Witches’ Brew Drink

This witches’ brew drink is a non-alcoholic, kid-approved Halloween punch with cranberry, orange, pineapple, blueberry and lime juices. It’s sweet and tangy, with optional maple syrup to adjust the sweetness to taste.

Kids will be captivated by this chilling witch’s brew drink with its magical appearance, fun garnishes and unique taste.

And for another kid-friendly Halloween recipe, check out my Skeleton Veggie Tray.

Ingredients

This recipe yields 7.5 cups of punch, so you’ll want to double the recipe if serving larger crowds.

Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll need.

• Cranberry cocktail juice – gives the drink a bold, fruity base with a hint of tartness. If you use 100% cranberry juice, you’ll need to add more maple syrup.
• Orange juice – adds a burst of citrusy sweetness.
• Pineapple juice – provides a tropical flavor to balance out the tartness of the cranberry.
• Blueberry juice – or a blended blueberry juice drink. It just needs to be dark blue. The purpose is to make the drink a little darker. If using something with added sugar, or something sweeter than 100% blueberry juice, then you can probably omit the maple syrup.
• Lime juice – freshly squeezed lime juice has a brighter, more intense flavor profile than bottled juice, which can often be diluted or contain preservatives that affect the taste. You can alternatively use lemon juice, but I think lime is better here.
• Maple syrup – use this only if the punch needs more sweetness. It dissolves easily in cold drinks. You could also use runny honey, simple syrup or another liquid sweetener, like this Demerara Syrup.

Tips

• Refrigerate the drink overnight or make sure all the separate juices are well-chilled before mixing together. This will prevent the ice cubes from melting quickly.
• If using a small punch bowl, you can add frozen cherries to help keep the drink cooler longer, but you could also add frozen blueberries. They help chill the drink while adding a pop of color, making the punch look even more fun for kids.
• Give it a stir before serving to make sure the sweetener hasn’t settled at the bottom.

How to garnish

These are the same ideas I mentioned in my Witches’ Brew Cocktail. They’re good for most Halloween drinks, so I’m including them here, too.

Dry ice

Dry ice creates an eerie, smoky effect that’s perfect for a witches’ brew. Use it for the effect before serving, but make sure the dry ice has completely sublimated (turned into gas) before anyone drinks the punch. Never touch dry ice with bare hands or allow anyone to swallow a piece.

You can read detailed handling instructions for dry ice in my Vampire’s Kiss Cocktail recipe.

The photographer of this drink doesn’t have access to dry ice, so I had to go with something else. But if you can find it, I think it’s such a fun choice.

It’s unfortunately not the easiest ingredient to find in some areas, while in others it’s readily available. The Penguin Dry Ice finder can help you find stores that sell it in the US.

Buy dry ice as close as possible to when you plan to use it because it sublimates quickly. Don’t store it in an airtight container or in a working freezer, and always follow the storage and handling instructions that come with it.

Skull ice cubes

These are so fun! The issue with them is that they flop around in the glass, with some of the skulls facing down, unless you use quite a few of them.

Regular ice cubes also water down the drink as they melt. I’ve made skull ice cubes with different types of juice, and those worked great. Juice still dilutes the drink somewhat, but not as much as plain water.

The larger ones work best because they melt much more slowly. I have these large skull molds.

I bought those after starting with this smaller skull mold. My son loves it, and I was making skull ice cubes every day for a while.

That mold is also perfect for making chocolates! But if you’re buying a mold specifically for drinks, I’d go for the one that makes the larger skulls.

Melon eyeballs

I’d seen melon eyeballs a few times before trying them, and they always looked like they were floating. However, after experimenting with both fresh and frozen melon myself, I can confirm that they sink if you simply put them in a drink.

I’ve tried different types of melon in alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, both fizzy and flat, and the result is always the same. Using a cocktail pick solves the problem and also means you don’t have to fish the eyeballs out of the bottom of your glass.

To make these spooky garnishes, use a melon baller to scoop out small melon balls. Cut an “X” on top of each ball and carve out a small spot for a blueberry to sit. Then, skewer two eyeballs on a cocktail pick and place them in your drink.

I used them for my Halloween Martini, and you can see what they looked like in my Rum Punch for Halloween in the photo below.

Black sanding sugar

Another fun idea is to rim the glass with black sanding sugar. I don’t normally use conventionally colored sanding sugar because I avoid artificial food coloring, but I love how the black rim looks for Halloween drinks.

You could use natural food coloring like Supernatural Kitchen Food Colors or Color Kitchen to make your own colored sugar. I’ve used both brands with good results.

If you’d like to rim your glass with black sanding sugar, pour the sugar into a shallow bowl. Use a small pastry brush to coat the rim of the glass with maple syrup, or dip the rim into a shallow dish of maple syrup.

Immediately dip the glass into the sanding sugar and tap off any excess. For better adhesion, place the glass in the freezer for a few minutes.

That’s it! If you’re looking for more Halloween recipes for parties, I have several options ranging from super cute to slightly scary.

I’ll be making this Jack Skellington Cake because it’s always a hit. And I’ll also be making these Spider Cookies because they’re super cute, and everyone loves them.

And for Halloween evening, these Monster Burgers are a great option before trick-or-treating! Super cute, easy, and the kids will be nice and full and ready for a night of fun.

I hope you’ll enjoy this witches’ brew drink! If you try it out, I’d love to hear your thoughts below in the comments. Thanks! :)