Guest Recipe: Tom's Blood Tonic with Eyeball Ice

Halloween has been transformed since Tom's childhood in the 1980s. Turnips have made way for pumpkins, and tie-dyed bedsheets have been replaced by ghoulish costumes that become more elaborate with every year that passes.

Halloween hosts have also taken their parties to another level! And where there's a party, there must be drinks. Tom's recipe for Blood Tonic with Eyeball Ice is a devilishly sweet treat that's suitable for all the family given that it contains no alcohol.

A fruity punch, thickened with the addition of strawberry jelly and topped up with lemonade. Just prep the ingredients a few hours ahead of the party and assemble once the ghouls and gremlins arrive…

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes

Serves: 16

Category: Non-alcoholic Drinks,Halloween

Ingredients

• 1 x 425g can Lychees in light syrup (approx. 16 fruits)
• Black Grapes (1 per Lychee)
• Strawberry Ice Cream Sauce
• 1 x 135g pack Strawberry Jelly
• 1 litre Cranberry and Raspberry fresh juice drink
• 125ml Grenadine Cordial Concentrate
• 250ml Boiling Water
• 375ml cold water
• Lemonade or Soda Water to Serve

Method

1. Drain the Lychees in a colander. Pop a black grape into the middle of each lychee fruit to make something resembling an eyeball. Using a mini muffin tray, place each eye ball pointing upwards and carefully pour some water in to fill each muffin hole 2/3 full. Carefully drizzle a few drops of strawberry ice cream syrup around the grape in the lychee to resemble blood before placing in the freezer to freeze.
2. To prep the Blood Tonic, break the jelly up into pieces and stir to dissolve in 250ml of boiling water. Mix the grenadine concentrate with the cold water and pour over the dissolved jelly mixture. Finally, stir through the cranberry and raspberry juice. At this point, I like to pass the juice through a fine sieve to remove any sediment before popping into a jug and chilling in the fridge.
3. To remove the Eyeball Ice from the tray, remove from the freezer and place the bottom into a baking tray with a little warm water. This will loosen the ice cubes so that they pop out easily.
4. To assemble the drinks, half fill tumblers with the Blood Tonic and top up with Lemonade (people preferring a less sweet drink might like to use tonic water instead). Finally pop a single Eyeball Ice into the top of each glass and serve.

Tom Frizell-Shackley is a food writer, recipe developer and freelance PR consultant, based in the North of England. He lives with his partner, son, three spaniels and four rescued ex-battery chickens. Since 2019, he has published recipes and kitchen tips for his Kitchen Notes food blog – www.kitchennotes.co.uk.