Spooky, Smoky Halloween Cocktails
How to Handle Dry Ice and Smoky Elements
It’s time to send out the invitations and plan your Halloween Party. Or, do you want to take a cocktail gift to a Halloween party host? Try packaging your favorite spirit with a recipe card and a container of food-grade dry ice attached. Create a smoky drink by substituting mezcal for tequila in a cocktail. Sample our “Devil Smoked Margarita.” Recipe suggestions are below and some actually use spirits and wine. Another quick idea: go to Cocktail Courier and have a gift shipped to your favorite hostess. I hope you enjoy our spooky, smoky recipes. These cocktails are “guaranteed” to wake the dead, shake off the cobwebs, but can they really cure a hangover? Happy Haunting!
How to Handle Food-Grade Dry Ice in a Cocktail
Yes, dry ice can be used to make smoky cocktails. Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide that turns directly into a gas when placed in a liquid, creating a white smoke and fine bubbles. Here are some tips for using dry ice in cocktails:
Safety
Never touch dry ice with your bare skin or eyes. Wear protective gloves and goggles.
Breaking the Dry Ice
Use a hammer and screwdriver to break large pieces of dry ice while it's still in the bag. Protect the surface with a towel.
Amount
A 1-inch chunk of dry ice will create smoke for about five minutes.
Consumption
Wait for the dry ice to completely evaporate before drinking the cocktail. You can also sip the top of the drink.
Other Uses for Display
You can also place the dry ice in a separate vessel and serve it alongside the drink to create a smokier atmosphere.
Spooky, Smoking Halloween Cocktail Recipes
Recipes include: Poison Apple Martini, Devil Smoked Margarita, Corpse Reviver, and The Swamp Demon. For more on the early days of gin in the Black Death Era of the Middle Ages where gin was blamed for England’s social ills, see “The Renaissance of Gin,” Wine Wanderings, May 2021.
Perhaps you’ll also get some “gin courage” like the Dutch and British sailors. Send me your favorite Halloween recipes for next year’s article.
Poison Apple Martini by Tieghan Gerard
Ingredients:
Black lava salt (or coarse black sugar) for rim
.5 cup apple cider
2 TBSP pomegranate juice
1 TBSP lemon juice
2 oz. vodka or apple vodka
.1 tsp. activated charcoal for color or black food dye (optional)
Dry ice (optional)
How to Make:
Rim a martini glass with black lava salt or coarse black sugar. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add cider, pomegranate juice, lemon, vodka, and activated charcoal, if using. Shake to combine. Strain into martini glass. Add a very, very small amount of dry ice, if desired. Be sure the ice is dissolved before drinking. Garnish with a slice of apple.
Devil Smoked Margarita
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Classic mezcal (like El Buho Mezcal)
1 oz. Lime Juice – freshly squeezed
.5 oz. Simply sugar syrup (2 sugar to 1 water)
.5 oz. Red blend wine, suggest using a Bordeaux-style blend
How to Make: Shake first 3 ingredients with ice and finely strain into chilled glass. Carefully float wine on top.
The Corpse Reviver: A cocktail that cures a hangover?
This drink could wake the dead, shake the cobwebs off or help with a hangover.
Ingredients:
1 oz. cognac
1 oz. calvados (we like Pierre Ferrand 1840) Calvados is Normandy, France’s favorite liquor.
1 oz. sweet vermouth (a robust one like Carpano Antica
Dry ice optional
How to Make:
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, Add ice…let it melt, and stir.
The Swamp Demon
Ingredients:
2.5 oz. green Chartreuse liqueur
6 oz. pineapple juice
1 oz. lime juice
Lime garnish or mint
Dry ice (optional)
How to Make:
Add ice to a cocktail shaker, pour in all liquid ingredients, Shake well for 30 seconds. Strain the drink and add to a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge or mint. Add optional dry ice and wait to melt before drinking.
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Carol, So glad it was helpful. Here's to some spooky drinks in Portugal!
I never knew how to do this! Thanks for sharing this info! -CW