Halloween Ice

“Waiter, there’s a fly in my drink. By the way, there’s also a hand floating in the punch bowl.”

If you’re looking to take your Halloween party to the next level with thoughtful and creepy details, look at how you can change your ice. No, really. Who knew that humble ice could make such an impact? There are plenty of ways to make ice for all of your party purposes that will keep the Halloween theme intact.

Ice for the Punch

Since punch will be sitting out all night in a bowl, you need something that will keep it cool without completely watering it down. The answer is a large block of ice, not individual ice cubes, because the decreased surface area will cause the ice to melt more slowly. Don’t just toss a huge cube in there; make it creepy by using an ice hand. Take a latex surgical glove and rinse it well, both inside and out, to remove any powder that might be on it. Fill with water, tie it off, and freeze.

When you’re ready to chill the punch, remove the glove and you’re left with a creepy ice hand that will float in your punch bowl. Place the hand in a dark red punch (perhaps one with trendy pomegranate juice or traditional cranberry) to look like the hand is white because all of its blood drained out into the punch. Sorry for grossing you out, but it’s Halloween – that’s kind of the point.

Ice for Coolers and Buckets

Let’s face it: no one likes to stick their hand into the cold, soupy mess left by the ice that melts in coolers or ice buckets to find a can or bottle of their favorite beverage. I discovered this amazing trick last summer and have used it successfully to keep cans and bottles dry-ish (there’s still some condensation) in their buckets and coolers and add some extra color to the party. Buy latex balloons in party colors, like orange and black, then rinse them well inside and out to remove any powder. Fill a balloon with water until it is a little larger than a grapefruit but smaller than a cantaloupe (you can fill it even less if you’re worried about bursting or don’t have a lot of cooler/ice bucket space).

Put it in the freezer a few days before the party, then place the entire frozen balloon into your cooler or bucket with the drinks. As the ice melts, the water will stay in the balloon, keeping everything neat, and the colored balloons will add more pop to your party.

Ice Cubes for Drinks

Make your ice cubes a little bit creepier by adding little plastic bugs to the water in the ice cube tray before freezing. Be sure to wash the bugs first. Also keep in mind that the big pose a choking hazard, so they may not be a great idea for small children or those who won’t notice plastic bugs in their glass. You may want to serve it with a straw or be mindful of the size of the plastic bugs.

Another way to make ice creepy is to use the stir stick-sized ice cube tray and freeze water that you have dyed red with food coloring. Once frozen, they will look like test tubes of blood sitting in your drink. As they melt, they will dye beverages red, so keep that in mind if you are serving a drink that is supposed to look like green slime.

With these ice tips, your beverages will be colder than a vampire’s skin. Now you can have the coolest Halloween party around, both literally and figuratively.