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!

Watch the video:

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If you make this yourself, please (if you can) take a photo and tag me on social media so I can see your creation! Enjoy and have a safe and happy Halloween xx

Store Spotlight - Dellamorte & Co.

Well, if there's a shop I've been pining over for literally years, it's this one. Dellamorte & Co. makes some of the most awesome shit for the home I've ever seen. A number of their items have been on my wish-list for a long time, the only thing that holds me back is the cost of shipping weighty items internationally, but I reckon they're worth saving for.

Amor Aeternus Wall Plaque

Dellamorte & Co. makes statues, vases, magnets, barware, wall plaques, lights, and more; everything the macabre household could do with to improve upon its macabreness. Each piece of quality dark art for the home is handmade to order. Much of the inspiration comes from the wish to create functional art, and it is precisely that; many of the things you can find there are not just for display, but to use.

You can find anatomically correct heart-shaped vases, realistic skull planters, tombstone magnets, tentacle winestoppers, and much more. Also can be found exquisitely morbid items purely for decoration, such as wall plaques that look like they've been taken from centuries old sepulchres. At Christmas time, you can decorate with cheerful Krampus decor, or hang the Headless Horseman from your tree.

Anatomical Heart Vase in black

The only piece I own is a conjoined twin fetal skull, which was gifted to me a few years ago. It takes pride of place in the centre of my living room's display cabinet. It's always been one of my favourite decorations, and I have, like I said, pined to own more ever since. Dellamorte & Co. has managed to find the balance between spooky and classy. A lot of home decorations can look cheap and Halloweeny, whereas these pieces are pleasingly morbid as well as elegant and smart.

Fruit Bat Wine Accessory Set

If you are someone who decorates for Halloween all year round, and likes to do it with style, then you should definitely visit Dellamorte & Co's online store. Their pieces also make excellent gifts for fans of the dark and macabre, as I said, my piece was a gift, and one of the coolest I ever remember receiving. Thank you for visiting, hope I've given you something new to admire!
Until next week x

Make a Bat Wall!

Instructional video:


A wall of bats is an easy way to make your bedroom, living room, or hallway look cooler and creepier. It's an effective and cheap Halloween decoration, or for all year round!

Our house is called The Belfry and a wall with a permanent flock of bats is naturally an essential feature, so I'm showing you how to make this fun, simple, and effective decoration idea. You can download and print out the bat template I used, or you can draw your own, whatever you like. Making them different sizes can give the illusion of distance as well. Be creative and enjoy!

Below is the image I used as a template, I found it at ActivityVillage and cropped it to size for you.

You will need:

• Scissors or a craft knife
• A piece of cardboard
• Sheets of black card or stiff paper
• Blu-Tack 
• Glue stick
• A white pencil

Ps: If you make this, take a photo and link it in a comment below, or stick it on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #blackfridaybatwall   - Happy Halloween!

Vampire Makeup Tutorial

I was asked to do a tutorial for the makeup I had on in my last video, so this is pretty similar. Anyway, I love vampires! I loved vampires before it was cool, or something. I've loved vampires since before I could spell the word. So, I decided to do a vampire themed makeup tutorial. Comes complete with dorky thumbnail! And a useful tip for keeping your fangs in longer ^,..,^