As my good buddy Deniece likes to say: Halloween is nigh!

We go crazy at this house for Halloween. The front of our house is a literal production--we put on a show for the thousands of trick-or-treaters that come into our little town (and so do all the rest of my neighbors). And since almost all of my Halloween juices go into that, with the leftover juice going into my pets' costumes (priorities), I tend to not wind up being very creative with my own costume. So, I'm a witch. Again.

And All Hallow's Eve requires at least one stiff drink. But probably more like five. You need something to wash the candy down with.

So here's one for ya: The Poison Apple Margarita

Ingredients:

• 3 oz. serrano pepper-infused reposado tequila (instructions below)

• 1 oz. fresh lime juice

• 1 oz. Cointreau

• 1 oz. hard apple cider

• black sea salt

• 1 lady or crabapple to garnish

• dry ice for effect

To make your pepper-infused tequila: place two to three fresh sliced serrano peppers (depending on how spicy you want it) into a quart sized mason jar, and fill with tequila. Cover and store overnight in a cool, dark place. Strain peppers from tequila before using. Don't have time to infuse? Slice your fresh serranos and toss them into the shaker with the other ingredients, or add a 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper to the mix.

Start by spreading the black salt on a small plate. Run a lime wedge along the rim of your cocktail glass, and dip the edge of the glass into the salt to coat.

In a cocktail shaker over ice, add your pepper-infused tequila, lime juice, and Cointreau. Shake thoroughly. Pour your hard apple cider into the bottom of your cocktail glass, then strain what's in the shaker into your glass over the cider (if you want to add dry ice, be sure not to overfill--that sh**'s gonna bubble and it will overflow if you don't leave about a quarter inch of room below the rim). Garnish glass with tiny apple.

Now let's talk about dry ice. Follow alllll the safety precautions that will be on the dry ice packaging--you can really get burned with this stuff so be careful. If you want to add it to your cocktail for the spooky effect, chip off a tiny piece (we're talking something the size of a kidney bean, at most), and using tongs, drop it carefully into your drink. Beverage should not be consumed until the dry ice has completely evaporated. BE SMART ABOUT IT, GUYS. DON'T LET ME DOWN.

Stay witchy, my friends.