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People Are Actually Drinking Pig's Blood Cocktails, And We're Kind Of Terrified

Are You Brave Enough To Try This Cocktail With Real Blood In It?
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CHICAGO -- Bloody cocktails are wildly popular when they end with "Mary," but a new concoction from one Chicago-based bartender is taking sanguine drinks to new extremes.

Nandini Khaund, the bartender behind the Craft Cocktail appand craftcocktailrules.com blog, recently mixed up what she's dubbed a "Reign in Blood" cocktail that features pig's blood as the key ingredient as part of the the Chicago Reader's Cocktail Challenge series.

"At first it just tasted like blood," Khaund said in a video for the Reader series (embedded above). "Then the finish started kicking in, which was kind of like smoked pork and got richer and richer Then it got game-y, by the end it just tasted like this iron death. It was really intense, and it went for like a half hour."

Since pig's blood isn't exactly the kind of ingredient you stash among the bitters and olives, Khaund tapped a charcuterie-making friend for the raw blood, the Reader reports.

The seasonal competition was inspired by the Reader's biweekly series in which fellow bartenders challenge one another Iron Chef-style to make a cocktail using a secret ingredient of their choosing.

Past secret challenge ingredients have included catnip, Cheez Whiz and Madras curry powder.

Khaund, who said she had never drank blood before, says in the video drinking some physically affected her: "My heart was racing."

While a pig's blood-based drink might be too gut-churning for the average cocktail fan, last year the TLC show "My Strange Addiction" featured a woman who was hooked on the stuff.

"I like to drink blood when I'm reading, when I'm relaxing, when I'm watching TV, when I'm painting," the 29-year-old woman told the Today show. "There's never a bad time for me to drink blood."

If you want to try the Reign In Blood cocktail for yourself, the Reader has helpfully included Khaund's recipe, too.

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Before You Go

Classy 3-ingredient Student Cocktails for Two
#1 Earl Grey Martini(01 of10)
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Ingredients:1 - Earl grey infused gin (steep 6 tea bags in 180ml of gin for at least 10 mins)2 - Lemon juice (3 lemons worth)3 - 120ml Sugar SyrupTo make sugar syrup add 240g of caster sugar to a warm pan of 240ml of water until dissolved - put in the fridge and chill.Shake gin and lemon juice together with loads of ice and add sugar syrup to taste. (credit:Getty)
#2 The Chelsea Sidecar(02 of10)
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Also known as the White Lady cocktai.Ingredients:1 - 100 ml gin2 - 55 ml Cointreau3 - 55 ml lemon juiceShake ingredients with ice and pour - easy! (credit:Getty)
#3 An Easy Raspberry Rickey(03 of10)
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Ingredients:1 - 240ml of raspberry vodka (can just be normal vodka but will taste stronger!)2 - 30ml of raspberry juice3 - 30ml of lemonadeMix together and shake with ice, garnish with lime and fresh raspberries if you've got any! (credit:Getty)
#4 The Guinness Milkshake(04 of10)
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Ingredients:1 - 600 ml of vanilla ice cream2 - 1 can of Guinness3 - Whipped CreamMix ice cream and Guinness together slowly until it is thick and creamy. Serve with whipped cream.This one may not get you drunk but it is great for relax after a successful rugby season. (credit:Getty)
#5 The Obituary(05 of10)
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Ingredients:1 - 120ml of gin2 - 45ml of dry vermouth3 - 45ml of absintheCAUTION: This one's deadly. (credit:Getty)
#6 The Brown Derby(06 of10)
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Ingredients:1 - 60ml of bourbon (e.g. Jim Bean)2 - 60ml of grapefruit juice3 - 30ml of honey syrupMake the honey syrup the same as the sugar one - 30ml honey dissolved in a pan of 30ml warm water - leave to chill.Shake the bourbon and grapefruit with ice and add syrup to taste and shake again. (credit:Getty)
#7 The Classic Margarita(07 of10)
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Ingredients:1 - 90ml tequila2 - 60ml lime juice (freshly squeezed is better)3 - 30ml of CointreauFill a glass with ice and then add tequila, lime and cointreau and stir.If you want to add salt - and you really should - before you pour anything into the glass, dampen a cloth and circle it around the rim, then dip in salt. (credit:Getty)
#8 The Moscow Mule(08 of10)
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Ingredients:1 - 120ml of vodka2 - 60ml of lime juice3 - ginger beerShake the vodka and lime juice together and add ginger beer to taste. (credit:Getty)
#9 The Cranberry Crush(09 of10)
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Ingredients:1 - 60ml cranberry juice2 - 120ml Disaronno3 - 120ml ginger beerShake up the cranberry and Disaronno and pour over ice. Add ginger beer to taste and a squeeze of lime for an extra kick. (credit:Getty)
#10 The Peach Jazz(10 of10)
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Ingredients:1 - 90ml vodka2 - 180ml peach juice3 - 2-6 drops of vanilla essencePour the vodka and peach juice into a glass with ice and stir. Add vanilla essence to taste. If it's too sweet try a squeeze of lemon or diluting it with water. (credit:Getty)
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