Tis Hallowe’en, And in this brew, The witch will stir, Good luck for you!
Are you brave enough to drink The Witch’s Heart? Here’s the perfect easy-to-make whimsical cocktail for Halloween this year or for any themed party for that matter!
Updated: September 2017
My husband and I have a love-hate relationship with the concept of horror, in that, he loves it and I hate it. I’m the kind of girl who has always believed in ghosts and Mr K is the kind of guy who gleefully uses this knowledge to scare the crap out of me whenever he can. Of course my logical mind tells me that ghosts aren’t real, the dead is just that – dead, but it has never been able to drown out that little voice in my head which tells me that the inexplicable, the ghosts, the spirits, the demons, the invisible that lurk around dark corners, are always full of menace.
Witches, monsters, vampires (even the namby-pamby, sparkling in the sun kind) and werewolves on the other hand, have got nothing on me! I will hunt them down and kick their collective ass. And that’s precisely how this dark magical potion, The Witch’s Heart came to be!
If you love shimmery Cocktails, then you will LOVE this Color Changing Shimmery Cocktail – The Phoenix! It’s a Gin and Elderflower cocktail that magically changes color! (No food coloring and the spirit is ready overnight)
This year I’m remembering the dead with this beautiful Halloween cocktail that’s sure to impress everyone. And since kids aren’t the only ones who should get to enjoy chocolate this Halloween, I’ll be pairing this with a whole bag of chocolate too!
I was also partly inspired to make this cocktail by the TV show – Once Upon A Time. The show almost always depicts potions and magic spells in swirls of shimmering light and smoke. And of course who can forget Regina’s (when she used to be evil!) fondness for ripping out hearts! The result was the combination of homemade Blackberry shimmery Liqueur (purple shimmery liqueur). Apple brandy (or Apple vodka) & Grenadine and voilà – The Witch’s Heart Cocktail!
You guys are going to love this. It’s so simple to make and you can adapt it to your taste absolutely any way you want. Plus it looks so gorgeous you could make this for any kind of themed party too! I have made this cocktail using Viniq as well, and the flavor profile does change when you use Viniq as opposed to Blackberry liqueur (you can make original Viniq or flavored Viniq at home too!). Every time I walk past the liqueur section in the store, I linger a little longer in front of the Viniq. And every time, I pick it up, give it a couple of swirls to mix it and then put it back. 🙂
That beautiful purple colour with the shimmery liquid just calls out to me. It’s what inspired me to create my own version at home, and create Purple Blackberry shimmery liqueur right at home. It looks so mesmerizing, it’s the perfect witch’s brew!
You can make this with Viniq, if you prefer. However, the flavor of the cocktail will change with Viniq. Plus, I am aware that not everyone has access to Viniq. So I came up with this neat little trick to make your own shimmery liqueur or homemade Viniq, in ANY color you want!! You can check out how to make your own shimmery liqueur right here!
An optional choice would be to mix in some strained raspberry or strawberry puree. That could really kick up those flavours too.
The blackberry liqueur is delicious and sweet on its own, so paired with that, the apple brandy gives it even more of a fruity flavour. But you can pair it with any kind of flavoured vodka that you like, to give it that extra boost of flavour.
I’m no mixologist, but this was so easy to put together and the flavours work beautifully. What I love the most though is how it looks. The shimmery purple with the “witch’s heart” at the bottom is just so elegant. And eerie.
RECIPE VIDEO
The Witch's Heart - Halloween Cocktail
A dreamy, whimsical and magical Halloween Cocktail made with Blackberry Shimmery liqueur! Are you brave enough to drink The Witch's Heart?
Ingredients
- 1 jigger apple brandy or apple vodka chilled
- 1 tsp grenadine
- 2 jiggers (or to top up) Homemade Blackberry Shimmery Liqueur (see notes) chilled
- Powdered dry ice optional
- Martini glass to serve
Instructions
Add about 1/2 - 1 tsp of powdered dry ice to the bottom of the glass (optional).
Place the apple brandy and purple shimmery liqueur in a shaker. Add 1 ice cube and shake for a few seconds to chill the drink. Strain the drink into a martini glass. Top up with more purple shimmery liqueur if necessary.
Pour 1 tsp 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.
Recipe Notes
NOTE 1 - You can make this cocktail with Purple Shimmery Liqueur and mix it with some White Moscato Wine. Click here for the recipe to make Purple Shimmery Liqueur at home.
