Last Minute Halloween Treats: Glowing Cocktails

The secret to creating glowing cocktails is simply tonic water.  The quinine in tonic water, which gives it it’s bitter flavoring also gives it a florescent glow when placed under UV lights.  It is the perfect ghostly-glow for a Halloween themed cocktail. A simple gin or vodka and tonic will do the trick or try some of my favorite glowing cocktails for a spectacular Halloween treat!

Florescent Punch

In order to make punch florescent, you need to use at least 50% tonic water for the recipe.  To balance the bitterness, I mix it with pineapple juice, tripple sec (for sweetness) and fresh lime juice.  The spirit is up to you.  I prefer Ketel One Vodka, but Don Julio Blanco Tequila works too!

To creep-it-up a notch, create glowing “severed hands” by freezing flat tonic water in latex gloves (w/o talc powder) to give the punch an extra-spooky look while keeping it cold.  Make sure to place the punch bowl right underneath a couple of black lights to get the maximum glow.

INSTRUCTIONS

For the severed-hand ice cubes:

Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper and set aside. Fill 1 glove with about 1 1/2 cups of the flat tonic water. Squeeze out as much air as possible and close the opening of the glove tightly with a rubber band. Lay the glove flat on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the second glove. Place in the freezer until solid, at least overnight. The severed hands will need to freeze overnight, so be sure to make them at least 1 day before you plan to serve the punch.

* Pro-tip: To quickly flatten the tonic water for the severed-hand ice cubes, place it in a container and agitate until bubbly. Repeat several times until almost no bubbles remain. Alternatively, pour it into a container, loosely cover, and let sit overnight at room temperature.

For the punch:

Place the Ketel One Vodka, Cointreau, lime juice, and pineapple juice in a 3-1/2-quart container and stir to combine. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 to 3 hours.

When ready to serve the punch, remove the severed-hand ice cubes from the freezer. Let it sit about 3 to 5 minutes at room temperature to help loosen the rubber gloves. Meanwhile, add the tonic to the punch mixture and gently stir to combine. Cut away and discard the rubber gloves (use extra care around the fingers). Place the ice-cube hands in the punch and serve underneath black lights.

Glow Jell-O

Jell-O is an American desert classic and Jell-O shots are nothing new… BUT Glow Jell-O is truly out-of-this-world! It’s not a trick, but tonic that makes the Jell-O glow.  It is a simple recipe that replaces cold water with cold tonic (with bubbles) that makes is glow under UV light (aka black light).  Adding a clear spirit to make adult version of Glow Jell-O!

Ingredients
1 package of Island Pineapple Jell-O
1 cup Ketel One Vodka (you can substitute extra tonic for the vodka if you want to make non-alcohol)
Juice of 1 large lime
1 cup tonic water (chilled before use, if possible)
8 lime slices, to garnish (optional)

Instructions
Pour the Jell-O into a large heatproof bowl. Pour 1/2 cup of vodka over the gelatin and leave for a few minutes so the gelatin dissolves. Put the bowl in a microwave and heat on high power for 1½ minutes and stir until the gelatin has completely dissolved. Don’t let it boil.
Stir the remaining vodka and the lemon juice into the gelatin, then add the chilled tonic water, pouring it in as carefully as you can to keep it from fizzing (you want to lock in all those bubbles).
*Pro-tip: If you are using non-silicon molds, lightly grease them inside using vegetable oil on a piece of paper towels.  Silicone molds don’t need greasing.
Pour the mixture, equally carefully, into your gelatin molds or glasses, garnish with lemon slices, if using, and place in the fridge to set for about 6 hours.
Serve under UV light. The darker it is, the better the effect, so serve at night, with the lights turned out and the UV bulb as close to the Jell-O as possible!

Use fun molds like these bat ice cube trays to make the Glow Jell-O more fun!

Oct 30, 2012 | Categories: Master Mixology ® | Tags: bat ice cube trays, Cocktail, cocktail shaker, Florescent Punch. severed-hand ice cubes, Glow Jell-O, Glowing Cocktails, Halloween, halloween cocktails, Halloween Party, Last Minute Halloween Treats, party cocktails, Vodka | Leave A Comment »