I am absolutely loving this! If you put the mead in the pumpkin, drop the dry ice in, then place the entire thing in an igloo cooler and close the lid, it should carbonate it.
Um, not really. It may have some small bubbles but not enough to be truely carbonated. For real carbonation you would need to force carb through a kegorator. Bet you could rent one from a liquor store. Mostly when the dry ice hits the warm (warm to the dry ice even if it has been nearly frozen first) then you get the dry ice fog effect, it doesn't get time or the ability to integrate into the mead. For that you would need something to contain the pressure. Also, don't put mead or any liquid in a two liter bottle and a bit of dry ice in it to attempt it that way. The pressure will be too great and you will get a bottle bomb with the two liter bottle in less than a minute. CO2 gas in dry ice form is like 32 vomules bigger, which would amount to at least 5 atmospheres of pressure or something close, even the best champaign bottles can handle like 3 atmospheres. I think beer and soda is typically carbonated to about 1.5 atmospheres. I may be a little wrong on my numbers but I know it is a BIG differerence.
So really for carbonation, you need to start off with it carbonated or use a kegorator to force carbonate it. I have also heard people use 2 liter bottles and a CO2 tank set up with 2 presser valves to do it. Sorta like that SodaStream machine over at SodaStream.com.
Sorry to rain on your parade, I just wouldn't want you disapointed when it didn't work.
Matrix