To make it easier, you can use Viniq instead, but as noted it will change the flavour profile.
NOTE 2 ABOUT DRY ICE - ONLY ADD COMPLETELY CRUSHED DRY ICE. Dry ice is simply solid CO2 gas and it goes straight from solid to gas without a liquid phase in the middle (this is called sublimation). So the smoke effect you see here is the solid dry ice evaporating. Wait until the smoke effect stops, because then you know the dry ice has completely evaporated, and the drink is now completely safe to drink. Just crush the dry ice (to a powder). I buy pellets OR add the dry ice into an ice bag and crush it using an ice crushing mallet or similar tool. ALWAYS wear gloves when handling dry ice.
You can add a little to the bottom of your cocktail glass to give it that spooky, smoky effect when you pour the drink, and maybe add another touch of powdered dry ice after that for a smoky effect that lasts a bit longer. But you should NOT swallow or ingest bits of dry ice. Wait until the dry ice has completely evaporated. This happens fast, and it leaves no residue behind as it evaporates. The powdered dry ice evaporates even faster.
And ALWAYS use gloves when handling dry ice. Never touch it with bare hands. Make sure dry ice is used in a ventilated space. In a part setting, make sure the cocktails are used in an open setting to avoid CO2 build up.
NOTE 3 - If you do not have enough time to make Blackberry Shimmery Liqueur but still want to make some magical cocktails for Halloween - scroll down to the bottom of the post to see a whole list of Magical cocktails made with COLOR CHANGING spirits (Only needs an overnight infusion)
And the dry ice gives it that final spooky touch. This is optional (though highly recommended if you’re going all Halloween on this one), but if you do use dry ice remember to ADD COMPLETELY CRUSHED DRY ICE ONLY. Just crush the dry ice (to a powder) and add a little to the bottom of your cocktail glass to give it that spooky smoky effect when you pour the drink, and maybe add another touch of powdered dry ice after that for a smoky effect that lasts just a little bit longer. You don’t want to swallow bits of dry ice though, so the powdered dry ice “melts” much faster.
So remember this Halloween,
The witch is brewing a magic spell,
It’s Halloween night and monsters dwell,
Her pot is boiling and many spells she will weave,
To cast them on all the children on Halloween eve.
– Joe
If you liked this Halloween cocktail (and homemade Viniq) recipe, don’t forget to subscribe for new (and free) recipes and updates by entering your email address below (and get all these recipes delivered straight to your inbox), so you don’t miss out on a thing. You can find me on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST and GOOGLE-PLUS too.
MORE HALLOWEEN RECIPES
THE PHOENIX COCKTAIL – SHIMMERY COLOR CHANGING GIN COCKTAIL
ALL NATURAL MAGICAL GALAXY LEMONADE
BLOODY RED VELVET HOT CHOCOLATE
BROWNIE BOTTOMED PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE
I made all the liqueurs and grenadine for Halloween with a friend. We had tons of fun playing with it and the cocktail was delicious! Love the shimmer and I put a small chunk if dry ice in it to watch it boil and smoke. Fun! Thank you so much for sharing! I’d upload a short video if I could, it was a blast!
If you use the white moscato instead – do you still add the grenadine?
Thank you – I am so excited to try this for my Pokéno party!
Hi Dotsy,
I can’t say for sure, because I haven’t made a moscato cocktail with grenadine. The grenadine might make the cocktail too sweet, but it’s a personal preference!
Wow! This is amazing. Saving for later.
Where do you get the crushed dry ice from?
Hi Pooja!
Where I live, I can get dry ice as a block or as pellets from certain grocery/department stores. I put the ice in a Lewis bag and crush the ice with a mallet. I always wear gloves or use tongs when handling dry ice too.
Hope that helps! I have included all the information in the recipe too! 🙂
Thanks for the reply and thank you for posting such a cool cocktail idea. Love this and all the creative ideas you have.
What a FUN post!!! I am so so so obsessed with this cocktail!! A++++++ for creativity!!!
Hey there! Where did you buy your dry ice? I’m looking all over the place and having difficulty finding anything. Which brand did you use?
Hi Cassidy!
I googles to find out my local ice and dry ice supplier and found out where they sell ice from – for me, it was our local hy vee supermarket. Since it’s a local brand that I used, it probably won’t be of much use to you. I would recommend finding out if there is a local ice / dry ice supplier in your area and where they sell ice! 🙂 I hope that helps!
