Monday 11 September 2023
Black Friday's Realistic Blood Punch/Cocktail
Haven't you always wanted to feel more authentically like a vampire while getting drunk at the same time? I've always wondered why I could never find a recipe for an alcoholic drink, be it a punch or cocktail, that resembled blood beyond just being red. Why was there nothing out there with the consistency of blood, too?
The goal for this recipe was to avoid food colouring, and get it the right colour just with the ingredients. Theoretically you could make just about any drink red by adding food colouring, but that feels like cheating. It also needed to taste good. What I really wanted to achieve, was an alcoholic drink that felt and moved like blood. This may not be perfect but it was the closest I could get whilst maintaining the flavour.
Be the coolest/weirdest host ever by providing your guests with a punch that not only looks, but feels like blood. Best of all, it tastes lovely and makes for easy drinking. Serve it cooled, or leave it slightly warm to make it feel creepier. You can add ice cubes (I recommend ice with red food colouring in it) but remember if you put ice into a pitcher or punch bowl, this will dilute the punch and thin its consistency as it melts.
Best Halloween punch ever? I think so. The recipe can be scaled up or down to make a whole bowl or pitcher of punch, or just a couple of cocktails. The recipe below yields two or three servings. Simply multiply the recipe depending on how many people you're likely to be serving. For example, if you're serving 12 guests, multiply the ingredients by 6. For 20 guests, by 10, and so forth. The measurements don't have to be exact!
You will need:
150ml/5oz Red wine (merlot or cabernet sauvignon)
30ml/1oz Cherry brandy or cherry liqueur
60ml/2oz Vodka
30ml/1oz Raspberry syrup or cordial
30ml/1oz Grenadine
120ml/4oz Pomegranate juice
3tsp. Arrowroot powder
Method:
In a small, separate dish, mix the arrowroot with 3 teaspoons cold water. Stir until you have a smooth white liquid with no lumps.
Put the other ingredients together into a pot on the stove.
Heat carefully over medium heat. It should get hot but not boil, about 80˚C/176˚F. Do not let it boil!
Gradually add the arrowroot liquid into the pot, stir consistently.
You should start to feel the mixture thicken slightly as you stir, this only takes a minute or two.
Remove from the heat and put into a heat safe container. Put in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes or until cooled. Leaving it for too long will cause it to congeal a bit.
Pour into a punch bowl, pitcher, or cocktail glasses. Garnish and serve!
