Helpful Hints
For Drinks

To add some uniqueness to your drinks try some of these
hair-raising, spine tingling, electrifying helpful hints and enjoy.

1. Serve assorted juices in beakers. A unique idea for a Frankenstein theme.

2. Are you having a witch party? Serve the drinks in a large cast iron Dutch oven or a witch cauldron. Witch cauldrons can be purchased at Halloween time from discount stores.

3. Make broomstick straws to serve with your drinks. Cut a strip of black construction paper 1"x4". Wrap it around one end of a straw (leaving a ½-inch overhang), glue, let it dry. Fringe the ends with scissors. Serve fringe side end up.

4. Use licorice twists for straws. Cut a small amount off both ends and they are ready for sipping.

5. Cut a small Halloween shape out of poster board and glue it onto the end of a straw. Also, try making a ring shape out of poster board, glue the ring shape to the back of the Halloween shape, it it dry. Slide it onto the straw.

6. Freeze items into ice cubes. Plastic bugs, spiders, raisings, gummy worms, and blueberries work well. However, use extreme caution that children do not swallow these items.

7. Boil water before freezing to make clear ice cubes.

8. Kids will enjoy having vampire eyes (ice) cubes in their juice drink. To make: Half full cupcake tins with juice. Freeze until slushy (1-2 hours). Push a seedless green grape into the center of each slush mixture, then refreeze until firm. To release: Soak the bottom of the pan in warm water for a few seconds then turn the pan upside down onto a clean towel. If they don't slide out, soak the pan in warm water for a  few more seconds. The eyes should pop out. Put one or two eyes in each glass then fill with more juice.

9. Add a frozen hand to your punch. Fill a surgical glove (powderless, purchase at grocery stores) with water. Add food coloring if desired. Twist tie then end. hang the glove in your freezer from a shelf, allow it to freeze overnight. Before serving cut the glove off and place the hand into the punch bowl. Gelatin dessert can also be used in place of water and food coloring.

10. Pumpkin faces can be made by pushing whole cloves into oranges to make the facial features of jack-o-lanterns. Place the pumpkins into a punchbowl.

11. Use a fresh large pumpkin as a punchbowl. Remove and clean the pumpkins' insides. Refrigerate until ready to use. Draw a face on the pumpkin with paints or markers. Add your drink to the pumpkin and serve.

12. Use dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) to get that eerie fogging effect that's fun to have at Halloween time. You may purchase dry ice from most grocery stores, ice cream shops, or meat stores. Most places request you order the dry ice ahead of time (1-3 weeks) and pick it up on the day of the party. Dry is is sold in blocks. A small block (3-5 pounds) is plenty for a classroom party. The ice can be chopped into smaller pieces if needed. Dry ice must be handled with gloves because it can burn your skin. Tongs will work. Dry ice is wrapped in paper when you purchase it. To activate the ice, place it in a container with warm water. Steam will start immediately and will surround the container and rise up and out. AS water cools, ice will form around the dry ice, causing it to stop bubbling. Salt water can cause the action to last longer. After fifteen minutes, drain the cold water from the container and replace it with warm water to start the reaction again. A fan can be used aimed at the fog to help direct it, if needed. Dry ice can be added to your punch if it's in a punch bowl but be careful that no pieces end up in anybodies drink when serving. Consider wrapping the ice with cheese cloth.

13. Serve drinks in oranges which are carved and used for cups. You will need two oranges, one slightly smaller than the other. Cut a small section off the top of both oranges and scoop out the insides exactly like you do for a pumpkin. Turn the smaller pumpkin inside out and slide it into the large orange. You have lined the orange and are now ready to serve your beverage in it. Garnish with carved kumquats (a small fruit that looks like a pumpkin).

14. Carve a jack-o-lantern face into a kumquat. Stick the kumquat onto a toothpick and use for garnish.

15. Last but not least, garnish, drinks with fruit. Maraschino cherries, pineapples, strawberries, raspberries, apples, oranges and melon slices all work well for children's drinks. Colored straws are a favorite too.

Cheers!