Have you ever made or tasted a glow in the dark coconut rum shot for Halloween? This black light reactive shooter is perfectly safe and also easy to prepare. You need only three ingredients to make this Halloween shot with rum, including some vitamins that glow under black light. This fluorescent neon cocktail is a glow in the dark drink that is always a party hit!
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Everyone is going to love this fluorescent neon cocktail. It’s a great-tasting glow in the dark drink to wow your guests. It’s like an extra-special Kryptonite shot!
You need strawberry pucker schnapps, coconut rum and riboflavin capsules to make a glow in the dark coconut rum shot for Halloween.
Use the DeKuyper brand of strawberry pucker schnapps or your favourite kind. This ingredient offers a combination of sweet and sour flavours and can be combined with any liquor you want or enjoyed by itself. It is also perfect in this fluorescent neon cocktail.
Coconut rum adds a tropical, exotic flavour to this glow in the dark coconut rum shot for Halloween. Again, use your preferred brand or see what the liquor store nearby carries. The last ingredient in this black light reactive shooter is riboflavin.
What is Riboflavin?
Riboflavin capsules are made from Vitamin B2. You will need the capsules for this black light reactive shooter, not the tablets. The body uses riboflavin for various bodily processes like cell growth and brain function. It’s naturally found in eggs, milk, meat, green veggies, and enriched flour.
You can buy riboflavin capsules from Amazon or maybe check your local pharmacy. Vitamin B2 is one of the vitamins that glow yellow under UV light, making it perfect for this glow in the dark drink.
The fact it is a harmless (actually beneficial) vitamin rather than radioactive Kryptonite means it’s perfectly safe as well as fun! Try it in candy recipes or other favourite cocktails. A lot of people haven’t heard about vitamins that glow under black light so they will be surprised.
You need a black light to get this to glow in the dark because riboflavin is fluorescent. This needs the energy from a black light (UV light) moves the molecules to make it glow.
Riboflavin has a somewhat bitter taste in large quantities but in this glow in the dark drink you aren’t using much so it shouldn’t be noticeable. Even if you do use more in other recipes you can counteract the bitter flavour with sugar.
The body expels excess riboflavin naturally so it’s safe even at higher doses. You are going to want more than one shot of this fluorescent neon cocktail!
How to Make this Halloween Shot with Rum
So how exactly do you make a glow in the dark coconut rum shot for Halloween? Use a graduated cylinder if you have one or a large shot glass if not.
Add the coconut rum to make a pink mixture. Now sprinkle some of the yellow powder on top (you only need a tiny bit!) When you mix it with the rum the drink will become more orange.
Pour the orange liquid slowly down the cylinder. Combine more riboflavin powder with some rum. It should turn yellow. Again you only need a small amount of the riboflavin powder for this fluorescent neon cocktail.
Now add the yellow mixture to the cylinder carefully. You can make this black light reactive shooter ahead of time if you want to. This Halloween shot with rum is bound to be popular so make plenty of them for your Halloween party! The colour is graduated so it starts off bright yellow on top and fades down to orange at the bottom.
These really are pretty. I’m not sure the photos even do it justice. Make this black light reactive shooter using vitamins that glow under black light to impress your friends with your creativity!
Fluorescent Neon Cocktail Variations
You can swap the ingredients for others if you prefer and it will still come out as a glow in the dark drink. Try gin, tequila or vodka rather than the rum if you prefer. Also, sub another fruit liqueur for the strawberry pucker if you want to.
Personally I love the strawberry taste (and the colour it adds to this Halloween shot with rum) but experimenting is fine too! I think the raspberry pucker schnapps would also be delicious. And don’t worry – you can always drink any of your mistakes!
Glow in the Dark Rum Shot FAQs
I found mine in the Halloween goods at Michael’s, and they are also sold abundantly online. The graduated cylinders found at Michael’s are great for drinkware but don’t depend on their measurements. If you can’t find graduated cylinders near you, and would prefer not to shop online, a 3-ounce double shot glass will work, in a pinch. However, the colour gradation will be less noticeable.
Yes! Just one of the Riboflavin capsules will make several of these shots. Because what’s not used by the body is expelled through the urinary tract, Riboflavin is considered safe.
The small amount of Riboflavin we add to this shot does not affect its flavor. In large amounts, however, it can taste bitter.
This shot will not glow in the dark without a black light. Riboflavin fluoresces, which means that it needs the energy from a UV light/black light in order to get its molecules moving.
If you are a fan of this black light reactive shooter, you might also like Vampire Kiss Jello Shots for Halloween – Fireball Shooter, Vampire Kiss Halloween Vial Shooter – Rum Shots, or Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Shaped Mini Bundt Cakes.
Glow in the Dark Coconut Rum Shot Recipe
Glow in the Dark Coconut Rum Shot for Halloween
Ingredients
- 1/2 Oz. schnapps such as DeKuyper Strawberry Pucker
- 2 Oz. coconut rum such as Malibu, divided
- Riboflavin Vitamin B-2 capsule, not tablets
Instructions
- Using a measuring cup with a pour spout, pour strawberry pucker into a graduated cylinder. Leave the remnants of the strawberry pucker in the measuring cup after pouring. You’ll need the leftover droplets for the next step.
- Add 1-ounce of the coconut rum to the measuring cup. When it combines with the remaining strawberry pucker, it will produce a pink-tinted rum. Gently open a single Riboflavin capsule. With a light hand, sprinkle a small amount of the yellow powder on top of the tinted rum. A little bit of the powder goes a long way. Mix the powder into the rum. The powder will turn the rum from pink to orange.
- Tip the graduated cylinder slightly at an angle and SLOWLY pour the orange-tinged rum down along its inside wall.
- Add remaining 1-ounce of coconut rum to your measuring cup. Again, sprinkle a very small amount of the Riboflavin onto the surface of the rum. Mix in the powder. The Riboflavin will turn the rum yellow.
- Repeating the process in step 3, add the yellow-tinted rum until all of the rum has been transferred to the graduated cylinder.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Once I found out how to make this glow in the dark coconut rum shot for Halloween I was so excited to try it! This Halloween shot with rum is going to be really popular and you can expect everyone to beg you for the recipe!
If you are looking for another spooky Halloween cocktail, you might like this Black Halloween Cosmopolitan Cocktail.
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti of xoxoBella is a storyteller, food lover, dog mom and adventure seeker living on the Pacific coast. She shares her passion for recipes, dogs, sustainability, adventures, travel and philanthropy, in hopes of encouraging followers to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places and stand for a cause. Bella lives with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.
Bella Bucchiotti is a freelance food, travel, and lifestyle writer for MSN and the Associated Press Wire.
How fun! Saving this for Halloween
Although the words delicious and biohazard don’t tend to feature in the same sentence, this cocktail is soooo good. I love the strawberry and coconut flavors – they remind me of the summer. But it’s perfect for Halloween – 10 out of 10 for this one.