Witches' Brew - Alcoholic Halloween Punch Recipe
With a little dry ice, the only thing scarier than my spooktacular Witches' Brew Halloween Punch is how much you might consume...
Servings: 20 servings
Calories: 170kcal
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
- Optional: ice ring
Instructions
- Refrigerate all ingredients except the sugar 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 about five minutes or until the sugar dissolves, and the mixture is clear. Let the syrup cool.
- Stir together the pomegranate juice, tequila, lemon juice, and cranberry juice in a large gallon-sized container or punch bowl and add the cooled simple syrup. Chill at least four hours.
- If making an ice ring, add additional cranberry juice to an ice mold and freeze until firm. This should take about four hours. If you don't have a mold, you could fill the cups of a muffin tin, use paper cups, or even a plastic storage bowl to make a block of cranberry ice to keep your punch cold.
- Right before you serve the punch, add the sparkling wine and ice ring.
Notes
How to use dry ice to make smoke:
You will need two bowls of different sizes that are the same height: one to hold the punch, and one to set the punch bowl in. Or you can purchase a plastic Halloween cauldron to use as the larger bowl.
Place the smaller bowl inside the larger bowl and 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 top of 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.
Where to buy dry ice?
In Tallahassee, FL, the Publix grocery stores carry dry ice.
How to handle dry ice:
Always handle dry ice with protective gloves or tongs whenever touching it. Store it in a styrofoam cooler until you are ready to use it, not in your freezer. Use a hammer to break up dry ice into smaller chunks.
Is dry ice dangerous?
According to the website, ThoughtCo.com "dry ice, which is the solid form of carbon dioxide, is not dangerous if stored and used correctly. Although it can present hazards because it is extremely cold and quickly sublimates into carbon dioxide gas."
Can you add dry ice to drinks to make them smoke?
Some websites claim you can do this under certain circumstances. My advice is to play it safe and not do it. There is food grade dry ice that can be used, and it shouldn't cause a problem unless someone swallows a chunk of it. But again, I think there are too many potential risks to chance it.
Ideas for decorating your punch bowl:
I purchased eyeballs and a witch's hand from Hobby Lobby and added the eyeballs to the punch. Then I rested the witch's hand on the bowl. I also placed the punch bowls on black gauzy fabric to make it look extra spooky.
To make kids non-alcoholic punch:
To make this punch non-alcoholic, you can leave out the tequila and sparkling wine and add the same amount of club soda.
Nutrition
Calories: 170kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 0.3g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 161mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 9.1mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.2mg