HOWTO make a cocktail that looks like outer space

Given a black light, some tonic, some gin or vodka, and pink lemonade concentrate, you can mix a cocktail that looks like the aurora borealis:

Aurora is TCCs black light phosphorescent take on jungle-juice. Originally conceived in 2006, it is a drink that is pink in natural light, but glows aqua-marine in black-light. Thus, it represents the two main colors of the aurora-borealis. So, without further ado here is the recipe. (Originally, the drink was made with just pink-lemonade, but was later modified to use Rose’s Mojito Passion).

Aurora Jungle-Juice (Thanks, Matthew!)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: booze • happy mutants • recipes • Space

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latelatelateshow

throw in some tropical fish and a string of blinking Christmas lights and you’ve got an instant party in your esophagus
- Conan Librarian
  
  That ‘s a great idea for when you’re getting a colon exam!
Brainspore

Quite a drink, the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster. It’s like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick.
- http://www.facebook.com/kyle.walker.186 Kyle BadCop Walker
  
  Wow, 42 likes!
http://twitter.com/bazilisk Sylvia

Link to recipe? Photo credit?
- franko
  
  i second this. is there a link to the recipe?
  - Brainspore
    
    Recipe as follows:
    
    Take the juice from one bottle of that Ol’ Janx Spirit.
    Pour into it one measure of water from the seas of Santraginus V
    Allow three cubes of Arcturan Mega-gin to melt into the mixture (it must be properly iced or the benzene is lost).
    Allow four litres of Fallian marsh gas to bubble through it (in memory of all those happy Hikers who have died of pleasure in the Marshes of Fallia).
    Over the back of a silver spoon float a measure of Qualactin Hypermint extract, redolent of all the heady odours of the dark Qualactin Zones.
    Drop in the tooth of an Algolian Suntiger. Watch it dissolve, spreading the fires of the Algolian suns deep into the heart of the drink.
    Sprinkle Zamphour.
    Add an olive.
    Drink…but very carefully.
    
    (You’re on your own for the rehab.)
    
    Photo Credit: Z. Beeblebrox
http://twitter.com/free_geek Matt Sweeney

recipe here,
http://www.thecampuscompanion.com/party-lab/2011/10/21/aurora-drink/
Boundegar

I call Photoshop! No matter how many of these I drink, there ain’t no galaxies in it.
- relawson
  
  Did you happen to look in the bowl before you flushed?
EarthtoGeoff

Edited for not seeing a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster comment already on the page. I’ll go back to work now.
http://profiles.google.com/greeneggsandsamuel Sam Archer

I’d love to see an actual photo of the drink under blacklight. I know tonic is exciting on its own (especially with a UV laser pointer), but I’m curious to see how the pink lemonade looks.
- nerdydog
  
  its pink in the day, when under blacklight it glows blue. much less exciting than the cover photo(shop), but still pretty cool. matt’s link has images of the real deal.
  
  but it is kinda false advertising from cory’s perspective-luckily boingboing’s readership is too smart to fall for such shenanigans.
  - http://twitter.com/Moriash Nathan
    
    I confess I was suckered by the p-shop. Me, I get a sufficient amount of ooohs and ahhhs out of tonic under a black light without the astronomical build-up. That being said, seems like something could be done to improve this. Wonder if some fancy liquor is immiscible with tonic water? Gin and tonic, slowly stirred into something oil-based? Okay, it’d be horrible to drink, but at least you’d get glowing swirls and blobs. Maybe the molecular gastronomy folks should get in on this- spherification techniques using UV reactive foodstuffs, for floating, glowing stars/planets/whatever swimming around in the drink? Or just drop the outer space theme, and just go with “drinks that look nifty.”
chriscombs

One of the Photoshopped galaxies looks like Messier 81 (M81).
Pope Ratzo

Sufficient slivovitza and everything looks like that.
planettom

They should call this drink the Monolith.

Because – oh my God – it’s full of stars!
Antinous / Moderator

Do I have to wear a big, ugly hat and dispense sage advice when I make this?
- Brainspore
  
  “Ugly?” Oooh, I’m telling Whoopi.
  - Antinous / Moderator
    
    I’m sure that she’ll defend you no matter what you say.
Artimus Mangilord

Carl Sagan was known for his Cosmospolitans at the Cornell mixers.
TheKaz1969

The Aurora Borealis? At this time of year? At this time of day? In this part of the country? Localized entirely within your kitchen?
thedreadpiratewesley

The Aurora Borealis is NOT in outer space. It is caused by energetic particles from the sun hitting Earth’s upper atmosphere (thermosphere)!
- Brainspore
  
  And where is Earth located? In space!
  - thedreadpiratewesley
    
    “Outer space” is defined as “space immediately outside Earth’s atmosphere”:
    http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outer%20space. The Aurora occurs within Earth’s atmosphere.
    - Brainspore
      
      So serious. You sound like you need a drink.
      - thedreadpiratewesley
        
        You got that one right. :)
LintMan

Wow, misleading article title to this post (glowing aqua color != “look like outer space”), and misleading photoshopped image.
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  Sorry for the betrayal.
Tribune

“WHAT YOU NEED
2 liters Gin or Vodka”

So it is a small little drink?
BombBlastLightingWaltz

Hmmmmm…. cosmic sparkly.
http://profile.yahoo.com/H7XGRIJ2DXGM4NGO7IHDD3362A Electronic China

Amazing.like dream water
show me

You do know that “Jungle Juice” is an extremely racist term, don’t you?
- milovoo
  
  Can you cite a source?
  
  I was under the impression that it military jargon for a drink mixed up by soldiers while in the jungle.
  - show me
    
    Well, when I was in college my friends and I just assumed it was, and it sort of was taken for granted after a while. Upon further reading, it appears I was completely full of shit and you are correct. Sorry about that.
http://www.facebook.com/jessie.perez.3551 Jessie Perez

This reminds me of what my friend once said which was “I drink the universe in a cup of rain and breath stardust blown by the ever changing winds”