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TRON inspired glow in the dark drinks

TRON inspired glow in the dark drinks
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Enjoy a little taste of life on the grid!

While watching TRON: Legacy recently, I decided that my next party needed to channel some of the cool vibe of the Daft Punk dj-ed bar.

Most people are probably familiar with the fact that gin and tonics glow under black lights (there’s even a great instructable about it) but what if you’re not a big fan of g&t?

Thanks to the fantastic Kryptonite Candy instructable, I learned that vitamin B2 (also know as riboflavin) glows yellow.

I decided to experiment to see what adding tonic water and B2 could do to some of my favourite drinks.
 
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Step 1What you'll need

What you\
The magic glowing ingredients are riboflavin and quinine. You can find them in vitamin B2 pills and tonic water.
You can make pretty much any clear or light coloured drink glow by adding either B2 or tonic water, so choose ingredients that suit your tastes.

I made 4 different drinks:

-Classic gin and tonic
-Red Bull and vodka
-Vodka and sprite
-Sobe pina colada with white rum

To get them to glow you will need a black light.

To create TRON style drink umbrellas, I used bendy straws and the bottoms of plastic martini glasses (I've used these disposable glasses for parties and have noticed that the tops are more likely to break than the bottoms, so even though I try to wash and reuse them, I usually end up with a surplus of bottoms)
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35 comments
Mar 7, 2012. 7:01 AMsuperanth says:
The B2 vitamin is also available in liquid form (see below link), cutting out the pill-crushing step.

https://www.google.com/search?q=b2+vitamin+liquid
Dec 4, 2011. 12:25 PMChirpoff says:
THAT"S AWESOME!!! All us programs should get together and have a party! (In full uniform/costume, of course :) I was hoping someone would come up with this! :D
Oct 28, 2011. 7:41 AMaamenabar says:
Artichoke juice also glows yellow. I used it as magic ink as a kid.
Oct 28, 2011. 6:41 AMElgeess says:
Love this! For another colour, might want to experiment with mint and/or lime as seen in this 'ible: http://www.instructables.com/id/Luminous-Watermelon-Salad/ - Maybe mint mojitos will glow pink/red?
Oct 28, 2011. 6:48 AMElgeess says:
Ah, okay - it seems it's the chlorophyll in greens - from this 'ible: http://www.instructables.com/id/Glowing-Foods-Cooking-colorfully-in-ultraviolet-l/ they mention that green-infused oils will glow red. Hmm, don't know how that would be in a drink but might be worth a shot (pun intended). Also, banana smoothie as another white/blue glow?
Oct 9, 2011. 6:05 AMDIYDragon says:
Awesome, I just watched that movie yesterday. haha
Checked out the Kryptonite candy too; very cool. Would be awesome for a black light party deal. : D
Aug 28, 2011. 8:20 AMtinker234 says:
wow i will make some non alchoiclic verisons of this one day
Aug 6, 2011. 1:21 PMPJEC says:
I think you should cover the tops of the umbrellas with highlighter ink, that glows in UV light too...
Jun 22, 2011. 4:30 PMthoyt says:
You should make the glasses yourself and add an additional "blacklight" led in the glass itself, so that the drink glows on its own in low light.
May 14, 2011. 7:18 PMopenroad12 says:
is there any chance that you could not use alcohol yet still get the glow effect
May 5, 2011. 10:07 AMDiego123 says:
In BrittLiv's case I'd be mad, if you win with this.
May 13, 2011. 9:27 AMBrittLiv says:
Hi, I just read this and I'm not mad at all. I think this is what instructables is all about, sharing ideas and having other people develop them further. When I first saw this, the intro text was there and I felt honoured, that you mentioned me (the thing with the vanishing intro text has happened to me as well..). Your projects are amazing, I really love the jello shots! Keep up the good work!
May 3, 2011. 5:59 AMBtheBike says:
very cool . haven't yet scene the new tron . wish i saw it in 3d ($$$ :( have to settle for redbox .
wonder if this stuff is still glo active with a black light in the bathroom . Hah
May 5, 2011. 9:53 AMMaXoR says:
I found your comment amusing!

