Velvet Revolver is a strong and fruity Halloween cocktail: a berry shrub and grappa combine with Pinot noir and lemon into a bittersweet, fruit-forward quaff, finished with a dramatic flaming dehydrated lemon wheel. Raoul Segarra conjured up this spooky cocktail for TABLE readers, and it conjures up the vices that drove Miss Scarlet into the library with a revolver to kill Colonel Mustard.
Why You’ll Love This Cocktail
It’s genuinely different. Grappa and berry shrub aren’t a combination you’ll find in most cocktail bars, so this drink stands out on a menu built around more familiar spirits…not only at Halloween but all year long. It’s strong and fruity at once. The shrub’s tang and Pinot noir’s fruit balance grappa’s intensity, so the drink reads as complex rather than harsh. The garnish is for show. A flaming dehydrated lemon wheel gives this cocktail real tableside theater but skip the flame if you want to simplify. And it’s quick to build. One shake, one strain, one flourish, and you’re done.
Ingredient Notes: Grappa and Berry Shrub
Grappa. Grappa is an Italian pomace brandy, distilled from the skins, seeds, and stems left over after winemaking. Historically a peasant’s way of using up winery waste, it’s now protected by EU law and produced across Italy, mostly in the north, at 35–60% ABV. It brings an intense, grape-forward warmth that stands in for a more conventional base spirit here.
Berry shrub. A shrub is a vinegar-based fruit syrup, an old American technique for preserving summer fruit that’s seen a cocktail-bar revival in recent years. Its tang plays a similar role to citrus in a cocktail, but with more depth and a little edge.
Tips for Making the Velvet Revolver
Shake don’t stir. Because this drink includes shrub, wine, and juice, it should be shaken with ice, not stirred, to chill and lightly dilute it.
Fine strain into a Nick and Nora glass. A fine mesh strainer keeps the pour clean, and the glass’s narrow bowl shows off the cocktail’s deep color.
Flame the garnish carefully. If you light the dehydrated lemon wheel, do it over a heatproof surface, away from your face, sleeves, and anything flammable, and let the flame extinguish fully before setting the garnish on the glass. If you’d rather skip the fire, the drink is just as good with the lemon wheel served unlit.
Looking for more? Try our The Witch’s Brew and Van Helsing Takes Manhattan, see all the Halloween Cocktails Perfect for Spooky Season, and browse TABLE’s Cocktails.
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Velvet Revolver: A Grappa and Berry Shrub Halloween Cocktail
- Total Time: 10 min
- Yield: 1 Cocktail 1x
Description
Berry shrub, grappa, Pinot noir, lemon juice, and aromatic bitters, shaken and fine-strained into a Nick and Nora glass, garnished with a flaming dehydrated lemon wheel.
Ingredients
- 1 oz berry shrub
- 1.5 oz grappa
- .5 oz Pinot noir
- .5 oz lemon juice
- 2 dashes aromatic bitters
Instructions
- Shake.
- Use a fine strainer to pour into a Nick and Nora glass.
- Garnish with a flaming dehydrated lemon wheel.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Category: Cocktail, drink
- Method: Shaken
- Cuisine: American, Italian-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cocktail
- Calories: About 160
Velvet Revolver FAQs
What is a berry shrub?
A shrub is a vinegar-based fruit syrup, a historic American preserving technique that’s become a popular cocktail ingredient for the tangy depth it adds in place of, or alongside, citrus.
What does grappa taste like?
Grappa is intense and grape-forward, distilled from the leftover skins, seeds, and stems of winemaking. It’s stronger and more rustic than most base spirits used in cocktails, which is part of what makes this drink distinctive.
Is it safe to flame the garnish?
Yes, with care. Light it over a heatproof surface, away from your face and anything flammable, and let the flame go out before serving. If you’d rather skip the fire, the drink works just as well with an unlit lemon wheel.
Can I make this cocktail without the flaming garnish?
Yes. The flame is a visual flourish, not a flavor component, so the cocktail tastes the same with a plain dehydrated lemon wheel.
About the Recipe Author
Raoul Segarra is not just a bartender. He’s an experienced distiller and a bit of a poet accustomed to plumbing the depths of the human mind. That originality comes through in every cocktail he creates.
About the Story Author
Keith Recker is Editor in Chief and Co-Owner of TABLE Magazine. A color and trend forecaster for nearly 20 years, his clients have included Pantone, WGSN, Stylus, and the Color Association of the United States. He is the author of three books on color, including Deep Color: The Shades That Shape Our Souls and True Colors: World Masters of Natural Dyes and Pigments, and co-founder of the Open Source Colour Association. Read more of his work here or contact him at keith@tablemagazine.com. Keith revised and expanded this article for TABLE’s Halloween 2026 coverage.
About the Photographer
Dave Bryce is TABLE Magazine’s contributing architecture, interiors, and food photographer, based in Pittsburgh. He photographed Fallingwater: Living with and In Art (Rizzoli, 2025) and regularly shoots for Pittsburgh Magazine and American Farmhouse Style, working with architects, interior designers, and hospitality brands. See more at davebrycephotography.com.
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