I’ve been resisting the numerous candy-based Halloween cocktails (such as the “Drunken Peanut Butter Cup,” which, while presumably tasty, seem to be more candy drinks than cocktails. However, I’ve decided that I need to include at least one drink of this genre, and today we are making a Butterfinger-based beverage (or BBB, as they say in the trade) (actually, they don’t).

Today’s drink is something called an Otto’s 1923. (The relevance of the name will be discussed in a bit). It’s a premier example of a BBB. So let’s get to it!

The recipe: Combine 1 oz Johnnie Walker Black Label (or another good Scotch), 1/2 oz Kahlua, 1/4 oz Cynar, and a spoonful of peanut butter in a shaker. DO NOT ADD ICE YET; instead, dry shake the contents until the peanut butter mixes well with the other ingredients. Now add ice to the shaker and shake it some more. Stain it into a glass over crushed ice. Garnish with a half-bar worth of Butterfinger crumbles on the top, as well as the remaining half of the candy bar.

The Ratings

It’s quite an attractive looking cocktail. I mean, who doesn’t like to see a Butterfinger stick staring you in the face? The Butterfinger crumbles provide an interesting, inviting garnish on the drink. And the color of the drink itself is peanut butter brown. The link to Halloween is a bit difficult to establish. But if you consider that Butterfingers are a Halloween staple, handed out of millions of kids each year, then maybe there’s a decent nexus. I’ll give the appearance 3 points.

This is a hard cocktail to rate in terms of taste. On the positive side, we have a strong peanut butter flavor, complemented by the smokey, peaty Johnnie Walker and the sweet coffee taste of the Kahlua. The secret ingredient here is the Cynar, which, as you may or may not know, is a high-proof, bitter liqueur made from artichokes. I’m not making this up. The small amount of Cynar nicely contrasts with the sweetness of the other ingredients, and ensures that the cocktail doesn’t become just another candy bomb.

On the other hand, mixing Butterfinger crumbles with the crushed ice seems ill-advised. It’s pretty much impossible to include crumbles in a sip without also swalling a bunch of crushed ice. Maybe that’s the point; maybe this is supposed to drink like a Slurpee. But if so, the ice needs to be blended (not merely crushed). As an experiment, I made another version with just one big ice cube, and this worked much better. As a third experiment, I left out the Butterfinger crumbles, which made the logistics of drinking it easier, and also made it taste more like a “real” cocktail. But it’s hard for me to be an unbiased judge after three drinks…

On balance, though, this is a very enjoyable drink. It’s rich and malty and sweet, and the different tastes (including the Cynar) play out throughout each sip. I give the taste 3.5 points. (It would have been 4 points if it didn’t use crushed ice.)

The name of this drink is a reference to the man (Otto Schnering) who invented the Butterfinger bar in 1923. So the name is a cool reference to that…but it has nothing to do with Halloween! No points.

Grand Total: 6.5 points. (If this weren’t in a Halloween cocktail blog, it would have risen near the top.)