For adults who miss going all-in on Halloween, Nighthawks Lounge is giving Athens a chance to get back into the spooky spirit this October. The Athens cocktail bar will host The Haunting, a Halloween-themed pop-up running Oct. 1 through Oct. 31.
The Haunting is the first Halloween pop-up from Miracle Cocktails Inc., the company behind the Christmas-themed cocktail pop-ups Miracle and Sippin’ Santa. Nighthawks will transform its space with Halloween decorations, themed cocktails, festive glassware and other spooky surprises throughout the month.
But don’t expect a haunted house.
“It’s a spooky, not scary, but very much a Halloween-spirited experience,” said Krista Slater, co-owner of Nighthawks Lounge. “It’s not like a fright night kind of thing. But it’s also meant to be for adults who like a sophisticated cocktail, but also really love Halloween.”
Slater said she and her husband, co-owner Jerry Slater, have been collecting decorations for the pop-up, including cobwebs, floating pumpkins, candles, and an automated crow with a skull.
“It’s all very fun. It’s all very campy,” Slater said. “I grew up in Orlando, Florida, so it’s very Haunted Mansion, Disney kind of fun.”
The Halloween theme continues with the cocktail menu, which includes drinks like the Widow’s Whisper, Scream-sicle, Poison Apple, Liquid Lobotomy and Clown Pear-anoia. The menu includes flavors like pumpkin, cardamom and spice, with drinks made with vodka, gin, bourbon, rum and tequila, along with spirit-free options.
The drinks will be served in limited-edition glassware, with designs including a creepy clown, a cauldron, a skeleton, and a ghoulish baby head. The glassware will also be available for guests to purchase and take home.
Bringing The Haunting to Nighthawks was also a way for Slater and her husband to give Athens locals another place to go during a busy month.
Slater said Nighthawks’ location in Newtown can get quieter during October, when some locals are focused on football or avoiding the crowds that come with home game weekends. The bar will still embrace football season, but The Haunting gives people another reason to come out.
“We love the students. We love the university and everything it brings, but we’re locals. We’re here for the local crowd too,” Slater said.
There will also be a few special events throughout the month. On Oct. 16, local band Shansylvania will perform Halloween-themed music. Pastry chef Gayle Norton will bring her monthly dessert pop-up to Nighthawks on Oct. 27, with a Halloween-themed menu starting at 7:30 p.m.
Slater also hopes The Haunting can become an unofficial first stop for people heading to Athens’ Wild Rumpus Halloween Celebration on Oct. 31.
The bar will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m., with later hours possible on weekends. Reservations are not required, although Slater said the bar may be busier than usual.
During the pop-up, The Haunting menu will replace Nighthawks’ regular cocktail menu. Bar snacks will be available, and the patio will be open.
“I love seeing people in costumes, and so I think it’s just going to be a really, really fun space for October,” Slater said.
