If you’re ready to celebrate Halloween (or any other day!) with dry ice drinks that are smoky and bubbly, you’re going to need to save this list of dry ice cocktails.
If there’s one ingredient that can really “spooky up” your Halloween drinks, it’s dry ice. This ingredient can add a smoky allure to any drink giving it otherworldly vibes and delighting your guests. And when you add creepy props like plastic spiders and eyeballs, you’ve got yourself one amazing spooky drink!
Dry ice releases wispy smoke tendrils into the room when you add dry ice cubes to cocktails, and this makes dry ice drinks and cocktails the perfect Halloween drinks or cocktails for any time you want to add a little drama to your evening.
Holding a smoking cocktail is lots of fun, but there are some safe handling best practices and dry ice safety to follow to make dry ice drinks.
Dry ice drinks have taken the world of mixology by storm, mesmerizing patrons with their captivating foggy presentation and unique sensory experience. As you delve into the world of dry ice cocktails, it’s essential to understand the unique properties of this intriguing ingredient and how to handle it safely.
Dry ice, or frozen carbon dioxide, sublimates at a chilling temperature of -109.3°F (-78.5°C) and creates a dense fog when added to liquid. This characteristic makes it an ideal addition to your signature beverages, adding an unforgettable visual element. Furthermore, its ability to keep drinks ice-cold without diluting them is an undeniable added bonus.
Before you start experimenting with dry ice drinks, it’s crucial to learn proper handling and storage techniques to ensure a safe and delightful experience. So, let’s start your journey into the fascinating world of dry ice cocktails and discover the knowledge you need to skillfully incorporate them into your repertoire.
Can You Safely Put Dry Ice in a Mixed Drink?
Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide in solid form. Can you put dry ice in a drink? Yes, you can. However, there are some guidelines to follow. For one thing, a small piece of dry ice is much colder than regular ice cubes and it can cause frostbite or burns.
Dry ice is perfectly safe to use in cocktails to create a fog effect. You just have to use tongs and protective gloves to handle it, and you can’t swallow it.
How long does dry ice last in cocktails? A one-inch chunk of dry ice will settle in the bottom of cocktails and drinks. Within about five minutes, the dry ice cube will completely disappear.
Can you drink dry ice? No, you can’t. You should never touch dry ice with bare skin or swallow it. You can carefully sip the top of the drink after the dry ice disappears from the glass completely.
Serve dry ice to kids carefully. To serve dry ice to kiddos for Halloween drinks, use tongs to put the dry ice in a punch bowl, and serve the punch without the dry ice cubes.
Where Can I Buy Dry Ice for Drinks?
Most major supermarkets and grocery stores sell dry ice, but you may have to ask the clerks where to find it. Typically, dry ice blocks are stored in special coolers near the front of the store.
Store Dry Ice Correctly
Dry ice melts as quickly as regular ice cubes, so follow these tips to store dry ice.
Buy your dry ice no more than two hours before you serve your dry ice drinks. Keep in mind that dry ice doesn’t keep in the refrigerator or freezer, so plan to use it quickly.
Put the dry ice bag in a cooler without a top. Dry ice needs ventilation to release carbon dioxide. Don’t store your dry ice in an airtight container or it won’t properly release the carbon dioxide and liquid nitrogen.
Keep dry ice away from children and pets. Be sure you’re storing your dry ice out of reach of pets and children.
Prepare Dry Ice to Use It in Cocktails
Is dry ice edible? No, it’s not. Here’s how to use dry ice or powdered dry ice in cocktails.
Drop the plastic bag of food grade dry ice on the floor to break it into large chunks. Breaking up your dry ice this way allows you to avoid touching it.
Use gloves and goggles. When you break your dry ice up into small chunks, be sure to use gloves and goggles to protect yourself. Using an ice pick or screwdriver, break the dry ice up into chunks that are between half an inch and one inch. For a punch bowl, chunks of dry ice should be between four and five inches in size.
