6 Fizzy Halloween Drinks to Make with Your Drinkmate

Every Halloween party has the same problem. The candy is handled, the costumes are handled, and then someone asks what everyone's drinking and you're staring at a case of plain seltzer.

The good news is that the spooky part of a Halloween drink is mostly color and a good name. Give a glass of fizzy juice a dramatic label and a garnish and people will treat it like a potion. A Drinkmate helps because it carbonates juice, not only water, so you can start with something already dark red or electric green and just add the bubbles.

Here are six that have held up at actual parties.

Poison apple spritz

Start with cold apple cider and carbonate it in a few short presses. In the glass, add a splash of pomegranate juice or grenadine and let it sink toward the bottom. You get a bloody red swirl rising into golden fizz, which looks great in a clear glass and tastes like a caramel apple's lighter cousin. A thin apple slice on the rim finishes it.

Vampire's kiss

Blood orange juice is the whole trick here. It's a deep ruby color, a little bitter, and very good carbonated. Fill the bottle with chilled blood orange juice, carbonate it, and pour over ice with a squeeze of lime. If you can't find blood orange, a mix of orange juice and a little cranberry gets you close.

For the grown-up version, add a shot of vodka or a splash of Aperol after carbonating.

Witch's brew

This is the green one, and it's the one the kids will ask for by name. Mix limeade with a little pineapple juice, chill it well, and carbonate it. It comes out bright and slightly cloudy, like something simmering in a cauldron. A few drops of green food coloring will push it into full glow-in-the-dark territory if you want. Float a lime wheel on top.

Black cherry potion

Black cherry or tart cherry juice is dark enough to look almost black in a tall glass, which is exactly what you want. Carbonate it plain, pour over ice, and top with a little ginger ale or a squeeze of lemon. It tastes a bit like a fancy cherry soda, and the color does most of the work for you.

Purple haze

Grape juice, carbonated, is a lot better than it sounds. It tastes like the grape soda you remember, only less syrupy. Pour a little lemonade over the top and watch the color shift as it mixes. It works for kids and adults, and it photographs well, which matters more than you'd think at a party.

Graveyard sangria

For the adults. Stir red wine, cold apple cider, orange slices, and a few blackberries together in a pitcher and let it sit for a few hours. Carbonate it by the glass. The wine goes slightly sparkling, the fruit looks a little eerie floating in it, and you didn't have to buy a bottle of something bubbly.

Making it feel like a party

A few things that make the whole setup easier:

• Chill all your juices well before you start. Cold liquid holds carbonation much better.
• Carbonate juice slowly. It foams more than water, so use short bursts and leave room in the bottle.
• Make the drinks ahead of time if you can, then label each pitcher with something ridiculous. "Eye of Newt" for the limeade has never once failed.
• Skip anything small or hard as a garnish if little kids are around. Gummy worms and plastic spiders look fun but aren't worth the choking risk. Fruit slices and citrus wheels do the job.
• Always release the pressure through the valve before you take the bottle off the machine.

Why a Drinkmate for Halloween

You're making a lot of drinks in a short window, and you probably don't want to run to the store for six different kinds of soda. A Drinkmate runs on CO2 alone, so there's no cord or charging to worry about, and standard 60L threaded CO2 cylinders sold in North America work with it, including SodaStream and Soda Sense. You also control the sugar, which is useful on a night when everyone is already surrounded by candy.

Questions people ask

Can I carbonate juice in a Drinkmate? Yes. Chill it first and carbonate in short bursts so it doesn't foam over.

Can I make these ahead of time? You can mix the bases ahead and keep them in the fridge, but carbonate shortly before serving for the best fizz.

Are these kid-friendly? Everything here except the sangria and the cocktail options is alcohol-free, so they work for kids and adults alike.

Can I add alcohol? Plenty of people do. Stir it in after carbonating and please drink responsibly.