this cocktail is beautiful. It has a green and blue sombre effect. The problem is it is cloyingly sweet. Don't get me wrong; all of these cocktails are sweet. But this one tastes like drinking straight syrup. It tastes like the Applebee's bartender melted a bunch of gummies into a drink. There is no nuance to the flavor. This drink isn't interesting and does not live up to its exciting presentation.

Do not be fooled by its low placement. Boo Lagoon is legitimately good. It just isn't quite as good as the top two choices. Boo Lagoon is made using Bacardi rum, Malibu Coconut rum, and blue curaçao. It is a lot of alcohol packed into one drink. In addition, there is pineapple juice. The result is a blue-green concoction that tastes like a pina colada but not creamy.

The prominent flavor here is pineapple but the coconut sneaks up at the end as a pleasant surprise. If you like the idea of a pina colada but want something easier to drink, this could be a good option. Plus it is only $5, which is nothing for a drink of this size.

Regarding the presentation, I did not get the three cherries as a garnish, which was likely an unintentional omission. Still, even with them this cocktail is not particularly attractive and it does not say "Spooky Season." Boo Lagoon both looks and tastes like a summer cocktail with its tropical flavors and blue-green ocean coloring. It is a fine drink for sipping, but not a spooky cocktail.

Applebee's other Boo-zy bucket is far more successful than the Franken Mama. Dracula's Juice is also $10 but for the price you get a strong drink in a literal bucket, which is pretty fun and incredibly large.

Dracula's Juice is strong enough to knock out even the strongest of vampires. This vibrant beverage is made with Patron tequila, Ole Smoky Blackberry Moonshine, and triple sec. Then, because that wasn't enough flavor, they threw in some strawberry and lemon flavors. The combination creates a beautifully fruity drink that tastes like an adult fruit punch.

This is the only spooky Applebee's drink that is not blue-green, but instead is a lovely not-quite-blood-red color. The cocktail is topped with a gummy brain, which is a nice touch. Between the gummy brain and the red color, this cocktail visually looks the spookiest, which does give it points. It's also absolutely delicious, and is definitely sweet, but not overly so. Again, it tastes like juice. You could easily drink the whole thing without realizing it, which we do not recommend as it is quite big. Dracula's Juice was a strong contender for the top drink. There was just one that was just a little better.

As the name implies, this cocktail is $1. This cocktail may not be quite as large as the others, but trust me, it isn't small. I was expecting a tiny drink, but instead, a full-sized blue cocktail came out. Not bad for a buck.

This cocktail is made with rum and is mixed with passion fruit, pineapple, cherry, and lime. Pineapple ends up as the prominent flavor. The drink is fruity and brings some flavors of blue raspberry — a mix of miscellaneous fruit flavors. Why is it blue? I'm genuinely not sure, but it does add to the spooky vibes. Plus, this drink is topped with a gummy brain.

This cocktail is dangerous because it is too easy to drink. You can sit and sip on it without thinking and enjoy it. Thie drink doesn't come off quite as spooky as Dracula's Juice, but it is a much better size, and frankly, it is almost impossible to beat the price. You can buy 10 Dollar Zombie cocktails for the same price as one Dracula's Juice Bucket. The Dollar Zombie is a little spooky, it's cheap, and it's sweet. It's everything I want from the Applebee's bar.

To determine the best spooky cocktail from Applebee's I went to my local strip mall to grab a seat at the classic American chain bar and grill. There, I proceeded to order four large cocktails. To be clear, I did not drink all of these cocktails in one sitting. I was not looking to give myself alcohol poisoning and did have to make it home later to write a coherent sentence. However I did try all of them and I brought a friend along, as there is safety in numbers.

In between trying each cocktail the lovely an Applebee's appetizer acted as a palate cleanser. It had the added bonus of providing some sustenance other than alcohol.

Each cocktail was judged first and foremost by taste. However, presentation and price were also considered. Applebee's bar is mostly famous for affordable cocktails, so in the event of a tie between two drinks, the price acted as a tiebreaker.