Have a spooky time at your next costume party with a giant bowl of Halloween Punch.
Whenever Halloween rolled around when I was a kid, it almost felt like a spooky Christmas. Instead of festive, colorful lights and happy Santa faces everywhere, it was bare and gnarled dead trees illuminated by the orange glow from grinning jack-o’-lanterns. Scary movies were on T.V., and our favorite cartoons even got in on the action. To this day, I rewatch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Garfield’s Halloween Adventure and my favorite “Treehouse of Terror” from The Simpsons episodes religiously every year.
And there’d be the parties. Usually, we’d all go trick-or-treating earlier as the sun was going down, mostly for safety, but also because our local youth center at the army posts we lived on would throw a big shindig. There’d be music, dancing, costume contests, more candy and, of course, a haunted house and other creepy activities. One year I went as Ed Grimley, and played the game where dishes of food were passed around in the dark, and all of the kids had to stick their hand in cold spaghetti, while being told it was somebody’s guts. Or feeling peeled grapes as we were informed they were actually somebody’s gouged-out eyeballs. I wasn’t so much grossed out by the suggestion of what these things were supposed to be, as opposed to knowing I was sticking my hand in mushy food.
Tonight’s recipe is sort of like that, but for grown-ups. And not as nasty or unsanitary. The Halloween Punch adds some strong spirits to its brew… as well as the ghostly, icy disembodied hand of some pour drunken ghost.
Try some, if you dare.
What Is The Best Alcohol To Use In A Halloween Punch?
Our recipe suggests using either dark rum or vodka in your Halloween Punch. Using vodka, whether it’s a potato, rye or corn-distilled variety, will sit nicely with the other flavors present. A dark rum will add some extra spice, along with a robust, full-bodied bite on each sip. You can also use a silver rum instead, for a lighter, tropically-tinged flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water for the syrup
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 cups fresh blackberries plus more for optional garnish
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 cups dark rum or vodka
- 2 cups black cherry juice
- 2 cups pomegranate juice
- Ice as needed
- 4 cups club soda
Instructions
- To make the syrup: In a medium saucepan, add the water, sugar, fresh blackberries and lemon juice. Place the pan over medium heat and stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves and the berries begin to break down. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Let it cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and strain the syrup through a fine sieve to remove seeds and pulp. Allow the syrup to cool completely. It should make 1.5 to 2 cups of syrup.
- In a large punch bowl, pour the cooled blackberry syrup.
- Add the dark rum (or vodka), black cherry juice, and pomegranate juice.
- Stir well to combine. Just before serving, add plenty of ice and gently top off with club soda to maintain the fizz if needed. Optionally, garnish with a few fresh blackberries.
Nutrition
What glassware and garnish are used?
If you plan on making and serving Halloween Punch, or any type of punch for that matter, you should invest in a large punchbowl set if you haven’t already. Most come with a number of nice little cups, but if yours doesn’t or you don’t have enough, disposable party or Solo cups will do fine. Garnish your punch with an ice cube hand, for some spook factor.
How do you make that giant, hand-shaped ice cube?
Fill a rubber glove with water or slightly flat tonic, then stick it in your freezer overnight. When your punch is ready, remove the ice hand from the glove and gently pop it in.
Similar Drinks To The Halloween Punch
Throwing a party for a bunch of people? Or one person? Maybe it’s the holidays or a special occasion? Or no occasion, except seeing those you love? Whatever the reason, you need a big bowl of booze, and you need it here and you need it now. Maybe not right this moment, but soon. So you need some ideas. Well, here are a few tasty ideas you can try out. Just so you can be sure of their deliciousness.
- Jingle Juice Holiday Punch – When it’s time for Season’s Greetings, the Jingle Juice comes out to play.
- Party Punch – A punch for any time of the year. It can even be made without alcohol for a family-friendly version.
- Christmas Punch – A fun and tasty mixture that brings everyone together for the holidays.
- Jungle Juice – Your next soirée will be a wild one with this elixir being served.
Leave a Comment