The Witch's Heart - Halloween Cocktail

Directions

1. Place the vodka in a glass jar (with a tight fitting lid).
2. INFUSE IN THE FRIDGE - Add the blackberries to the vodka. Close the lid and let it infuse for up to 1 week in the fridge for best results (at minimum 3 days).
3. INFUSE WITH SOUS VIDE - Set up your sous vide to 130°F / 54°C. Place the vodka and blackberries in a freezer / ziploc bag that has a tight seal. Close the bag using the water displacement technique. Submerge the bag in the sous vide and let it infuse for about 2 hours. Remove from the sous vide and allow to cool down before using / storage.
4. Strain the infused vodka into a different jar through a cheesecloth-lined sieve and discard the blackberries. DO NOT push the blackberries through the sieve. The vodka should be purple with good clarity (no cloudiness).
5. Add enough simple syrup to make it sweet to your liking. I prefer to add between ¼ - ⅓ cup per 1 cup of vodka.
6. Add about ⅛ tsp (or even less) of the purple luster dust or pearl luster dust, and mix to combine. The liqueur should have a shimmer when stirred. Add another pinch (up to a total of ¼ tsp) if needed, but you shouldn't need to.
7. If you use purple luster dust, the liqueur should be purple in color. If you use pearl luster dust, the color might be a pinkish purple color. You can leave it as is, or add a couple of drops of purple food coloring to get a more deep purple color if desired (optional).
8. Add about ½ - 1 tsp of powdered dry ice to the bottom of the serving glass (optional). This is only needed if you want to create the smoky effect while pouring the drink.
9. Place the apple juice, lemon juice, purple shimmery liqueur, and simple syrup in a shaker. Add a generous amount of ice and shake for a few seconds to chill the drink. (Adding more ice will prevent the ice from melting and diluting the drink.) Add more simple syrup only if you prefer.
10. Strain the drink into a martini glass.
11. Pour 1 tsp of grenadine syrup per drink, about an inch from the surface of the drink. The grenadine should sink to the bottom, creating a "bleeding" effect.
12. Add about ½ tsp of powdered dry ice on top and serve with a stirrer, so that your guests can stir the "potion" to create that shimmery, smoky effect.