Eat Drink and Be Scary
Personally, I am not one that celebrates Halloween, but I am happy for others to put-up eye-popping decorations to celebrate this day. The street scape this week has provided a much needed festive air to the empty gum green spaces. Its adds to the building excitement of Freedom day as Melbournians emerge from a world record 18 month lock down. From Celtish beginnings, Halloween has branched out across the globe and found its way into our southern hemisphere calendar. But we still look to the USA, home of carved jack-o-lanterns, ghoulish costumes and children trick or treating for inspiration on this auspicious day.
Trick or Treat?
Make way for the Aussie version of Halloween. Dressed down, laid back gatherings watching scary movies, drinking ghostly looking cocktails with an occasional bite on the neck. Happy to oblige my fellow kin and rise to the challenge of integrating scientifically weird with ghoulish. I hope you enjoy the Botanikos syrup version of a hauntingly delicious cocktail we are calling the Bloody Purple Blotter. Have a fang-tastic night
Ingredients
2 jiggers (60 ml) vodka chilled
1/2 jigger (10-15 ml) grenadine or pomegranate syrup (adjust to suit)
1 jigger (30 ml) indigo syrup
3-4 Ice blocks (solid water blocks)
Dry ice (solid carbon dioxide pellets)
Cocktail Shaker
Swizzle stick
Berry Garnishes
Martini glass
[Rubber Gloves, Safety Goggles, Mallet, Spoon]
Instructions
- Put on rubber gloves to crush dry ice with a mallet. If you have safety glasses or goggles wear them. Make sure you are using the dry ice in a well ventilated space.
- Add about 1/2 – 1 tsp of powdered dry ice to the bottom of the glass (optional).
- Place the vodka and indigo syrup in a shaker. Add 2-3 ice cubes and shake for a few seconds to chill the drink. Strain the drink into a martini glass.
- Pour 10-15ml of grenadine syrup, about an inch from the surface of the drink – the grenadine should sink to the bottom, creating a “bleeding” effect.
- Add about 1/2 tsp of powdered dry ice on top and serve with a stirrer, so that your guests can stir the “potion” to create that shimmery, smoky effect
Safety:
Dry ice burns so do not touch with your bare hands
Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide which sublimes (going from solid to gas) at room temperature to form a spooky smoky effect. This is produced as the ice changes state. It is safe to touch the smoke!
It is not safe to touch the dry ice pellets out or in the cocktail glass. Do not drink the cocktail until all the dry ice has sublimed and the smoking stops
Use the dry ice responsibly.