"TrueBlood" Vampire-Rimmed Cocktail Glasses

These "TrueBlood" inspired bloody rimmed cocktail glasses are the ultimate spookalicious addition to any Halloween bash.

The dripping blood around the rim of the cocktail glass is made out of red candy. These versatile glasses can be filled with any Halloween concoction you can come up with, both alcoholic or non. (some ideas on the last page)...

Please be cautious when recreating this instructable and use an oven mitt during step 2.  If not, you may sustain severe burns & that would be no fun.

Step 1: Ingredients & Prep

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon red food gel paste

alcohol of choice



Prep & tools:

old oven mitt

1 sheet aluminum foil

1 cutting board

Cover cutting board in aluminum foil to absorb drips

candy thermometer

glasses

Place cutting board covered in aluminum foil, red gel paste, and glasses on stove next to pot.

Step 2: Make the "TrueBlood" Vampire Rim

To make the candy bloody rim:

1. Combine sugar, corn syrup & water in pot. Stir to combine.

2. Place candy thermometer onto side of pot. Turn stove on to medium heat.** Do not stir**

3. When candy thermometer reaches 300 degrees F,  add 1 teaspoon of red gel paste. Turn heat on stove to low.

4. Put on oven mitt. Once deep red color is incorporated into candy mixture, dip each glass into mixture up to three times to achieve desired effect. Turn upright onto cutting board. **If you don't wear an oven mitt, HOT candy will drip on your skin & you will sustain severe burns.**

Step 3: Allow Blood to Cool

Cool  the Blood:

Allow bloody rimmed glasses to cool on cutting board  for at least one hour. Don't worry if the candy blood has dripped onto the bottom of the glasses. It gives the glass a more dramatic effect, but will also pop right off once cooled if you don't want the added effect.

Step 4: Cheers!

Time to spook your friends!

Use dark flavored vodkas or spirits for a more dramatic effect. A particular favorite of mine is black cherry vodka and grenadine to simulate blood.

For an awesome kids version, try adding some flavored oil to the candy at the same time you add the red gel paste. A simple Shirley Temple would be great with these. Just add sprite and grenadine. 

To clean left over candy in pot, fill the pot with water and bring to a boil. Let boil for 5 to 8 minutes. Empty contents into sink. Repeat until no candy remains. To clean glasses, bring large pot filled with water to a boil, gently place glasses inside and let sit for a couple of minutes. Using an oven mitt and tongs, remove clean glass from pot.

Have a Spooktacular Time!

Cheers!