The Spooky Fall Cocktail That Tastes Like It Should Cost $20

Living in New York City, I'm no stranger to a fancy cocktail bar. And while I don't necessarily enjoy dropping $20 on one drink, I must admit that the bartenders do know what they're doing.

Take this cocktail, for example. The Escape from Houdini's Chest is featured exclusively on the Sun Princess, a Princess Cruises ship, but we managed to get the recipe so you can tap into your inner mixologist at home.

The cocktail combines the light and fruity flavors of strawberries and lime with the warmth of cinnamon, making it the perfect drink to celebrate the start of spooky season. Here's everything you need to know to make it at home.

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What Do You Need to Make the Escape from Houdini's Chest Cocktail?

To make this drink, you'll need vodka, St. Germain Elderflower Liquor, a lime, an egg white (or something like Fee Brothers Fee Foam) and ice. To make the strawberry simple syrup, you'll need strawberries, sugar, and a cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon. We served this in a rocks glass with a dehydrated orange and edible flower garnish, but that's optional. The dry ice-filled chest for serving the drink is also optional—or is it?

How to Make the Escape from Houdini's Chest Cocktail

To make this drink, start with the simple syrup. Just cook the sugar, water, berries and cinnamon until the sugar dissolves and the berries break down, then let it cool off. We like using a cinnamon stick (vs. ground cinnamon) for the simple syrup because it infuses the syrup with its wam flavor but doesn't impact the color of the syrup like ground cinnamon can, but either will work.

Once your simple syrup is cool, you can get to shaking. Add some of the simple syrup and the rest of the cocktail ingredients (sans the garnish) to an empty shaker (no ice yet) and give it a shake. Add ice and shake again. Serve over ice with your garnish—and stand back and wait for the compliments to roll in.

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What's So Great About the Escape from Houdini's Chest Cocktail

Why do we love this cocktail? Let us count the ways.

1. It's delicious. I mean if it doesn't taste good, what's the point? This drink is fruit and citrusy, but not overly sweet and the warm cinnamon really round everything out. The smoothness from the egg white makes the drink feel extra luxe.

2. It's cute. Looks aren't everything, but they also aren't nothing. The combination of the dried citrus and edible flower adds just enough flair without being annoying. (We all know about annoying cocktail garnishes, right?) And if you can go all out with the wee chest and dry ice, we highly recommend it.

3. The simple syrup is so good. You're probably going to want to keep the simple syrup recipe around. It's great in the cocktail, but stash any leftovers in the fridge and use them in other cocktails (we think rye or bourbon would be a nice pairing), add them to sparkling water for a fun N/A drink or drizzle some over ice cream, pancakes, or wa

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Escape from Houdini's Chest Cocktail

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup water

• 4 strawberries, stems removed

• 1 cinnamon stick (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)

1. To make the simple syrup, heat all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely, about 3 minutes. Using a fork, smash the strawberries against the side of the pot to infuse the syrup with the berry flavor. Let the syrup sit until cool, about 10 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve before using. (The simple syrup can be made a day ahead. Strain and refrigerate until ready to use. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to a week.)

2. To make the cocktail, add the vodka, St. Germain, lime juice, strawberry syrup and Free Foam (or egg white) to an empty shaker (no ice). Shake for about 8 seconds, then add ice into the shaker. Shake again for 8 more seconds. Top with the dehydrated orange slice and edible flower.