However physically speaking, if you were to overload your body with b100, you should start to secrete it, both in your urin, and your sweat.... maybe with enough you could start to glow a yellowish green (The actual glow color of this stuff, remember he mixed food coloring into the green ones)

I don't take any responsibility for Vit B overdose! I have no medical background for dosing, nor do I know if it has a limit, or is lethal in high doses. If it's all good, and no risk..... then you'd be able to look radio active!
May 5, 2011. 2:36 PMdkfa says:
I think your body would take up all the vitamins so nothing would happen. Though, I believe it would be glowing inside your body. Who knows?
May 5, 2011. 11:21 PMhenkow says:
dkfa.
Your body only absorbs the amount of vitamins it needs. The rest is excreted, urine and sweat. The vitamins are filtered in the kidney, excessive use of vitamins may lead to kidney failure.
There would be no glowing inside your body as the UV light is unable to penetrate.
I have no qualifications aside from level 2 biology chemistry and physics, this is just my understanding of the matter based on what I have learned in those classes.
May 7, 2011. 5:37 PMVerdantic says:
I think that's pretty much true for water-soluble vitamins, but lipid-soluble vitamins (A,D, E and K) build up in liver and fat tissue and take much longer to be excreted, and so are more likely to cause toxicity.

There's a list of potential side effects here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin#List_of_vitamins
But anyway, in these drinks you're using such a tiny amount that I doubt you'd see much in the way of side-affects.

I remember being told of people eating copious amounts of Vegemite (high in B group vitamins) before and during fishing trips, because apparently the vitamins excreted through your skin act as an insect repellent. I haven't tried it myself, though.
May 11, 2011. 7:49 PMRaNDoMLeiGH says:
Agh, bleh! I've had Vegemite before. It would work better IMHO as a base for broth.
May 6, 2011. 12:08 AMdkfa says:
Oh. Much fail that came out my mouth. I just typed what immediately thought. Cheers!
May 5, 2011. 1:07 PMBtheBike says:
it would be awesome to have glowing sweat under disco blacklights m of course if its safe though.
May 8, 2011. 2:09 PMkaptaink_cg says:
Awesome instructable. Definitely going to try this for my next summer party!
May 5, 2011. 9:21 PMPatrik says:
The curcumin in turmeric powder is supposed to fluoresce really nicely as well, and dissolves in alcohol. That'll give you a third color for your fluorescent drinks...
May 2, 2011. 2:21 AMStormy_rayne says:
Wow, how ironic, i just happen to be watching Tron Legacy when i opened up my laptop to instructables and saw this
May 5, 2011. 9:51 AM____Phi____ says:
I'm not so sure that is irony as much as it is coincidence.
May 1, 2011. 9:57 PMbrooklynlord says:
Whoa...
You should make like a glow-in-the-dark dance bar or club, where all you serve are drinks that glow! Also, replace the light bulbs in the ceiling with black lights.

Perhaps people can also be encouraged to wear glow-in-the-dark clothing!

Just an idea..
May 5, 2011. 8:55 AMgsweet says:
we have a few night clubs here like that also we have a event called darkrave , where uv paints are encouraged
May 5, 2011. 8:38 AMrobothobo says:
At Disney California Adventure they turn one area into a Tron-themed nightclub some nights, called elecTRONica. It's pretty cool. The drinks they serve there are a Glowhito (which comes with a glowing fake ice cube) and a Digitini (which comes in a glowing martini glass)
May 5, 2011. 7:52 AMcaptain Jack says:
B100 powder! Healthy, and glow-ey!
May 5, 2011. 7:17 AMrix_101 says:
absolutly epic!!!

:endofline:
May 5, 2011. 6:18 AMrichdoe says:
Now all we need is a method to make those tiny "bit" cube ice cubes any the effect would be complete!
May 2, 2011. 10:26 AMflaming_pele! says:
I'll definitely try the green for Halloween!
May 1, 2011. 8:26 PMdarknessfalls says:
i really want to try the green ones, and will be forwarding this onto a friend.
May 1, 2011. 6:25 PMCivicalized says:
I will definitely have to try this. I finally watched Tron last night actually. Perfect timing.

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Author:ModMischief(Mod Mischief, the blog)
For more about my costumes, crafts and general craziness, check out my blog: http://modmischief.blogspot.com/