Bubbling, smoky Witches Brew sets the mood for a ghoulish Halloween party

Spooktacularly delicious Witches' Brew - Halloween 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.

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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!

Halloween events: Looking for spooky Halloween events? Find tricks, treats and terrors around Tallahassee

Witches' Brew - Halloween Punch Recipe

Yield: 12 cups

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 of dry sparkling wine; I used Prosecco

1 pound dry ice

Additional pomegranate or cranberry juice for the optional ice ring.

Step-by-step directions:

To prepare 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 directions:

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.

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.

Sharon's tips:

• To make a non-alcoholic Halloween punch, you can leave out the tequila and sparkling wine and add the same amounts of club soda.

• 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.

• 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.

• If you need more Halloween recipes, check out my collection of  50 Easy Halloween Potluck Ideas, featuring Halloween menu ideas for kids and adults.

Sharon Rigsby is the blogger behind Grits and Pinecones, a cooking, and hospitality blog. Check out her recipes at gritsandpinecones.com.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Witches Brew sets the mood for a spooky Halloween party