Halloween is supposed to come with a little shock factor, right? That’s my excuse for this next creepy cocktail: Pina Ghouladas served in “blood rimmed” glasses and garnished with “bleeding eyeballs”.  I promise they taste way better than they sound! =)

The from-scratch drink recipe is below, or you can keep things easy and just use frozen or pre-mixed pina colada mix. Entertaining little ones or non-drinkers? Just leave out the alcohol!

Full recipe & garnish details below…

PINA GHOULADA

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You’ll need:

• 20 oz pineapple juice
• 1 can cream of coconut – (15 oz)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup orange juice
• 10 oz rum (optional)

Instructions:

1. Whisk together pineapple juice, cream of coconut, heavy cream, orange juice and rum.
2. Place 2 1/2 cups ice in a blender, then and add 1 cup drink mixture.
3. Blend until smooth, and pour into prepared glasses. (If mixture is too thick, add more pineapple juice before serving.)
4. Repeat process with remaining ice and mixture.
OR – Make it Quick: Just use frozen or pre-mixed pina colada mix for the drink.

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For the “BLOOD RIM”:

OPTION 1: Hard Candy Version* – Click here for the recipe.

*This is the version we used in these photos. It takes a little time, but I recommend this route to get the prettiest, richest color. (We also tried a store-bought mix, but it came out translucent/pink looking, so we scrapped it.) And because this version dries hard, it’s less messy for guests than a gooey/liquid rimmer.

OPTION 2: Corn Syrup “Blood Rim”

(a Martha Stewart recipe)

You’ll need:

• 3 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoons red food coloring

Instructions:

1. Pour the corn syrup in a shallow bowl.
2. Dip a toothpick into the food coloring, and stir a very small amount into the syrup to combine.
3. Hold a glass by the stem, dip rim into the syrup mixture, and turn glass, coating entire rim.
4. Turn the glass upright, allowing mixture to drip down sides.
5. Dip the remaining glasses. Set aside.

For the EYEBALL GARNISH:

Ingredients:

• canned lychee in syrup, drained (available at most Asian markets)
• strawberry (or other red-colored) preserves
• blueberries (fresh or frozen, thawed)

Directions:

1. Dry lychee & fill cavity with red preserves.
2. Insert blueberry, blossom end facing out.
3. Spear with a toothpick or cocktail skewer. Gross!

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CHEERS!