A spooky brew to drink with your boos. Halloween is the best time to break out the cheese-factor and get a little weird with your cocktail ingredients. That doesn't mean your drink has to taste gross, though. Activated charcoal and dry ice give this drink its spooky effect, but are both tasteless—giving the backbone ingredients a chance to shine.
Boo Brew
Makes a party-sized punch for 10-15 thirsty guests.
- 750 ml bottle of your favorite dry gin (a funky white rum wouldn't be so bad here either)
- 2 cups sweet vermouth (We recommend Dolin Rouge - it's light-bodied and round, and plays nicely with gin)
- 2 cups blood orange juice
- 3/4 cup lime juice
- 1 tablespoon activated charcoal*
- fist-sized hunk of dry ice** (and more to keep it bubbling)
Combine gin, vermouth, blood orange juice, and lime juice in a large punch bowl. Dissolve activated charcoal into a cup of warm water until no clumps remain, and add it to the punch. Give it a good stir until the punch looks jet black. Keep chilled in the refrigerator until your guests arrive. When you're ready to serve, drop a piece of dry ice into the punch. The dry ice is totally safe to melt in the punch bowl, but just make sure not to get it in directly into someone's glass!
*Activated charcoal is commonly known for its toxin-eliminating, indigestion-soothing, teeth-whitening, and (very conveniently) hangover-mending properties, and can easily be found at most health food stores.
**When handling dry ice, be sure to not touch it directly with your skin. Use water proof gloves or a thick dishtowel to protect from getting burned.