This witches’ brew cocktail is the perfect spooky drink to serve for Halloween. It’s a refreshing balance with the peach schnapps adding just the right amount of fruity flavor against the cranberry tartness and a burst of fresh lime juice. It’s easy to make ahead, with measurements provided for both an individual serving and a party-sized batch. It’s also naturally gluten-free and vegan.
There’s no definitive witches’ brew cocktail recipe. Witches’ brew can be anything you want it to be.
While many variations embrace eerie green or mystical purple hues, I opted for a striking red. This vibrant color can be achieved naturally, allowing you to create a festive drink without the need for artificial food coloring, specialty ingredients or a type of alcohol you’re not likely to use in anything but this recipe.
I think this is an especially fun cocktail for Halloween because of the Peachtree. People usually aren’t expecting peach schnapps in a Halloween cocktail, so they’re always pleasantly surprised and get a big smile on their face. 😀
This cocktail is light, easy to drink, and enjoyable for those who prefer sweeter cocktails.
If you’re wondering what else you would possibly do with a bottle of Peachtree, then the answer would be this Georgia Peach Cocktail (one of my very favorite recipes!) or this Peachtree Cocktail.
There’s unfortunately no mocktail version of witches’ brew. You’d be left with cranberry and lime juice. But I do have a non-alcoholic witches’ brew recipe coming!
If you’re looking for a kid-friendly option in the meantime, this Non-alcoholic Halloween Punch is perfect. It’s made with fresh or frozen fruit, lemon juice, and sparkling water and naturally sweetened with maple syrup making it refined sugar-free, vegan and kid-approved.
Ingredients
Here’s an overview of what you’ll need.
The full recipe, with measurements and directions, is at the bottom of the post.
And if you’re wondering why I always say this, it’s because I get emails (usually angry ones) asking why I don’t actually write out the recipes.
How to make it look like a Halloween drink
You’ve got a few ways to turn this into a fun Halloween cocktail.
Dry ice
You can add a small piece of dry ice right before serving to create that eerie, smoky effect. It’s ok to use in cocktails if you let it completely sublimate (turn into gas) before drinking your cocktail.
You can read detailed handling instructions for dry ice in my Halloween Martini or Vampire’s Kiss Cocktail.
The photographer of this drink doesn’t have access to dry ice, so I had to go with something else. But if you do, I think this is such a fun choice.
It’s unfortunately not the easiest ingredient to find in some areas. For others, it’s super easy to get. It’s usually around $1-2 per pound and is found near the entrance by the checkout.
Here’s a Penguin Dry Ice finder. In my home zip code in Texas, it shows up as available at every Kroger, Tom Thumb, HEB. I see it’s also available at Publix in some states.
In Munich, where I live now, I made an order with a fish company and got free dry ice that way. The only alternative would have been to order with a dry ice company. The cheapest option that route would have been around $55. So I was quite happy with the fish company option!
Dry ice has to be used within 18-24 hours, so you can’t just order a bunch and freeze it for later use. You actually can’t freeze it at all! So don’t put it in the freezer.
Skull ice cubes
These are so fun! The issue with them is that they flop around in the glass, with some of the skulls facing down, unless you use quite a few of them.
And they also water down the drink. I’ve made skull ice cubes with different types of juice, and they worked great. Juice still waters down the drink, but it’s still better than water for preventing excessive dilution.
The larger ones work best because they melt much more slowly. I have these.
I bought those after having bought a mold that makes smaller skulls to begin with (this one). My son loves them, and I was making skull ice cubes every day for a while. 😆
That mold is also perfect for making chocolates! But if you’re only interested in making ice cubes, definitely go for the mold that yields the large skulls.
Melon eyeballs
I’d seen melon eyeballs a few times before trying them, and they always looked like they’re floating. But after trying both fresh and frozen melon myself, I can tell you people are putting those eyeballs on a glass or something to make it seem like they’re floating.
They sink if you put them in a drink.
I’ve experimented with various types of melon in different drinks—alcoholic, non-alcoholic, fizzy and flat. But the result is always the same: they sink. However, using a cocktail pick solves that issue, and you avoid the awkward task of fishing them out of your glass.
To make these spooky garnishes, use a melon baller to scoop out small melon balls. Cut an “X” on the top of each ball and carve out a little spot for a blueberry to sit. Then, skewer two of the eyeballs on a cocktail pick and place them in your drink.
