Try Martha Stewart's Halloween Twist On A Popular Cocktail

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The lifestyle guru Martha Stewart absolutely loves Halloween. She also loves spending time with her pal the rapper and entrepreneur Snoop Dogg. In honor of her favorite holiday, and her friend, she's come up with a spooky version of a salty dog, a classic cocktail that combines gin and grapefruit juice in a glass with a salted rim. She uses Snoop's own Still G.I.N. and ramps up the spookiness of this simple drink in a few ways. Stewart uses black salt (and white sugar) on the rim and homemade ice cubes with realistic-looking, food-safe plastic cockroaches inside. Terrifying indeed.

It's no surprise the self-appointed "Queen of Halloween" would choose to make a spine-tingling version of this drink. Stewart is a fan of easy-to-make cocktails, including tequila and grapefruit, and has made other versions of the salty dog, including one using vodka. In honor of Snoop, who appeared with her on an episode of Today Food, she chose to use gin. Besides being the original liquor used for the drink, it was also a way to promote Snoop and Dr. Dre's spirit brand and as a nod to the rapper's hit 1993 song "Gin & Juice" from his album "Doggystyle."

The salty dog dates back to the 1950s and is a variation of a greyhound, an even older cocktail that had a resurgence in the 1970s. The only difference between the two is the addition of salt on the rim in the salty dog. Both remain popular because of their combination of simplicity and deliciousness. Martha Stewart's version is nearly as simple. She dips the rim of a cocktail glass in a shallow bowl of grapefruit juice before rolling it in black salt and sugar. While Stewart doesn't specify the kind of black salt to use — there are a few different varieties — The Spice Lab's Hawaiian black lava salt is a good choice for its creepy color and earthy flavor.

Stewart's icky roach-filled ice cubes are equally easy to make and really up the fright factor of this Halloween version of a salty dog. It does take a little pre-planning, though. You can use ice cube trays that either make round or square ice cubes. Drop in a single Riomeira food-safe plastic roach into each compartment, pour in water, and freeze overnight. 

Serve these cocktails with one of those viral Instagram charcuterie skulls that are actually easy to make for a ghoulish good time at your Halloween party. This cocktail has the stamp of approval from both Stewart and her bestie Snoop Dogg.