This eerie lychee eyeball punch is delicious, easy to make and it looks… back at you! The abyss punch bowl will be the main attraction at your Halloween party!
It tastes sweet and exotic, with lychees and dark sweet cherries, lemon-lime soda (or lemonade) and jello for a lusciously rich mouthfeel.
A proper gory Halloween punch needs some eyeballs floating in it, don’t you think? No need to kill a beholder! Lychees are a delicate sweet fruit with a flavor perfect for cocktails, and they have the perfect “eye” shape to make these creepy eyeballs!
table of contents
Ingredients and substitutions
This punch recipe is the best because you have many options for ingredient swaps that will make it fit your needs: you can do it non-alcoholic, with sugar-free jello, or with lemonade instead of Sprite.
These are the main ingredients you’ll need to make this gory Halloween punch. The exact amounts are listed in the recipe summary at the bottom of the post.
- One box of cherry jello mix (or other berry flavor)
- Canned lychees in syrup + blueberries (for the eyes!)
- Dark sweet cherries or cocktail cherries
- Frozen or fresh mixed berries*
- Lemon-lime soda or lemonade
- (Optional) Vodka**, for a spiked punch!
*The blueberries are the pupils of the lychee eyes. If you don’t have blueberries, you can use cherries or small grapes.
*You’ll need frozen or fresh berries. Frozen berries are great because they are are available year-round, are cheaper, AND they help chill the drink with less ice.
**Plain vodka works great, but cherry vodka and raspberry vodka really add a kick of berry flavor. You can use a white light rum instead of vodka if you prefer.
The recipe as written is reasonably low-alcohol but you can increase as you like, or make it non-alcoholic instead by substituting the vodka for extra Sprite (or lemonade).
How to make
This next part is a photo tutorial of the recipe steps with extra tips. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and summarized instructions, scroll down to the Printable Recipe Card.
Lychee blueberry eyeballs
It’s very easy to make lychee eyeballs! Drain the lychees from the syrup and reserve the syrup to add to the punch later on. The can should have at least about 1 cup of syrup or more.
Gently stuff one blueberry (or two, if there’s space) into each lychee. Place them in a plate or bowl as you go.
When you finish stuffing all the lychees, place them in the freezer until it’s time to add them to the punch bowl (in the last step).
Mix the punch
Add 1 cup of boiling water directly into the punch bowl (if heat safe) or to a smaller heat safe bowl.
Sprinkle the cherry jello powder into the boiling water and mix from about two minutes until it’s completely dissolved. Wait until it cools down a little.
In the punch bowl, mix the jello with the lychee syrup, lemon juice, vodka (if using) and mix, Add the lemon-lime soda, the cherries with their syrup, the mixed berries and the lychee eyeballs.
If you are preparing the punch in a jar instead of a bowl, it’s better to place the lychee eyeballs directly in the glasses and pour the drink over them.
Keep refrigerated until it’s time to serve. Serve over ice, or add ice to the bowl just before serving if needed.
Recipe variations
Reduced-sugar, lower-carb version: Substitute regular lemon-lime soda for zero-sugar or diet Sprite or 7-Up soda, and use sugar-free jello.
Vegetarian: Use a plant-based berry flavored jello.
Non-alcoholic: Make an alcohol-free punch by swapping the vodka for an equal amount of lemonade, Sprite or cold water.
Notes and tips
Prevent ice dilution
To avoid diluting the taste as the ice melts, let guests add ice directly to the glasses. Otherwise, add ice to the bowl just before serving.
Using frozen berries and freezing the lychee eyeballs will help keep the punch chilled with less ice.
Make frozen lychee eyeballs
To freeze the lychee eyeballs, prepare them in advance (a few hours at least, or the day before).
Place them in a baking sheet without touching one another until they are frozen solid. You can transfer them to a freezer-safe container and they won’t stick together.
If the berry mix you choose has blueberries in it, you can just pick those to make the lychee eyeballs. They can be done with frozen blueberries too.
How many eyeballs per serving
One can of lychees contains about 15-18 pieces. For each eyeball, you’ll need one lychee and one blueberry. This recipe make about 1/2 gallon or 8 servings. So you’ll probably get about one pair of eyeballs per serving (about 7 ounces).
If you need more eyes floating in your guest’s drinks, you know what to do 👀
lychee eyeball punch
An eerie and delicious Halloween drink, this cherry punch has eyeballs floating in it! Spike with vodka or make it alcohol-free, it's wonderful either way!
- 1 can lychees (reserve the syrup for the punch)
- blueberries (to stuff the lychees, one/two per each)
- 3 ounces cherry gelatin (1 4-serving box)
- 1 cup boiling water
- lychee syrup (from the can)
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 cup vodka (optional)
- 24 ounces lemon-lime soda (2 cans (or lemonade))
- 1/2 cup dark sweet cherries (with the syrup)
- 1 cup mixed berries (frozen or fresh)
Stuff each lychee with one blueberry (or two if it fits). Place them in the freezer until it's time to add them to the punch bowl
Add 1 cup of boiling water directly into the punch bowl (if heat safe) or to a smaller heat safe bowl. Sprinkle the cherry jello powder into the boiling water and mix from about two minutes until it's completely dissolved. Wait until it cools down a little.
In the punch bowl, mix the jello with the lychee syrup, lemon juice, vodka (if using) and mix, Add the lemon-lime soda, the cherries with their syrup, the mixed berries and the lychee eyeballs.
Keep refrigerated until it's time to serve. Serve over ice, or add ice to the bowl just before serving if needed.
Frozen eyeballs to use as ice: Prepare the lychee eyeballs at least one day in advance. Place them in a baking sheet without touching one another until they are frozen solid. You can transfer them to a freezer-safe container and they won’t stick together.
Substitutions:
- You can use raspberry or cranberry jello instead of cherry if you like.
- Replace plain vodka for cherry or raspberry flavored vodka, or light/white rum.
- Instead or lemon-lime soda, you can use lemonade (homemade or frozen). The punch won’t have bubbles, though.
Reduced-sugar, lower-carb version: Use zero-sugar or diet Sprite or 7-Up soda, and sugar-free jello.
Non-alcoholic: Replace vodka with lemon-lime soda or lemonade.
The recipe makes about 1/2 gallon of punch. You can double or triple the ingredients for more servings.
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