Smoking Cocktails

Send the fun factor soaring with the magical effect of dry ice.

Watching world-leading healthcare scientists’ and investors’ faces light up with childlike excitement as they walked up to grab their first magically smoking molecular cocktail from the Wet Lab Bar while blurting out, “This is SO cool,” I instantly knew dry-ice cocktails were no longer just for spooky, Halloween-themed events. Smoking, dry-ice cocktails are a year-round party trick that you can keep in your back pocket for all sorts of fun themes to blow away guests of all ages. Here are my top tips for how to safely recreate this dry-ice effect on board, as well as some of my best dry-ice drink recipes that are sure to impress:

• You can find dry ice at most major grocery stores and local ice suppliers. I recommend purchasing dry-ice pellets. This is a safer, less time-consuming option than breaking up dry-ice blocks yourself. For 12 guests, 10 pounds of dry-ice pellets should be enough.
• Dry ice does not last in the freezer or the refrigerator, so it is best to purchase your dry ice right before your event. Once you have it aboard, place the dry ice in a cooler with the top off to keep it safely ventilated. The carbon dioxide gas constantly releases as the ice melts, so if it’s stored in a tightly sealed container, you increase the risk of explosion.
• Keep away from pets and children!
• When handling dry ice, you must wear gloves and pick up the dry ice using tongs. I recommend plastic tongs, as mental tongs on dry ice creates a vibrating reaction.
• Dry ice is safe to put in cocktails, but it is imperative that you tell your guest to not drink until the smoke has subsided. For children, I recommend making a punch bowl and dropping the dry ice in it, then ladling out their drink for them, enhancing the safety while still making their cocktails fun. Or, you can use dry ice in table settings (as we did with the scientific beakers pictured at XXX) that will still bring the magic to your event.
• Magical dry-ice cocktails are a simple way to enhance any party. Simply mix your favorite cocktail, drop a pellet into your glass using gloves and tongs, and watch your guests’ faces light up as their cocktail comes to life!
• Be sure to print out a cocktail menu and have your interior team come up with fun, unique names for each cocktail.

Suggested themes include:

Butterfly Effect

1½ oz tequila
⅕ oz lime juice
1 oz pear juice
1 tablespoon agave
Sparkling water
Make a Tajin rim and add a pear slice
Use a rocks glass.

Polyjuice Potion

1½ oz spiced rum
½ oz triple sec
Juice of 1 orange
Sprite
½ oz Blue Curaçao
½ teaspoon silver cocktail shimmer dust (Amazon)
Use a rocks glass.

The Unicorn

2 oz Cotton candy vodka
½ oz St Germain
½ oz cranberry juice
Add cotton candy garnish
Use a martini glass.