DIY Pensieve Punch: A Glowing, Shimmering, DRINKABLE Potter Potion!

If you follow me on FB and Instagram then you may have guessed John and I are planning a Potter party soon. I mean, if the Treacle Tart experiments didn't give it away, then this video of our "Pensive Punch" certainly did:

Experimenting with drinkable potions tonight for a Potter-themed Pensieve Punch. 🍹⚡️💙 #HarryPotterDrinks #pensieve #potions #shimmerydrink #funwithdryice

A video posted by Jen Yates (@epbot) on Oct 13, 2016 at 4:27pm PDT

Watch 'til the end.

And yes, the punch is safe to drink!

It took a little more tweaking, but now I'm pretty happy with how the punch tastes AND looks. Here it is in our illuminated stand:

This is one of those projects that has a HUGE "bang for your buck" factor, and you'll be surprised how easy and inexpensive it is. The dry ice brings the drama, of course, but the Pensieve is actually quite stunning even without it:

This pic is straight off my camera, no photo-editing whatsoever.

And if you turn on the overhead lights and look down into the punch - or ladle it into a drinking glass -  it looks like this:

 

MAGIC.

So, want to make your own? 

OF COURSE YOU DO. Even if you're not into Harry Potter, this punch is cool as heck!

So here's what you'll need:

- A clear plastic punch bowl:

This one is from our local Dollar Tree and cost - you guessed it - a dollar.

- A smaller bowl - preferably footed - that your punch bowl can fit into, like this:

We found this glass bowl/candy dish at a thrift store for $3.

 Make sure it's a good solid base, and that there's some space between the bottoms of the two bowls, because that's where you'll be putting:

- One strand of battery powered LEDs:

Like this.

Or, if there's room, you could also try a battery powered push light.

If your bottom bowl is not opaque - as you can see ours wasn't - then you'll need to paint it. A quick blast of primer and chrome spray paint later, we had this prettiness:

 

Other than the punch itself, the only other expense is dry ice, which I was amazed to learn is only $1.50/lb at our local grocery store. John grabbed 4 pounds, which was such a ridiculous amount we could have kept the punch bubbling all night. So maybe just get 2 pounds.

The dry ice comes in a small slab, so crack it into chunks with a butter knife. (Try not to touch it with your bare hands.) Too large of a piece will cause severe bubbling and possible splash-over, so start with the size of lime or smaller.

Note that dry ice displaces oxygen, so don't go shoving your face in the "smoke." You also should avoid swallowing any small pieces of it. Fortunately the bubbles make it easy to spot, but be extra cautious with kids, and don't let them serve themselves.

YAY BUBBLY GOODNESS.

Now, let's talk punch.

The secret ingredient for that oh-so-magical shimmer is a product called edible super pearl dust or shimmer dust or luster dust. (It has a few names, but the "super pearl" and "dust" parts seem to be key. You do NOT want glitter, and even regular pearl dust isn't fine enough.) 

Here's the product we used:

 It cost less than $4 at our local cake decorating outlet, or you grab it on Amazon for a little over $6.

I'd hoped something by Wilton would work, since Wilton is easy to find in every craft store, but here's what the Wilton Pearl Dust looks like in blue-tinted water:

Versus the same amount of CK Super Pearl Dust in blue-tinted water:

 It's night-and-day in real life. The Wilton Pearl Dust adds a slight glitter, while the CK dust is like actual magic.

Those were the only two brands we tested, so if you decide to try another, please be sure it has a big ol' "EDIBLE, NON-TOXIC, FDA-APPROVED" on the packaging. You do NOT want a cosmetics grade dust; it must be food grade.

To give you an idea how potent the CK dust is, this is just 1/4 tsp added to the bowl:

... and that's a heavy amount of shimmer, so you could easily use less. 

I'd guess one container of pearl dust should shimmer up at least 6 punch bowls - more than enough for just about any party.

Once you have your Super Pearl Dust, you'll need to mix it in a completely transparent liquid - so no pulpy fruit juices or creams. Alcohol, clear soda, or even water looks fantastic. 

Here's the recipe ratio we came up with:

- 1 Cup Sprite

- 1/4 cup Pineapple Juice

- 2 oz Blue Curacao

- 1/4 cup water (optional - I just found it too sweet)

Increase all quantities as needed. The result is a sweet citrus-y punch, since the Blue Curacao is orange flavored.

For a non-alcoholic version try Blue Hawaiian Punch, or add a few drops of blue food coloring to Sprite and any clear juice. (I have zero experience with punch recipes, so suggestions welcome!)

Serve in clear glasses, so your guests can oooh over all the swirling, shimmery goodness. 

Note that the pearl dust will settle over time, so if you don't have dry ice in your Pensieve to keep it bubbling, you'll need to give it a stir every now and then.

And of course you can make your Punch any color, so have fun experimenting with different liqueurs or food coloring, and with different color pearl dusts! If you do, though, PLEASE share pics over on the Epbot Facebook page, because I reaallly wanna see. [Bambi eyes]


Happy Punching, everyone!

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Want more Harry Potter crafts? I have tutorials for flying snitch ornaments, floating candles, light-up wands, and more, all over on my Craft Page!