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Drunken Shrimp CocktailDrunken Shrimp Cocktail
October 2, 2021 | Updated June 9, 2022 | Laura
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A boozy shrimp cocktail that you first dip buttery sauteed shrimp into then drink like a Bloody Mary. This vodka drunken shrimp cocktail was inspired by the movie, Beetlejuice. It's perfect for a Beetlejuice movie night or really any night!
Savory, Spooky, and Boozy
If you've seen Tim Burton's Beetlejuice before you probably remember one of the most iconic scenes when they are eating at the dining room table. Everybody breaks out in dance and starts singing Day-O (Banana Boat song).
It's one of my favorite scenes from the movie. That song is just so much fun and catchy.
The Deetz family and their guests were about to feast on some mighty big shrimp during the dinner party scene before all the shenanigans begin. At the end of the scene, the shrimp tails become fingers on a hand, and then the hands grab them all in the face.
This drunken shrimp cocktail is inspired from that classic Beetlejuice scene and made with spiked tomato juice and seasoned sauteed shrimp. It's such a delicious and easy appetizer. And while it's a great recipe during spooky October, for a Beetlejuice party, or for a Halloween party, it can be enjoyed any time of the year!
Vodka Shrimp Cocktail Ingredients
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✽ Shrimp seasonings: smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, & kosher salt.
The combination of these seasonings are perfect for these savory buttery shrimp.
✽ Tail-on Shrimp: I use shell-on and tail-on large shrimp for this recipe to mimic the ones from the movie, Beetlejuice, as best as possible. I saute them in butter & seasonings. Yum!
✽ Tomato Juice: The base of the cocktail is tomato juice- just like a Bloody Mary. You could also use a bloody mary mix or vegetable blend.
✽ Vodka: The boozy element of the cocktail.
✽ Lemon juice: Adds a bit of tanginess to the cocktail. Freshly squeezed lemon juice is best. You could also substitute it with lime juice if you don't have any lemons around.
✽ Worcestershire Sauce: Almost everything tastes better with some worcestershire added. Great way to add some umami and savory.
✽ Horseradish: Adds just a bit of a kick to the cocktail.
✽ Hot sauce: For a little bit of heat for a spicy drunken shrimp cocktail.
✽ Olive juice: I love the flavor of olives and adds some saltiness.
✽ Celery salt: For the rim of the glass. You could also rim the glass with Old Bay Seasoning or Creole seasoning. I also like to garnish the glass with a slice of lemon and fresh cilantro or parsley.
31 Days of Halloween
This drunken shrimp cocktail is a part of my 31 Days of Halloween. For each day in October, I come up with a cocktail recipe and snack recipe that perfectly matches a scary movie, Halloween movie, or a fun spooky activity. Check out 31 Days of Halloween for all of your Halloween snack and drinking desires that pair with horror films!
How to Make Boozy Shrimp Cocktail
➊ In a bowl, combine shrimp, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and Kosher salt. Mix to coat shrimp with seasonings.
In a non-stick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, add shrimp in a single layer and cook 1-2 minutes per side until opaque. Set aside.
➋ On a small platter, pour some celery salt for the rim of the glass. Run a lemon wedge along the rim of the glass. Tip the edge of the glass in the celery salt twisting so the entire rim is covered.
➌ In a shaker, add tomato juice, vodka, lemon juice, Worcestershire, horseradish, hot sauce, olive juice, and black pepper with a couple cubes of ice. Shake for about 10 seconds. Strain into prepared glass. Arrange shrimp along the edge of the glass. Cheers!
What to Serve with a Shrimp Cocktail
✽ Beetlejuice Breadstick Hand with Meatball Eyeballs; To stay with the Beetlejuice theme make this delicious breadstick hand topped with white meatballs. It's inspired by the scene where Adam has eyeballs on the end of each of his fingers! With these breadstick hands and this shrimp cocktail, you'll have the perfect Beetlejuice movie night!
→ Read more about these Beetlejuice recipes on my Beetlejuice Movie Night blog!
✽ Vegetables; Bloody Mary-type vegetables such as celery, olives, and pickles would also be great dipped inside of this cocktail.
Beetlejuice Shrimp Cocktail: Questions
✽ Does it matter what kind of shrimp I buy?
Nope. I chose to go with a tail-on and shell-on large or jumbo shrimp in order to mimic the Beetlejuice movie as much as possible. However, shelled shrimp and any size of shrimp will still work for this recipe.
✽ What other booze can you make this cocktail with?
Vodka is my favorite for bloody mary's. However, you can substitute the vodka with gin (that's called a red snapper!) or substitute with tequila (that's called a bloody maria!).
Another good idea is using a flavored vodka, such as dill pickle vodka, pepper vodka, or tamarind vodka.
✽ Is this a bloody mary with shrimp or a 'shrimp cocktail'?
A little bit of both.
A shrimp cocktail, also known as prawn cocktail, consists of shelled, cooked shrimp served in a glass with a cocktail sauce. Cocktail sauce is simply just ketchup mixed with horseradish and some flavorings. The shrimp are dipped in the cocktail sauce before eaten.
A bloody mary is a cocktail (alcoholic beverage) consisting of vodka, tomato juice, and other flavorings.
I simply combined a shrimp cocktail with a bloody mary to form this drunken shrimp cocktail. And yes, you can drink it as well as dip your shrimp in it!
Drunken Shrimp Cocktail
By Laura | Laura The Gastronaut
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
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A boozy shrimp cocktail that you first dip buttery sauteed shrimp into then drink like a Bloody Mary. This vodka drunken shrimp cocktail was inspired by the movie, Beetlejuice. It's perfect for a Beetlejuice movie night or really any night!
*Some of these ingredient links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*
Ingredients
• 16 shell-on, tail-on shrimp
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• Lemon wedge, for glass rim
• Celery salt, for glass rim
• (1 cup) 8 ounces tomato juice
• (1/2 cup) 4 ounces vodka
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon olive juice
• 1/2 teaspoon horseradish
• Parsley, for garnish
Instructions
➊ In a bowl, combine shrimp, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Mix so that shrimp are well covered with seasonings.
➋ In a non-stick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. When melted, place shrimp in a single layer into skillet. Cook 1-2 minutes per side until opaque and cooked-through. Set aside.
➌ Run a lemon wedge along the rim of the two cocktail glasses you will be serving the shrimp cocktail in. With a small amount of celery salt on a plate, twirl the rims of the glasses in the celery salt so it gets all around the edge.
➍ In a cocktail shaker, combine tomato juice, vodka, lemon juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce, olive juice, and horseradish with a couple of ice cubes. Shake for about 10 seconds. Strain into two cocktail glasses.
➎ Place 8 shrimp on each glass and garnish with parsley and lemon slices.
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✽ Did you make this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a comment below and sharing on Instagram. Tag @laurathegastronaut and hashtag it #laurathegastronaut.
Category: Cocktails, Appetizers & Snacks, Seafood Cuisine: American
Keywords: drunken shrimp cocktail, beetlejuice themed dinner, shrimp recipes, halloween recipe
More Fun Halloween Recipes:
✽ Peanut Butter Whiskey Sour (delicious peanut butter cocktail splattered with red cherry sauce)
✽ Halloween Pumpkin Hand Pies (cute and tasty pumpkin pie hand pies shaped as pumpkins and ghosts)
✽ Spooky Spider Pizza Rolls (yummy homemade pizza rolls shaped as spiders)
✽ Tequila Orange Julius (traditional orange julius recipe made with orange juice and milk and also tequila)
→ Check out all of my Halloween recipes!
Bon appétit!
October 2, 2021 by Laura Ehlers
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