Ewwwww…Cool!
The dry-ice-in-the-punch idea may have been around for more than a few years, but for kids, it apparently never gets old. In fact, there’s one thing to keep in mind for slaking the thirsts of young trick-or-treaters: the spookier and creepier, the better.
“The kids — especially boys ages 9 to 14 or so — like that creepy-critter kind of punch,” said Erin Coburn, leisure services coordinator at the city of Las Vegas’ Veterans Memorial Leisure Services Center. “The scarier, the better for them.”
So how does one go about making a punch look scary? Using a recipe with a result that’s as disgusting-looking as possible is a good place to start.
“You get a thing of rainbow sherbet, you put it in a bowl and you pour your favorite soda over it,” said Jodie Hofbauer, an instructor at the Mirabelli Community Center. “If you have Sprite, it will turn a light brown. Green soda makes it a greenish-brown, and if you use Coke or Dr Pepper, it’s a mucky brown. And the kids love it.”
To make Green Lemonade Slime, Sherry Alexander, coordinator at the Cimarron-Rose Community Center, fills ice-cube trays with green Kool-Aid. She puts the frozen cubes in glasses, fills them up with lemonade and adds wedges of lime. Or she uses red Kool-Aid with gummy fingers or other body parts.
Or she makes Bubbling Witches’ Brew: Start with Mountain Dew, Sprite or ginger ale and add minimarshmallows, telling the kids that those are the witches’ teeth.
“Just before everyone shows up, put lime sherbet in there and it starts to bubble,” Alexander said. “It fizzes up because of the soda with the ice cream.”
Oh, and Alexander said the punch’s variations have one thing in common:
“They all taste good.”
But Great Caesar’s ghost, don’t stop there; have fun with the ice cubes. Alexander recommends using Kool-Aid and adding candy that resembles eyeballs, or using raisins or plastic bugs.
Hofbauer also makes floating “hands” for her punch. Take clean, nonpowdered, food-safe plastic gloves and fill them with water (tinted, if you wish), then seal with a rubber band and freeze. Cut off the gloves and put the hand in the punch.
Maggie Pallan, co-owner of Two Chefs to Go private chefs, even grosses up the glasses. With Karo syrup, she adheres large gummy insects to the outsides.
“It looks like these big things are crawling up the jar,” she said. “It’s gross.”
Or Pallan will take canned lychees, put a blueberry in the cavity of each and freeze.
“It smashes just a little bit and it oozes,” she said. “It looks like an eyeball. Kids love it.”
Alexander said other ideas are to hang gummy worms, frogs, alligators or similar candies on the sides of glasses or punchbowl.
For the fog, she buys dry ice (Alexander said Smith’s is a good source). Using gloves to handle it, she puts a small piece in the bottom of the punch bowl and adds the punch. If the fog dies down, she said, give the punch a little stir, or add more dry ice.
Whatever you do, have fun. Coburn recommends Halloween-themed music, “whether it’s scary or just traditional fun, ‘Scooby-Do’ music.” Remember to use appropriate lighting, and “if it’s a costume party, dress up and be a part of it.”
You can be part of the fun in a more relaxing way, as well. Margaret Kurtz, a publicity specialist for the city of Las Vegas, likes to make mulled cider for herself on Halloween night.
“I put it in the Crock-Pot, and it stays nice and warm all night long, while I’m busy answering the door for trick-or-treaters,” she said. “It’s a treat for me — which of course I share with others.”
VAMPIRE BROTH
8 cups orange juice
4 cups apple cider
6 ounces frozen peach concentrate
Green food coloring
3 cups rainbow sherbet
Mix all ingredients for a punch with an eerie color.
— Recipe from Sherry Alexander
CREEPY PUNCH
1 powder-free disposable glove (new)
1 package orange unsweetened Kool-Aid
1 package purple unsweetened Kool-Aid
2 cups sugar
1 liter ginger ale
Fill glove with water and freeze.
Mix Kool-Aid with sugar and water as directed on package; it should look black. Then add ginger ale.
When the glove is completely frozen, peel it off and you will have a “hand” to float in the punch.
Variations: Use red Kool-Aid to make it look like a pool of blood with a hand floating in it, or use dry ice for a spooky effect. Jelly-candy eyeballs add a freaky factor to the punch, and kids can be “dared” to eat them. You can freeze the eyes in ice cubes and put them in so they float, or just add them in and when they scoop up something to drink, they will be surprised at what pops out at them.
— Recipe from Erin Coburn
MULLED APPLE CIDER
1 gallon apple cider
2 teaspoons whole allspice
2 teaspoons whole cloves
Dash of nutmeg
1 6-inch length of cinnamon stick
1 whole orange in rind, sliced thin
Combine ingredients and heat on high in slow cooker for 2 hours, or simmer, covered, on stovetop, stirring occasionally. Remove orange slices immediately after 2 hours. Keep warm on low heat while serving. Ladle into mugs to serve warm. Also good chilled.
Strain out spices and cool to store leftovers.
— Recipe from Margaret Kurtz
Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474.
