It’s spooky season. Time for zombies, ghouls, and other things that go bump in the night. If you’d like to up your game for Halloween dress-up, allow me to share a secret that is kind to your budget, looks great, tastes good, and is a whole lot of fun to boot. I’m talking about my hand-crafted fake blood recipe.
Easy, cheap, and convincing
Let’s face it, the drug and grocery store tubes really don’t, pardon the pun, cut it. Too often, they’re not only the wrong color, but they don’t behave like the real thing. And that ingredient list? No thank you.
People often attempt their own fake blood recipe with corn syrup and red food coloring. But what you wind up with is something that looks and behaves like cherry syrup. Real blood is thicker and far more complex in color. Thankfully, you’re only three ingredients away from sanguine supremacy: corn starch, cocoa powder and blue food coloring. Yes, blue.
I found this formulation online years ago, posted by Metacafe user Videomaker. The website no longer exists, but you can still take advantage of this great recipe and, odds are, most of these ingredients are already in your kitchen.
For ease of pouring into storage containers, I mix this in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. You are dealing with food coloring, so make sure to wash up thoroughly when you are done.
Fake blood recipe
Ingredients:
- 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1-1/2 drops blue food coloring
- 1 teaspoon red food coloring
Instructions:
- Mix the ingredients one at a time. Start by fully incorporating the cocoa powder into the syrup. Then, do the same with the cornstarch.
- Once the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed in, add the blue food coloring. Again, mix thoroughly.
- Add the red food coloring, and combine fully.
That’s all there is to it! You can apply it with brushes or cotton swabs. You won’t need much, and the recipe makes enough so you can experiment beforehand.
Storage:
I’d recommend a glass container. If you use plastic, expect the plastic to stain.
Do you have a budding filmmaker amongst your horde? This recipe works beautifully on camera. Of course, if you want to make a black-and-white video, there’s a simpler trick: Chocolate syrup. Don’t laugh. It worked for Hitchcock in “Psycho.”
Happy haunting!
Scott Piehler hosts and produces Alameda’s only weekly news digest podcast, the Alameda PostCast. Reach him at [email protected].
