Spooktacularly delicious Witches’ Brew – Halloween Alcoholic Punch with its deep blood-red color and whiffs of smoke is an ideal libation for a Halloween party.
This delicious adults-only Halloween punch sets the stage for a fun evening full of vampires and ghoulish Halloween party food. And, with my simple, easy-to-follow directions and a little dry ice, the only thing scarier might be just how much you will consume.
Shakespeare’s three witches added “eye of newt” and “toe of frog” to their cauldron of witches’ brew as they cast a spell on poor Macbeth, chanting “double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble.”
But, unlike Shakespeare’s witches’ brew, while my Halloween punch with dry ice might bubble in a cauldron, it’s simply delicious and guaranteed to liven up any Halloween party!
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📋 Ingredient notes:
Featuring three kinds of fruit juice, this alcoholic Halloween punch isn’t too sweet and makes a terrific light and refreshing adult cocktail.
- Granulated sugar – combines with water to make a simple syrup.
- Pomegranate juice – my favorite juice with its fresh tart flavor keeps the punch from being too sweet.
- Tequila – any punch made with tequila is spot on for kicking off the perfect party. You could also substitute vodka or light rum.
- Lemon juice – fresh is best and adds a bright citrus layer that enhances the other flavors.
- Cranberry juice – is another tart-deep red juice that helps balance out all the other flavors.
- Dry sparkling wine -is dry with just a touch of sweetness and the effervescent bubbles we all know and love. Prosecco, Champagne, and Cava all work.
- Dry ice – is optional, and while you can make the punch without using it to make the smoke, it does add a spooky and fun element.
🍾Step-by-step directions:
- Store all punch ingredients except the sugar in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the punch.
- Make a simple syrup by placing the sugar and one cup of water in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir constantly and boil for about five minutes or until the sugar dissolves and the mixture clears. Let the syrup cool.
- Stir the pomegranate juice, tequila, lemon juice, and cranberry juice in a large gallon-sized container and add the cooled simple syrup. Chill for at least four hours.
- If making the optional ice ring, fill an ice mold with cranberry juice or pomegranate juice and freeze until firm. It should take about four hours. If you don’t have an ice mold, you can fill muffin tin cups, paper cups, or even a plastic storage bowl to make a block of fruit ice to keep your punch cold.
- Right before you serve the Halloween punch, add the sparkling wine and ice ring.
♨️Step-by-step directions to make smoke with dry ice:
- To create smoke, you will need two bowls of different sizes which are about the same height when they are nested together. One is to hold the punch, and one is to set the punch bowl in. When the punch bowl is placed inside the larger bowl, ideally, there should be around an inch of space between the two bowls. You could also use a plastic Halloween cauldron to use as the larger bowl.
- Right before you are ready to serve the witches’ brew, place the smaller bowl inside the larger bowl. Then, use tongs to transfer small chunks of dry ice into the area between the larger and smaller bowl. (Make sure no dry ice gets in the bowl, which will hold the punch.) Fill the smaller bowl with the punch and pour warm water on the dry ice.
- When the dry ice comes in contact with the warm water, it will start smoking.
💭 Recipe FAQs:
Depending on where you live, most grocery stores or ice houses carry dry ice. Try googling it if you can’t find any.
Always handle dry ice with protective gloves or tongs whenever touching it. Store it in a cooler until you are ready to use it, not in your freezer. Use a hammer to break it up into smaller chunks.
According to the website, ThoughtCo.com “dry ice, which is the solid form of carbon dioxide, is not dangerous if stored and used correctly. But it can present hazards because it is extremely cold and quickly turns into carbon dioxide gas.”
Some websites claim you can do this under certain circumstances, but my advice is to play it safe and don’t do it.
There is also food-grade dry ice that can be used, and it shouldn’t cause a problem unless someone swallows a chunk of it. But, in my opinion, there are too many potential risks to chance it.
Depending on the size of the chunks, the smoke will last between 10-30 minutes. If you still have ice left, you can add additional warm water, and it will start to smoke again.
🍽 Halloween tablescape idea:
With a quick trip to the Dollar store and Hobby Lobby and just a few minutes, you can make an easy Halloween centerpiece or tablescape.
👩🏻🍳 Sharon’s tips:
- To make my punch look extra spooky, I purchased eyeballs and a witch’s hand from Hobby Lobby and then added the eyeballs to the punch and rested the witch’s hand on the bowl.
- In addition, I placed my punch bowl on a piece of black gauzy fabric with a few spiders scattered around next to a candelabra with orange candles to provide even more drama.
- To make a non-alcoholic Halloween punch, you can leave out the tequila and sparkling wine and add the same amounts of club soda.
- If you use water to make your ice ring, when it melts, it will dilute your punch. For that reason, for this recipe, I like to use either cranberry or pomegranate to make the optional ice ring.
🥘 More Halloween party food recipes:
If you want something sweet, Easy Halloween Black Forest Trifle, Halloween Chocolate Cheesecake Graveyard Dip, or Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes and Icing are perfect Halloween desserts.
If you need Halloween potluck recipes, check out my post 50 Easy Halloween Potluck Ideas, featuring Halloween menu ideas for kids and adults.
★★★★★ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and give it a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
Thanks so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones! I hope to see you again soon!
📋 Recipe:
Witches’ Brew – Halloween Alcoholic Punch
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 quart 100% pomegranate juice
- 3 cups tequila
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup 100% cranberry juice not cranberry juice cocktail
- 1 750-ml bottle dry sparkling wine I used Prosecco
- 1 pound dry ice
- Additional pomegranate or cranberry juice for the optional ice ring.
Instructions
Punch
- Store all punch ingredients except the sugar in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the punch.
- Make a simple syrup by placing the sugar and one cup of water in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir constantly and boil for about five minutes or until the sugar dissolves and the mixture clears. Let the syrup cool.
- Stir the pomegranate juice, tequila, lemon juice, and cranberry juice in a large gallon-sized container and add the cooled simple syrup. Chill for at least four hours.
- If making the optional ice ring, fill an ice mold with cranberry juice or pomegranate juice and freeze until firm. It should take about four hours. If you don't have an ice mold, you can fill muffin tin cups, paper cups, or even a plastic storage bowl to make a block of fruit ice to keep your punch cold.
- Right before you serve the punch, add the sparkling wine and ice ring.
Dry Ice
- To create smoke, you will need two bowls of different sizes which are about the same height when they are nested together. One is to hold the punch, and one is to set the punch bowl in. When the punch bowl is placed inside the larger bowl, ideally, there should be around an inch of space between the two bowls. You could also use a plastic Halloween cauldron to use as the larger bowl.
- Right before you are ready to serve the witches' brew, place the smaller bowl inside the larger bowl. Then, use tongs to transfer small chunks of dry ice into the area between the larger and smaller bowl. (Make sure no dry ice gets in the bowl, which will hold the punch.) Fill the smaller bowl with the punch and pour warm water on the dry ice.
- When the dry ice comes in contact with the warm water, it will start smoking. Depending on the size of the chunks of dry ice, the smoke will last between 10-30 minutes. If you still have dry ice left, you can add additional warm water, and it will start to smoke again.
What type of tequila do you use – white or gold? Thanks!
I have always used white, but gold would work fine. Also, I don’t use expensive tequila since it’s a punch. I hope you enjoy it!
All the best,
Sharon