The Witches Brew drink is a spooky cocktail with a bright green color! It’s festive and tastes perfectly sweet tart.
Looking for an impressively spooky cocktail? Try the Witches Brew drink! Its neon green color might look menacing. But take a sip and it’s bright and sweet tart, with flavors of melon and citrus. Adding dry ice makes the brew bubble and boil, with a magic smoke that wisps into the air! The dry ice is optional, but absolutely worth it for the spectacle (we think). Here’s how to make it and more about how to work with dry ice.
What’s a Witches Brew drink?
The Witches Brew drink is a Halloween cocktail with no standardized definition. It’s often bright green, blue, or purple in color, and it can be served as a punch or shaken as a cocktail. This spin on the Witches Brew uses bright green melon liqueur and lemon juice to make a classic-style cocktail with a deliciously sweet tart flavor. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Midori, a Japanese melon liqueur
- Cointreau or Triple Sec, an orange liqueur
- Fresh lemon juice
- Dry ice, optional (read all the safety information below first!)
All you’ll do for this drink? Stir the ingredients with ice cubes, strain it into a lowball glass, and garnish with chunk of dry ice. It will bubble and boil…just like you’d imagine from a Witches Brew. It’s a fun and impressive trick!
Why to grab a bottle of Midori
Midori is a unique bright green liqueur that you may not have heard of: but it’s easy to find at most liquor stores! Here’s why we love it and why it’s worth adding to your collection for the Witches Brew drink:
- Midori is a bright green, honeydew melon flavored Japanese liqueur. It was first released in 1964 as Hermes Melon Liqueur. When released in the US in 1978, the name was changed to “Midori,” the Japanese word for green.
- What does Midori taste like? It’s very sweet, with a candy-like honeydew melon flavor. Midori is typically mixed into cocktails instead of drinking it straight.
- How much does it cost? A small bottle (375 ml) costs around $15, and a large bottle (750 ml) is about $25-30.
- Can you make other cocktails with it? Yes, several great ones! The most famous Midori cocktail is the Midori Sour. You can also try Tokyo Tea or the Japanese Slipper, which was our template for this Witches Brew drink!
Working with dry ice: safety tips!
Is dry ice in cocktails safe? Yes, with safe handling tips! Make sure to read these tips before working with dry ice in drinks (or read more in our Dry Ice Handling article):
- DO NOT touch dry ice! Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide, which forms at temperatures below 110 degrees Fahrenheit. It can give you frostbite because it is so cold. Use gloves when handling it, and use tongs for dropping it into drinks. Holding it for more than 10 seconds is considered very dangerous.
- DO NOT drink dry ice! Tell your guests not to drink the dry ice! The ice cube settles to the bottom of the drink and should disappear in about 5 minutes. You can technically take sips of the drink since the dry ice is in the bottom: just make sure not to let it slide to the top of the glass.
How to break dry ice into chunks
OK, so if you can’t touch the ice: how do you break it into chunks? Here are some notes on logistics for using dry ice in the Witches Brew drink:
- Dry ice is available at most grocery stores. It’s sold in large blocks. Here’s a store finder.
- Buy the dry ice 1 to 2 hours before you plan to serve. Dry ice does not last in the freezer, so you’ll need to use it as quick as possible. Once you get it home, place the plastic bag of dry ice in a cooler with the top off. Keep away from children and pets.
- Right before serving, drop the plastic bag on the ground to make large chunks. This is an easy way to break it up without touching it.
- With goggles and gloves, break it into small chunks with a screwdriver or ice pick. The ideal size is 1/2-inch to 1-inch chunks: heavy enough to sink in the drink but small enough to disappear after a few minutes.
- Wrap the chunks in a towel and place in a cooler with the top off until serving. Remember not to place it into the freezer!
And that’s it! It might sound tricky, but it’s easy once you’ve tried it once. All your guests will be impressed by the bubbling, boiling Witches Brew drink!
More spooky drinks
Looking for more Halloween drinks or spooky ideas for cocktails? We’ve got them! Here are a few fun Halloween cocktails to experiment with that are classic cocktails with ghoulish names:
- Try a Halloween Margarita or Halloween Sangria
- Go for a spooky Vampire’s Kiss
- Make a big bowl of Halloween Punch (and spike it!)
- Try a Death in the Afternoon Cocktail with absinthe and champagne
- Go for a Corpse Reviver, a classic 1930’s drink
- Opt for the rum-based Zombie Cocktail
Witches Brew Drink
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
Description
The Witches Brew drink is a spooky cocktail with a bright green color! It’s festive and tastes perfectly sweet tart.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Make the drink: Add the Midori, Cointreau and lemon juice to a cocktail mixing glass (or cocktail shaker). Add 2 handfuls regular ice cubes and stir until cold. Strain the drink into a lowball glass. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
- Break the dry ice into 1-inch chunks (if using): Do this as close to the time you’ll be serving the drinks as possible, though you can buy the dry ice a few hours in advance. Start by dropping the plastic bag with the dry ice on the ground several times to allow it break into large chunks. Remember never to touch the dry ice with your bare hands! Put on goggles and gloves. Use a chisel to break the dry ice into smaller pieces using a screwdriver or ice pick. The ideal size is 1/2-inch to 1-inch chunks that are large enough to sink to the bottom of the drink, but small enough to disappear in a few minutes. Wrap the small chunks in a towel and place them in a cooler with the top off until you’re ready to serve the drinks. Do not place the dry ice in the freezer.
- Add the dry ice: Using tongs (do not touch the dry ice!), add a 1/2-inch to 1-inch chunk of dry ice to the glass, which will sink to the bottom and immediately make a smoking effect. The ice cube will disappear in about 5 minutes. Do not drink the dry ice! Wait until the cube disappears before enjoying your drink (or you can take sips with the dry ice in the bottom). Review these Dry Ice Handling Instructions.
Notes
*To convert to tablespoons, 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons
**Dry ice is available at many grocery stores and comes in a large block. Buy it a few hours before you plan to serve the drinks (it does not store in the freezer). Read more about Dry Ice Safety here.
- Category: Drink
- Method: Stirred
- Cuisine: Cocktails
- Diet: Vegan
Keywords: Witches brew, Witches brew drink
Let us know if you have any questions!
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I want to make this in a large batch, for a Halloween party punch… Can you add Sprite or something to make more? Thank you!
Hi! Yes, maybe equal parts midori, triple sec and ginger ale or sprite, and then lemon juice to taste. I’d taste a small batch to make sure it’s good before making a big batch but it should work.
Does it still stay Smokey after the dry ice has dissolved or is it just a one time effect?
Just a one time effect but it lasts several minutes.
Hello I was just curious when I made this it barley made anything when doing the exact recipe it’s my first time doing cocktails should I just do like a cup of each to fill the glass
Hi! You can use ice to fill the glass. With the alcohol you don’t want too large of a serving.
Hi, I want to make this drink for 12 persons, should I multiply the ingredients by 12 ?
Is it a good idea (ingredients x 12 )?
Whats the better way to make it for 12 persons in a punch bowl?
Thanks
For this cocktail, a straight up multiplier should work fine! I would do x16 in a small punch bowl: 3 cups Midori
3 cups Triple Sec, 2 cups fresh lemon juice
WOW! Can’t believe the colour! Amazing, will give it a go tonight if I manage to find all the ingredients on time!
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