They say that change is the only constant in life. Sometimes you see it happen, other times you look back and wonder, “when did THAT happen”! Over the years, our fall and Halloween traditions have changed. I still remember my first Halloween in America, some 10 years ago. Um.. Let’s just say I had to google it after the class teacher sent a list of what Halloween stuff was allowed in school for my then 8 year old. Not only did we learn about customs and traditions and Trick Or Treat, we also learned about decorating the home for Halloween is a sign of invitation for Trick O Treaters. And we learned that apartments in our area don’t get many goblins and ghouls knocking at their doors for candy.
Needless to say that from the next Halloween we more than made up for our lost chance of fun. We went all out on pumpkins by making squash rolls or pumpkin rolls . Our house was made welcoming by putting out fall decor and carving pumpkins and we dressed up and went around the neighborhood to greet our witchy and haunting neighbors.
Fast forward to now and pumpkin is still ruling the fall food theme in our home, but the decorations have gotten spookier. A few days ago I drove past my home at night because I couldn’t really tell that that spooky house was mine [ Insert teary eyed laughing emoji].
The one thing that hasn’t changed over the years is that we make Halloween fun for us adults as well. After the kids have counted the loot and safely kept the stash hidden from mom and dad and are pretending to sleep in their rooms; the adults gather around to enjoy a beverage of the spirit kind and eat some fun food. So to honor that tradition, I have this Black Magic Martini to celebrate. It’s super fun to make and serve & tastes smooth.
I don’t usually post recipes that require people to buy an obscure product. Because I know it is difficult to make use of the rest of the obscure product and that running around for a new and relatively unknown product is not fun. But stay with me for this one. I mean look at the color!! So when I decided to make a Black Magic Martini, I knew I would have to hunt down a Black vodka and after much research I concluded that only Blavod makes the best black vodka.
Now the challenge was to snag it. I called a few stores around me and even though they had it in their online inventory they didn’t have it in the stores. I was getting ready to order it online, when I chatted with my friend Barb from Creative-Culinary. We decided to get together to play shooting cocktails and just catching up. And while we were texting back and forth, Barb had already put a hold on a bottle of Blavod in one of the stores near her place because they only had two left. So this black magic martini is brought to you by Barb.
Is it worth it to get a bottle of this vodka instead of coloring yours black? I would say yes. Although I did add a drop of black color into this to make the color more pronounced for photos. But when making this for our party recently, I didn’t add color.
Joining me today are my Progressive Eats blogger friends and together we are bringing you some Spooktacular fun. Check them out :-
Spooktacular Halloween Party
Appetizers
- Spooky Breadstick Fingers from Mother Would Know
Drinks
- Black Magic Martini from Spiceroots
Desserts
- Meringue Ghost Cookies from Creative Culinary
- Mummy Cookies from The RedHead Baker
- Jack O’Lantern Apple Hand Pies from The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Halloween Spider Chocolate Chip Cookies from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Loch Ness Monster Pumpkin Strudel from Pastry Chef Online
Black Magic Martini
Black Vodka is made by infusing catechu extract into the vodka. The resulting vodka has a deep purple - black color but not a change in taste.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Black Vodka
- 2 oz Cranberry Juice reduced start with 4 oz and reduce by half
- 1 oz orange juice
- 1 drop Black color ( if needed)
- Sugared Cranberries (optional)
Instructions
Reduction of Cranberry
Take 4 oz of cranberry juice and put it in a sauce pan and reduce by half. Allow to cool.
Add in the reduced cranberry juice, black vodka and orange juice into a cocktail shaker. Fill with some ice. Add in the color if using.
Give it a hard shake for 15 to 20 seconds.
Add a bit of dry ice into the martini glass and pour the drink over it.
Serve immediately topped with some sugared cranberries
Recipe Notes
Notes :
1)To increase the cranberry flavor, you could boil some fresh cranberries with the juice while making the reduction.
2)If the color of your drink is not a true black, reduce or omit the orange juice or add a hint of edible black color.
Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. Our menu this month features a cocktail, appetizers and Desserts for a Spooktacular Halloween Party. I am the Host this month!! YAY!
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats, a theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out.