Halloween Punch

This Halloween fruit punch recipe looks spooky and awesome! It works for kids, or you can jazz it up for a wet ride.

Here’s a spooky drink that’s super fun: Halloween punch! This blood red cauldron magically bubbles and boils, releasing plumes of smoke throughout the room. If that ain’t impressive, we don’t know what is! On its own, it’s a fruity Halloween punch for kids, but turn it into a boozy Halloween punch by adding aged rum. It’s so much fun we wish it was Halloween every month so we had another excuse to break it out!

What’s in this Halloween punch?

Try this Halloween punch and the flavor is downright scary: it’s fruity and just plain sweet enough. This 3-ingredient drink relies on a special ingredient to keep it crunchy and sweet. Here’s what you need:

• 100% Cranberry Juice Blend: Available at most grocery stores, this juice blend usually blends grape, apple, and pear juice with cranberry juice. Be sure to look for “100% juice” or “no added sugar” on the label, which is essential for flavor.
• Apple juice or cider: Apple cider is nice because it adds an even more acidic nuance
• ginger ale: Ginger ale has the sweetest taste. You can substitute ginger beer if you like for a spicier and stronger ginger bite!
• dry ice: it’s optional, but it works great. Observe the safety instructions below.

2 ways to make an alcoholic Halloween punch

This Halloween punch is ideal for non-alcoholic kids: but what’s better than a spiked punch? Here are some ways to do this:

• Pour the aged rum directly into the punch bowl. Aged rum is our top choice for this drink! It brings together the best flavors and aging adds sophistication with hints of vanilla and oak. You can also use white rum or dark rum.
• Or spice up the drink afterwards! The best way to make an alcoholic Halloween punch is to brown the drink after removing it from the punch bowl. It works for both kids and adults! The best ratio is 2 ounces of rum to 8 ounces (1 cup) of punch.
• Bourbon or vodka works too! The bourbon was our second favorite as it pairs well with fruit flavors. Vodka is much more subtle.

Dry Ice Safety Tips!

The best thing about this Halloween punch? Watch it bubble and boil with dry ice! Everyone will be amazed as the smoke fills the table and spreads throughout the room. Our 4 year old absolutely loved it! However, there are some very important notes about working with dry ice, especially if you are traveling with children. Check out the following safety tips in detail (or read more in our dry ice handling article):

• DO NOT touch dry ice with bare skin! Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide that forms at temperatures below 110 degrees Fahrenheit. He can freeze you because it’s so cold. Use gloves to handle it and use tongs to throw it in drinks. Holding for more than 10 seconds is considered very dangerous.
• DO NOT DRINK dry ice! Advise your guests not to drink dry ice, especially children! For this Halloween punch, it’s easy to pour the punch from the top of the bowl without touching the dry ice. You can put small pieces in adult glasses and the ice cube will settle to the bottom of the drink and should be gone in about 5 minutes. You can technically take sips of the drink since the dry ice is at the bottom: just make sure it doesn’t ride up the glass.

Where to find dry ice and how to add it to drinks

It’s very safe to add dry ice to drinks once you know the safety precautions: and it’s the best party trick for kids! Here’s how to deal with it if you have it at home. Remember to advise children not to touch it as they may want to speak up if they see it in your house. Here are the tips to follow:

• Dry ice is available at most grocery stores. It is sold in large blocks. Here is a branch locator.
• Buy dry ice 1-2 hours before serving. Dry ice doesn’t last long in the freezer, so you need to use it up as soon as possible. Once you get it home, place the plastic bag of dry ice in an open-topped cooler. Keep away from children and pets.
• Just before serving, drop the plastic bag on the floor to make large chunks. It’s an easy way to break it without touching it.
• Wearing safety goggles and gloves, break it up into 4-5 inch pieces with a screwdriver or an ice pick. You only need 2 large pieces for this drink, which makes it easy to make. What to do with leftovers Prepare one of our other fizzy drinks, the witches brew or the vampire kiss!
• Wrap the pieces in a towel and place them uncovered in a cooler until ready to serve. Remember not to put it in the freezer!

Other Halloween punch topping ideas

Don’t feel like dry ice? Or do you want to make that Halloween punch even more whimsical? It’s fun to find floating shell panels. Here are some ideas (and feel free to share your creative ideas with us too!):

• Candy eyeballs
• Plastic spider rings
• gummy worms

More Halloween drinks

Do you like Halloween parties? So do we: In fact, it’s one of my favorite holidays! (Alex, not so much.) Here are some of the best Halloween cocktails to try: