Part of the fun of the holiday season are the parties! And before everyone stops reading because they just think I’m a lush who’ll use any excuse to drink, hear me out. You can have a Halloween cocktail party with virgin drinks, and you can add some fun drinks to that kid’s party you’re planning on throwing/attending as well. I won’t be drinking those, but that leaves more for you.

Because I love you and I’m a giving person, I’m going to share some of the best drinks I’ve found with you. Be the most popular hostess in the party circuit with these awesome ideas!

Bloody Brain Shooter

It’s all about science to make this wacky drink. The acid in the lime juice, coupled with the Irish cream causes the cream to curdle, which makes the cool looking brains in the shot.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 oz. strawberry vodka 

1/8 oz. Rose's lime juice 

3/4 oz. Irish Cream 

splash of grenadine

First chill vodka. Add vodka and lime juice to a shaker; shake, then strain into a shot glass. Using a straw, dip some Irish Cream into the shot. Once you submerge the straw into the Irish Cream, put your finger on top of the straw to hold the Irish Cream in the straw. Dip the straw tip into the vodka and slowly release your top finger. The Irish Cream will curdle a bit from the lime juice and you should be able to make strands of Irish Cream. Repeat the straw/Irish Cram process to build a "brain" in the shot glass. Add a splash of grenadine to the concoction to add the "blood" to the mix.

Cemetery Slime Punch (non-alcoholic)

I told you everything on here wouldn’t have booze! Kids LOVE this punch – it has just enough of the ewww! factor to entertain them, and it’s fun to let them help make it too!

Ingredients:

2 liters diet root beer 

24 gummy worms

1 pint low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt 

1 pint low-fat chocolate frozen yogurt

Arrange the gummy worms in a 12-compartment ice tray, letting them hang out over the edges of the tray. Fill with root beer and freeze at least four hours or overnight. Then, with a small ice cream scoop, fill the bottom of a one-gallon punch bowl with scoops of both frozen yogurts, using the full container of each. Very slowly fill the punch bowl with root beer, which will foam up to create the "slime." Float the wormy ice cubes on top of the punch. Fill each punch cup with a scoop of ice cream and an ice cube. Float additional worms on top of the punch or in each glass.

Flaming Goblet of Fire

 Ingredients:

1 oz Vodka

3 oz Blue Curacao

3 oz Lemonade

Splash of 151

Pinch of Cinnamon

First, pour the vodka, blue curacao, and lemonade into a goblet-type glass, then top with a splash of 151 proof rum. After that the fun part. Light that whole mess on fire! When you add the pinch of cinnamon to the flames it will spark. Just make sure you blow out the flames BEFORE you try to drink it.

Shrunken Head Punch (non-alcoholic)

This is another fun one to make with and/or the kids. If you’re having a kid-friendly Halloween party, they will totally get a kick out of it – as will your grown up guests!

Ingrediants:

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 tbsp salt

8 firm apples

6 cups pasteurized apple cider (or wine)

1 frozen lemonade, concentrate, thawed

Ice cubes, (optional)

To make the punch, combine the cider (or wine), the lemonade and the ice. It’s best to make the apple heads the night before. To do that, stir a cup of water, lemon juice and sale until the salt is dissolved. Peel the apples and cut lengthwise in half, then core and seed them. Turn them in lemon mixture to coat, the carve out the eyes, nose, mouth and ears. Put them back in the lemon mixture and coat again, then let them stand out for at least 20 minutes, but no more than an hour. Drain them, pat them dry and put them in a shallow roasting pan and bake them for two or three hours on 250 degrees (this will help them look like shrunken heads). Make them a day ahead – they’ll store in the fridge well for up to 24 hours.

Black Devil Martini

This just looks pretty and festive. I’m not a martini fan, but I couldn’t find a scary take on Applebee’s Bees Teas.

Ingredients:

2 oz. dark rum

1/2 oz. dry vermouth 

black olive

orange sugar 

Stir and strain into chilled martini glass that has been rimmed with orange sugar, then garnish with black olives. Easy enough, but lovely to look at. And you look like the ultimate hostess serving fancy martinis!

Although I compiled and made them fun, the recipes are all courtesy of various internet sites, including the Little Pink Blog and the Food Network. I’m not chef, nor am I a mixologist. Cut me some slack, here!