Cobwebs made of marshmallow or honey with a dash of red to resemble dripping blood are just a couple of the easy, edible tricks that one creator has brewed up to elevate any Halloween party this year.
Katie Nessel, known on social media as the Soberish Mom, shared her hacks with "Good Morning America" to help people get in the Halloween spirit without the alcohol and add a BOO-st of festive flare.
"Halloween kicks off a whole season of parties, and with that comes a lot of pressure to drink," Nessel said. "I love showing people that you don't need alcohol to make the night festive."
"Fun, zero-proof drinks can still 'wow' your guests, feel special, and most importantly, make sure everyone at the party feels included," she added.
"With just a few simple tricks, you can turn any drink into a spooky creation," Nessel said. "These tips are deceptively easy but will add a little fun to your holiday, without the scary hangover."
Dracula's Blood Rim
"Mix a few drops of red food dye with honey on a small plate. Rim your glass in the honey mixture and place it in the freezer for a few minutes to let the honey set," Nessel suggested. "If it's too runny, add a tablespoon of powdered sugar."
Cobweb effect
"Heat up two to three marshmallows for about 15 seconds in the microwave. Let cool for a minute so you don't burn your hand -- but don't wait longer than 60 seconds or the marshmallows will harden," Nessel said. "Put your first three fingers in the marshmallows and spread across the rim of your glass. Repeat at a couple angles until the 'cobweb' effect is achieved. This one is messy so you can definitely wear disposable gloves while creating."
Spooky Ice
Nessel called this her "favorite hosting hack, because you can make them days ahead of time and have them waiting in the freezer."
"I recommend using a silicon mold for your desired shape -- such as spheres or large squares -- but a good ole plastic ice cube tray will work too."
Best things to freeze in fun Halloween shapes:
Nessel said "gummy candies like worms or eyeballs, plastic bugs, Halloween rings, plastic skulls or skeleton hands" are some of her go-to options.
"Place your spooky candy or toy in your ice mold and cover with [hot] distilled water -- this will help the ice freeze more clear," she said. "Freeze overnight and store in a Ziploc container until ready to serve."
Midnight effect
Adding a dash of food-safe edible black glitter will turn any light drink black, Nessel said, eliminating the need for activated charcoal or another complicated ingredient.
"Add as much as needed for a black effect -- usually about one teaspoon for drinks, a bit more if it's a batched drink," she said. "This works best with light colored drinks like margarita mocktails or seltzers. Purple is a great one for Halloween as well."
The Coconut Corpse
Ingredients
2 ounces coconut milk
2 ounces N/A "tequila"
1 ounce pineapple juice
0.75 ounce lime juice (about the juice of a whole lime)
Garnish: honey, coconut flakes
Instructions
Prepare your glass by rimming with a little honey and dipping in coconut flakes.
Fill a shaker with ice and add all ingredients. Shake until well combined, then pour into prepared glass.
Note: I made the skeleton ice by adding gold edible dust and coconut milk into a skull ice mold.
Witch's Whisper
Ingredients
2 ounces cranberry juice
0.75 ounce lime juice (about the juice of a whole lime)
2 ounces sparkling soda or ginger ale if you like it a little sweeter
Instructions
Make sure all ingredients are chilled if serving in a coupe without ice, or you can serve over ice.
Gently mix all ingredients in a coupe and enjoy.
Note: The bubbling is from a small 1/4 teaspoon of dry ice. Dry ice is not safe to consume, so place it in while serving but do not drink until it has all evaporated. Make sure you do not touch dry ice and use gloves when placing in drinks.
'Boo-garita' Margarita
Ingredients
2 ounces N/A "tequila"
1 ounce orange juice
1 ounce lime juice (about the juice of a whole lime)
0.5 ounce agave
Pinch of edible black glitter
Garnish: sea salt plus edible black paint and dehydrated lime slices has a fun dark color!
Instructions
Prepare your glass by rimming with edible black paint and sea salt.
Fill a shaker with ice and add all ingredients. Shake until well combined, then pour into prepared glass, and garnish with the lime slice.
Recipes reprinted with permission courtesy of Soberish Mom.
