You Should Be Drinking Boxed Wine Out Of A Pumpkin This Fall

The vampire's kiss and grave digger cocktails are spooky spiked sippers sure to please this fall season, but hand-crafted cocktails require a bit of hands-on action from hosts in the kitchen. For easy hosting at holiday parties all season long, look no further than today's tip. We've explored how to transform any cake into a festive pumpkin, and now we're transforming actual pumpkins into legendary wine dispensers that'll have Halloween party guests raving till next season. All it takes is tucking your favorite boxed wine inside of a hollowed-out pumpkin.

To make your dispenser, hit the pumpkin patch or supermarket to select the perfect pumpkin. The fewer surface blemishes and greater capacity for volume, the better. Then, bring that bad boy home and give it a gentle but thorough wash using a damp paper towel. Just as you might for making jack-o-lanterns, carve out the top of your pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Then, carve a small hole at the center-bottom of the front of the pumpkin — this is where the wine bag's spout will protrude. From there, simply remove the full plastic bag from a box of wine, gently stuff it into the pumpkin, guide the spout through the hole you carved, and replace the "lid" back on top of the pumpkin. Guests will get a kick out of serving themselves throughout the night from this fun dispenser — which also frees up the host to mingle and relax without having to keep an eye out for who needs refills.

For an extra spooky aesthetic, opt for a sweet dark red wine like zinfandel or dornfelder, which will look dramatic pouring out of the bright orange pumpkin. Or, for a more understated monochromatic look, you could opt for an orange wine. As you select which wine to stuff inside your pumpkin dispenser, the most important aspect to keep in mind is temperature. Varieties that perform well at room temperature are the best fit for this job. What those playful pumpkins bring in festive flair they sadly lack in temperature control. Save your favorite chilled whites and stick to reds or natural oranges here.

To assemble an eye-catching drink table, place the wine-stuffed pumpkin beside a glass drink dispenser or crystal punch bowl of Halloween sangria with lychees and black grapes. If you're hosting a grown-up party where plastic cups won't cut it, check out these Whaline stemless jack-o-lantern wine glasses or these Dandat skull-shaped drinking glasses to bring an impressive finishing touch to every sip of your reliable boxed wine.

This fun tip can also work with non-alcoholic beverages, which can be a hit at kid's parties. Natural apple cider (found at your local orchard or farmers market) or spooky purple punch made with lemon-lime soda and grape Kool-Aid mix would work beautifully. If you forego the boxed wine, the dispensing bladder will need to be purchased separately — something like these Zonon refillable bladders should do the trick.