Is the recipe for the butterscotch flavor available now? I didn’t find it in the search.
Hi Becky! The butterscotch recipe is ready to go, but I haven’t published it yet! I will let you know here, when it does go live! 😀
I love the effect that the dry ice gives to this gorgeous drink!
This cocktail looks amazing! Such a beautiful purple color, and my favorite blackberries are there 🙂 Thanks for adding Shimmery Liqueur recipe, too.
Love this cocktail!! I gotta make these this Halloween!!!
This looks like so much fun to make! I will definitely be making this at my halloween party this year!
I’m wondering if it’s safe to consume the crushed dry ice? Everything I’ve been able to find suggests that it isn’t to be ingested.
Hi PJ!
You are correct! Never eat dry ice! I have noted in my post to NOT EAT the dry ice – that’s why I crush it into a powder before adding it, since then it melts much faster and you don’t have to wait too long before enjoying this cocktail 🙂 You don’t want to add chunks of dry ie to this (if you use dry ice at all). For this cocktail, the dry ice is to just give it a spooky touch.
Hi Dini – I’m sorry to be so dense, but if the crushed dry ice melts into the drink, won’t that amount to consuming it? Am I not understanding how the ice is being used? It’s such a beautiful touch I don’t want to omit it if I’m missing something here. Thanks!
No Problem PJ! It’s a good question!
Dry ice is the solid form of Carbon Dioxide. When dry ice is warmed up, it never turns into liquid – only to its gas state (just a science FYI – this is called Sublimation). So, when dry ice is added to the drink (which is a warm environment for the dry ice), it just evaporates back into carbon dioxide. So it doesn’t actually ever mix with the drink like normal ice.
The smoke you see, is just the “ice” turning into gas and evaporating away. It doesn’t add anything apart from making the drink cold, and the smoky effect. 🙂
I hope that makes sense!
Dini thank you SO MUCH for this great explanation! It does make sense and I can’t wait to try this gorgeous cocktail…with the dry ice!!! Thanks so much for the great recipe!
My pleasure PJ! I’m glad that made sense and thank you for visiting my blog 🙂 I hope you love the cocktail as much as I did – and if you can’t find Viniq, you can make the shimmery alcohol at home too!
Is the dry ice safe to consume?
Hi Joyce, As mentioned in the recipe and post, you shouldn’t consume dry ice, or consume the drink while you can still see the “smoke” coming out of it. I ONLY use crushed dry ice, so that it “melts” and evaporates faster. Once the smoke disappears (in less than a minute with a little crushed dry ice), the dry ice is no longer there in the drink in any form, and it’s safe to consume. Hope that helps!
Do not, it will burn the hell outta you!
I agree Sandie! 🙂 That’s why I noted to PJ and in the post to NEVER eat dry ice, but to wait till it’s melted (which is why you crush them into a powder so they melt faster). You should NEVER swallow solid dry ice!!
This is a nice addition for halloween.
Stunning photography and a beautiful cocktail!
WOW INDEED! This really is impressive. I hadn’t heard of Viniq but will watch for it.
A perfect Fiesta Friday contribution. Thanks for bringing it along.
Lindy – FF co-host!
GORGEOUS!
I am totally swooning over this gorgeous libation! This is PERFECT for halloween! Pinned! Cheers and thanks for sharing! 😉
Stunning drink! I loved reading this post. Fun! The dry ice pics are absolutely amazing. Pinning!
I’m completely with you on the horror thing. I don’t believe any of it, and I still don’t enjoy it. Once agin, this is a beautiful cocktail. My friend will love this at Halloween! Happy FF, and I hope you have a fun-filled weekend ahead. 🙂
That’s just cool.
Now this is a Halloween for adults! Cheers!
Ohmagoodness. First of all, these pictures are amazing. Second of all, I can’t wait to try this delicious-sounding cocktail!
Wow, so much creativity. Have to try this.
This is amazing – even cooler than the Flaming Moe from the Simpsons!! I love the whimsy and tipsy deliciousness. 🙂
This is the coolest cocktail EVER! It amazes me how you mix science with yummy food and drinks. Really awesome Dini:)
This is awesome Dini! Did you crush your own dry Ice? I’ve never worked with it but my curiosity bug is working overtime. I’m with you on the creep thing. John and the kids loved the haunted houses. I happily stayed home, warm and ghoul free.