Warp the dry ice chunks in towels. Then, place your dry ice chunks in an open cooler. Don’t put a lid on it.
Do not store your dry ice in the freezer.
Let’s dive into some yummy dry ice cocktail recipe ideas!
Halloween drinks with dry ice are lots of fun, and the Vampire’s Kiss cocktail is perfect for serving guests.
This Halloween cocktail is a red wine drink that also calls for cola (something like Coca-Cola or other soda), gold leaf, and gold luster dust. You can find these ingredients online. Use a swizzle stick for a cute accent.
Sometimes you just want to keep things simple, and there’s no better way to do that than to turn a classic bourbon or whiskey Old Fashioned into a dry ice cocktail.
To make the Halloween Old Fashioned, you need some dark chocolate bitters (you can find them on Amazon).
Other ingredients are good bourbon (or whiskey), orange peel, fresh orange juice, cherry syrup from a jar of cherries, simple syrup to make it sweeter, and one large ice cube.
If you love fruity tropical drinks, you can have that as a San Francisco Halloween drink, too.
The Walking Dead cocktail is loaded with tropical flavors, including Jamaican rum, white rum, Demerara rum, St. George Abstinthe Verte, fresh lime juice (or fresh lemon juice)(, pineapple juice, orgeat syrup, cinnamon grapefruit juice, grenadine, and Angostura bitters.
Garnish this gorgeous dry ice cocktail with brandied cherries or a dramatic luxardo cherry.
For a sophisticated Halloween drink, nothing is more dramatic than a smoking Negroni.
Usually, a Negroni recipe calls for dry vermouth, but for this particular Halloween cocktail, use Cynar, which is a sweet and earthy Italian digestivo that adds some gorgeous darkness to the drink.
This recipe also calls for Dry Rye Reposado Gin and Campari, so it’s super boozy.
Garnish this dry ice cocktail with a rosemary sprig.
We found another cocktail that calls for black vodka (you can use Blavod vodka or regular vodka), and anytime we can use this dramatic vodka, it’s going to be a fun evening.
This dry ice cocktail gets even more darkness from Kahlua (coffee liqueur) and who can resist the vanilla ice cream?
If you love a martini, this Black Magic martini is perfect for a Halloween cocktail.
To make the Black Magic martini, you need cranberry juice, orange juice, black vodka, and sugared cranberries (for garnish).
If you want this martini drink darker, add some black food coloring. Shake the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and pour them into a martini glass before adding the dry ice.
Everyone loves a punch bowl or cauldron full of fruity and creamy Halloween punch, and this recipe is perfect for non alcoholic dry ice drinks, too.
This punch recipe calls for a bottle of Sunny Delight (or orange juice), 7-Up or Sprite, and lime sherbet. You can add green food coloring to give it some color.
To make this Halloween punch boozy, just add some vodka or rum.
How to Make Mixed Drinks Smoky Without Using Dry Ice
Can you make mixed drinks and cocktails smoke without using a dry ice pellet? Absolutely! Here is how to make drinks smoke without dry ice. You can use a technology known as a smoking gun.
Smoky flavor. Note that if you use a smoking gun, your cocktails will have a smoky flavor that doesn’t exist when you use dry ice smoke.
How does a smoking gun work? The way it works is that a smoking gun creates a small amount of smoke, and this smoke dissipates immediately. On the other hand, dry ice bubbles constantly and produces smoke for about five minutes. Also, when you use a smoking gun, each cocktail has to be made separately, but dry ice cubes can be simultaneously dropped into several glasses.
No special handling is required. One upside to using a smoking gun is that you don’t have to worry about special handling. You don’t have to worry about burning yourself (frostbite) if you don’t use dry ice. Also, a smoking gun may be safer to use if you’re around children.
To learn how to safely use dry ice in mixed drinks, watch this video below.
Dry Ice Cocktails & Drinks (+The Bloody Pumpkin)
These recipes are sure to please. So, gather your family and friends and enjoy. Let us know your thoughts!
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
