Using Dry Ice For Cocktails This Halloween

How to add a flourish of theatre to your serves

Dry ice cocktails are sure to impress your guests, and can made easily by baristas and mixologists alike. And if there’s one time of year that cries out for more than a little theatre, it’s Halloween.

Enter dry ice, the magic ingredient that’s sure to blow your customers away.

Serve up spellbinding Halloween cocktails and hot drinks

Think smoking cauldrons of jewel-coloured witches’ brew, plumes of dragon’s breath, tendrils of mist settling over sapphire pools . . . with the perfect pairing of dry ice and exotic-coloured Mathieu Teisseire syrups, you can create magic in a glass.

What is dry ice?

It’s the common name for solid carbon dioxide (CO2). Unlike normal ice (H2O) which melts into liquid when heated, dry ice turns into a gas. The scientific name for this change of state is ‘sublimation’.

What is dry ice used for?

Dry ice is extremely cold. It begins to change from a solid to a gas at around -78 degrees centigrade. Apart from looking amazing and being used to create special effects such as smoke and fog, it has a number of practical uses such as flash-freezing food to lock in freshness, and freezing pipes to prevent flooding while they’re being repaired.

How To Use Dry Ice for cocktails

Before you start experimenting with dry ice, there’s something vital you need to know, and that’s how to use it safely. Because it’s so cold, dry ice should never be put directly into a drink as swallowing it could cause serious injury. Here are some watchouts:

• Never let anyone put it in their mouth
• Never let it touch your skin as it can cause severe burns – always use gloves
• Never handle or store it in enclosed areas
• Never serve a drink that contains loose dry ice

Now you know what not to do, here’s how to make a terrific Halloween cocktail.

Get creative with a French Press

A French Press is a great way to conjure up cocktails containing dry ice as the press prevents any of the dry ice entering the drink. Small presses are ideal for single drinks, while larger presses make light work of multiple serves. Just make your cocktail as usual, but before serving, pour both the drink and dry ice into the French Press, push down the plunger so the dry ice is confined to the bottom of the press, and pour into glasses. The effect is truly stunning and will impress not just the customers who ordered the drinks, but everyone else in the room.

Stock up on ChilliSticks Chilli

Sticks are a great, no-nonsense way to get that dry ice effect. Just make your drinks as usual (long Collins-style glasses work best with ChilliSticks), slip a pellet of dry ice into the cage at the bottom of the ChilliStick, and stir the drink with it straightaway. And that’s it. Maximum wow-factor, minimum fuss, and absolute safety.

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