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Cosmo lovers will go crazy for this black Halloween cosmopolitan cocktail. It’s a black cocktail with an ice ball that makes the perfect Halloween vodka drink. It’s easy to make this Halloween themed drink and it looks really cool.
Halloween is the perfect time to go all out and make the craziest and spookiest concoctions!
More Halloween treats to try include this glow in the dark coconut rum shot, panna cotta eyeballs and colorful Halloween pancakes.
How to Make this Halloween Vodka Drink
First you need to make black vodka by adding black food dye to regular vodka. Use whatever brand you prefer but I used Crystal Head Vodka. In addition you will need Triple Sec, cranberry juice cocktail, lime juice, and a large ice ball for each one.
Once you have prepared your vodka and made it black with food dye, you can make your black Halloween cosmopolitan cocktail. Add the vodka to a cocktail shaker or something you can seal such as a mason jar. Add the cranberry juice, lime juice and Triple Sec.
Finally serve it over a large ice ball. You can make it ahead if you prefer. Just don’t add the ice until serving if you choose to do this.
A Closer Look at the Ingredients
The main ingredient in this black Halloween cosmopolitan cocktail is the vodka. You can use whichever brand you like. I used I used Wilton’s Icing colour for the black colouring. I know there are lots of different brands and formulations but icing colours tend to work better for dyeing liquid than the gels. They just dissolve better.
The colour doesn’t separate in the finished Halloween themed drink either. So your black cocktail will stay black! If you want to use something else or you want it extra black, mix in some activated charcoal powder! Activated charcoal is odourless and flavourless. It’s also detoxifying making it ideal if you’re enjoying more than one boozy Halloween themed drink!
You might be wondering about the cranberry cocktail mix in this cocktail with an ice ball. Of course, cranberry juice is a key component in a cosmo. Cranberry juice by itself has a tart flavour so most natural juices include apple or grape juice or another type of juice to balance it out. These will be labeled as ‘100% juice’.
On the other hand you have cranberry juice cocktail, which is typically a mixture of cranberry juice and sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. You can use whichever kind you prefer in this Halloween vodka drink.
Triple Sec offers the delicious flavour of orange and again there are various brands. De Kuyper is always a nice brand to use in cocktails. The lime juice can be bottled or freshly squeezed. Squeeze your own if you have time.
Last of all you need an ice ball for your black Halloween cocktail recipe. This looks like a full moon in the Halloween vodka drink. Smaller ice balls or ice cubes would get lost in the drink instead of floating on the top all full moon-like!
Tips for a Perfect Cocktail with an Ice Ball
If you want to make some additions to your black Halloween cosmopolitan cocktail, that is fine. You might want to add some blueberries or blackberries. Anything dark in colour will work in a black cocktail.
Let’s look at the ice ball too. Perhaps you already have a silicon mould for jumbo sized ice cubes. They are nice to use in drinks where you don’t want the ice to melt fast and dilute the drink. The larger the ice ball the slower it will melt.
You can use smaller ice balls if you want or even use regular ice cubes. For me, I think it’s definitely work investing in a silicon ice mould (I used this mould). You can use these nice big ice cubes (well, not cubes!) in any chilled beverage.
You could even add some food dye to the ice ball. Blue or purple would be fun or you could make it black for a sleek, spooky result! However you make it, this cocktail with an ice ball is going to come out great.
History of the Cosmopolitan Cocktail
This black Halloween cosmopolitan cocktail is very similar to the classic recipe, in that it relies on vodka and cranberry juice. There are several people who claim to have invented the cosmo, with one of them being Cheryl Cook, South Beach’s Martini Queen.
According to the story, Cook noticed how many people stood around with a martini in the hand (the epitome of style in the 1980s). That’s why she created something new which might appeal to more women because of its colour and sweetness.
If you like this Halloween themed drink, you might also like Colourful No Churn Halloween Ice Cream, Perfect Cranberry Cosmopolitan Cocktail, 9 Halloween Podcasts For Spooky Season or Glow in the Dark Coconut Rum Shot for Halloween.
Black Halloween Cosmopolitan Cocktail Recipe
Lunar Elixir – Black Halloween Cosmopolitan Cocktail
Ingredients
For the Black Vodka (makes enough for 4 drinks):
For the Lunar Elixir:
- 2 Oz. black vodka
- 1 Oz. cranberry juice cocktail
- 1/2 Oz. triple sec
- 1/2 Oz. lime juice, freshly-squeezed
- 2.5 ice ball
Instructions
For the Black Vodka (Makes Enough for 4 drinks):
- Pour vodka into a stain-resistant container.
- Using a coffee stir-stick, or other disposable or stain-resistant utensil, dip into the gel colorant container and remove. Icing colors are very concentrated so a little goes a long way. (It’s better to start with less dye than to go overboard so, adding a smaller amount and adding more if it needs it is the best way to go.)
- Insert the dye-dipped utensil into the clear vodka. Stir to mix, making sure to stir-up any dye that settles. Continue stirring until the utensil is clean and the dye has completely dissolved into the vodka.
For the Lunar Elixir:
- Pour black vodka, cranberry juice, triple sec, and lime juice into a sealable container such as a jar or cocktail shaker.
- Shake until mixture is incorporated. It will look a bit frothy but the bubbles will quickly subside. You may also notice a slight green, blue, or purple tinge to the bubbles depending on the brand of dye you use. The Wilton Black Icing Color gave the bubbles a subtle blue-green tint. This hue will lessen as the bubbles do, though you may still be able to see a slight tint if you hold it up to the light.
- Pour the shaken cocktail into a 6-ounce glass. Carefully place ice ball into the glass over the black cocktail.
- You should have a bit of room from the surface of the drink to the top of the glass after the ice ball is placed, allowing for some melting to take place.
Nutrition
A classic cosmopolitan recipe includes vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, and lime juice, along with ice. An orange or lime wedge makes a great garnish. This black Halloween cosmopolitan cocktail isn’t too different but it offers a creepy midnight-black colour with a huge ice ‘moon’ for maximum fun!
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
I’m going to pin this to my board. I made them before but lost the recipe until just now when I found it on your website! My Halloween party this year is black and silver themed so I’m collecting black Halloween drinks and food recipes. Vodka cocktails are always good and this one is frighteningly good!!
Black cocktails are such a way to celebrate Halloween, gel food color is a great way to add that spooky feel to foods.
I love this drink! How much fun is this and it’s so festive for the new season. Totally making it for Halloween.
YES! Halloween is the BEST day of the year. I don’t care what anyone says. And I love learning new cocktails to serve up to my guests at our annual costume party. Looking forward to add this one to the mix.
You are killing it with these Halloween recipes, I’m so pumped to try this one
Saving this for Halloween! Love it