Halloween is fast approaching and people are already snatching up decorations and candy from the stores. It’s a fun time of the year, isn’t it? Lots of people throw a big party and invite all their friends and family. You know what that means. You’ll have to have lots of foods and drinks for the crowd. Whether you’re serving spooky foods, or adorable Halloween foods, there’s something really cute you can do with the drinks. Make a pumpkin cooler and it will look great at the party.
The pumpkin cooler can be a quick project or a more involved deal. If you want, you can paint the pumpkin any color. You have lots of choices. You can make a black pumpkin with glow-in-the-dark, painted eyes (use a neon paint marker), you can glue fabric or lace all over the pumpkin, or you can even put a mask on it. If you decide on a mask, use the type that is a half-mask and which has a stretch cord that goes around the back of the head. Before putting the mask on, cut the top off of the pumpkin.
The best pumpkin is one that’s round, yes, but also big and tall. That way, you’ll have plenty of room for putting drinks inside. Cut the top off of the pumpkin, and cut it low enough so that you end up with a deep bowl that has a large-diameter rim. Discard the top. You have different choices when it comes to cutting the pumpkin. You can cut it with a straight line, a jagged line, or even with scalloped edges.
Scrape the meat and seeds out of the pumpkin until it’s clean. Fill it with ice and place drinks inside. Use it just as you would any cooler to chill juice, water, beer, or soft drinks, in bottles or cans.
To make a jack-o-lantern cooler you’ll first clean and carve the pumpkin to create the image you want. Set a short, battery-operated light inside. Choose a bowl that will sit down inside the pumpkin without falling all the way in; the rim of the bowl should sit on the rim of the pumpkin. Make sure the bowl is short enough so that it doesn’t rest on the light. Fill the bowl with ice and drinks.
The pumpkin or jack-o-lantern drink cooler is unusual but perfect for your Halloween party. It not only keeps the drinks cool but it’s also nice enough to be the table centerpiece.
Pumpkin Cooler