The drink list for my party has very quickly become a martini bar. There are just SO many creepy versions of martinis out there! Some of these other fabulous drinks might win out though... who KNEW that creepy drinks were taking over the bar scene? Not me obviously!!
But since this is a kid friendly fete, there needs to be some liquids of the non-alcoholic type in there too. Also, since I have never been much of a drinker, I tend to gravitate toward the kiddie bar, so they have to also be GOOD. The idea of floating a hand of ice in the punch is a pretty good one (and easy!), so that's on the list.
Every year I intend to make a shrunken head apple cider and this year Martha makes it look so good that it might just be the year. Easy peasy and a great project for both the kids and for the apples hanging on the tree outside that aren't pretty enough to eat. HEY! I learned something the other day. Did you know that apples are meant to go through a frost before being picked? That the frost is what brings the sugars out in the fruit? So it's OK that my lazy butt hasn't pulled the ladder out yet to pick them. Today though. For sure.
Back to the martinis...
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| Vampire Kiss and Dracula's Kiss Martinis |
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| Bleeding Heart Martini |
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| Sweet Goultini |
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| Black As Nightini |
Here's a fun thing :) The Hostess With the Mostess has provided a fabulous way to rim glasses for the party. She uses candy and it's a definite do ahead of time project, but SO worth it I think! Check out the process here on her blog... Result below!
Oh yes... and the picture at the top, is being added waaaaay down here because I wanted to do a bit of research on it first. To start, YES you can put dry ice into a drink or punch bowl and it will do all it's cool foggy business without doing harm to your insides. It is a SUPER cool effect and because it isn't melting, it is evaporating, you aren't drinking it.
Also, if you want to try this out, the martini at the top is a colour changing one... Yes, that's right folks, it changes colour as the temperature changes. It's scientific. Which means that I don't understand how it works, but it does. Now, whether or not you want to be drinking questionable martinis simply because they are cool, that's totally up to you. Apparently the red cabbage can be replaced with blueberries, which makes it slightly less questionable. But only slightly so. This is the recipe, consider the above to be a disclaimer. If you try it and you don't die or become seriously cramped up, let me know how it works out for you!
You'll need:
Gin (or vodka, for a vodka martini) ~ Vermouth ~ Dry Ice ~ Baking Soda ~ Red Cabbage
Yes. Red cabbage contains a water-soluble anthocyanin that is a pH indicator. At low pH (acid), it's red. It's purple at neutral pH, and goes blue then green as the solution becomes alkaline. You're not going to see the full range here, because we want the drink to be, well, drinkable.
To get the indicator, chop up a cabbage leaf, put it in a bowl, add boiling water and allow to steep. A purple pigment will stain the water.
Add a teaspoon of cabbage juice... I mean indicator solution - to the martini glass. Then add very small quantities of baking soda, just enough to turn the solution blue. Add gin (or vodka) and vermouth (~6:1) to the glass. You should have a pale blue clear liquid.
Give the recipient the drink. Tell them to watch closely, then add a chunk of dry ice. It will sink to the bottom of the drink, and bubble away happily, slowly cooling the drink. It will also neutralise the baking soda and change the colour of the martini.
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