I used them for my Halloween Martini, and you can see what they looked like in my Rum Punch for Halloween in the photo below.
Black sanding sugar
Another fun idea is to rim the glass with black sugar to give it a mysterious vibe. I don’t use it (I hate normal food coloring and therefore sugar that’s been colored with it), but it looked so nice for the photos. 🙈
You could use natural food coloring like Supernatural Kitchen Food Colors ($35.68/oz) or Color Kitchen ($31.80/oz) to make your own colored sugar. They’re both pretty expensive.
What I do is buy a ton whenever iHerb has a big sale. They just had a 28% off everything that unfortunately just ended. Both brands have been great in everything I’ve tried so far.
If you’d like to rim your glass with black sanding sugar like I did, start by pouring the sanding sugar into a shallow bowl. Use a small pastry brush to coat the rim of your glass with maple syrup, or dip the rim into a dish of maple syrup.
Then, immediately dip the glass into the sanding sugar, tapping off any excess. For better adhesion, place the glass in the freezer for a few minutes.
How to make this witches’ brew cocktail
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add your cranberry juice, vodka, peach schnapps, and lime juice. Shake everything together until it’s chilled, which should take about 10 seconds.
Next, grab a glass filled with ice cubes and strain the cocktail into the glass.
How to make a big batch
A single serving yields one 5.5-ounce (163-ml) cocktail.
If you’re serving a large group, you can easily make a big batch of this cocktail. Simply multiply the ingredients by the number of servings you need and stir them in a large punch bowl.
This is what you’d need for eight 5.5-ounce (163-ml) servings or 45 ounces (1330 ml) total.
- 24 ounces (3 cups) cranberry cocktail juice
- 12 ounces (1.5 cups) vodka
- 6 ounces (3/4 cup) peach schnapps
- 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) freshly-squeezed lime juice
I’ve also included the measurements for the big batch in the recipe below. I use this 8″ IKEA clear mixing bowl for serving. It’s not fancy, but throw in some cranberry skull cubes, and it’ll still look nice.
I just tried it out with the small skulls, and if you individually place them in there, they float face-side up. So that’s good.
I just filled my large skull mold and will update the post tomorrow with the results of the large mold. I’m assuming nobody will be having a Halloween party between now and then, so I hope that’ll do. 😀
But make sure the bowl and drink are well-chilled before adding the ice cubes! If you have space in the freezer, even better.
Having a large Halloween party?
A typical punch bowl can hold between 4 to 6 quarts (16 to 24 cups) of liquid, which is about 128-192 ounces or 20-35 servings.
A typical pitcher usually holds between 2 to 3 quarts (64 to 96 ounces), which is about 8 to 12 cups. This size is great for serving around 10 to 17 servings of 5.5-ounce drinks.
Is it gluten-free?
Yes. Since September 2020, the FDA has allowed all distilled alcohols to be labeled as “gluten-free,” regardless of the original source ingredients, as long as they comply with gluten-free labeling regulations. You can find more details in the FDA’s ruling.
Most plain vodka is naturally gluten-free but might contain gluten if you go with a flavored vodka.
Same with it being vegan. And Peachtree is said to be both gluten-free vegan.
I hope you’ll enjoy this witches’ brew cocktail! If you try it out, I’d love to hear your thoughts below in the comments. Thanks! 🙂
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- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 1 or 8 servings
Ingredients
- 3 ounces cranberry cocktail juice (like Ocean Spray; not 100% cranberry juice)
- 1.5 ounces vodka
- 3/4 ounce Peachtree (peach schnapps)
- 2 teaspoons freshly-squeezed lime juice
- 24 ounces (3 cups) cranberry cocktail juice
- 12 ounces (1.5 cups) vodka
- 6 ounces (3/4 cup) peach schnapps
- 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) freshly-squeezed lime juice
- black sanding sugar
- maple syrup or simple syrup
For a 5.5-oz (162-ml) cocktail:
For 8 servings:
Optional black rim:
Directions
- Pour the sanding sugar into a shallow bowl. Use a small pastry brush to coat the rim of your glass with maple syrup, or dip the rim into a dish of maple syrup. Then, immediately dip the glass into the sanding sugar, tapping off any excess. For better adhesion, place the glass in the freezer for a few minutes.
- Add the cocktail ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until well chilled – about 10 seconds.
- Fill your glass with ice and strain in the cocktail.
- Mix everything together and chill for several hours or until thoroughly chilled. Even better if you can freeze it for a few hours!
