Carbonated Blood w/ a Hint of Tangerine from "True Blood"

          Tonight (6/22) is the season 7 premiere of HBO's vampire drama series "True Blood". This will also be the last season of the series. A friend recently recommended the show to me and I blew through it via HBO Go. Vampires "coming out of the coffin" as it were, or going public about their existence, is an intriguing backdrop for a TV show (a TV show based on a book series by Charlaine Harris, FYI). Rather than focusing on the grander implications of this revelation though, the show instead centers on the lives and loves of several characters based in or around the small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, in particular, one peppy, confident girl named Sookie Stackhouse.
          Despite having to quiet my brain on many things including continuity issues, questions about vampire inner-workings, and other points, the show is engaging and the characters are interesting, well written, and well acted. As a viewer I feel invested and I wanna know what's going to happen! (I could do without all of the boobs and totally wasted blood, but it does have its place. Mostly. Sometimes. Well, not the wasted blood. You guys are like the messiest, most wasteful vampires ever!)

          Season 3 introduces a side character named Talbot Angelis, a seven-hundred-year-old vampire and former Byzantium prince, who is the male consort to the vampire king of Mississippi. He is fashion and home decor savvy and has a flair for turning boring old blood into an elegant several course meal. Below you'll find a recipe for one of his creations from season 3, episode 2 ("Beautifully Broken"). Sadly, the culinary implications introduced by Talbot are not explored further in the show (poo).

"Chilled, carbonated blood. It's cruelty free, all willingly donated. Note the citrusy finish. This one ate only tangerines for weeks."

–Talbot Angelis, "True Blood" S.3, Ep.2

Note: The recipe below calls for simple syrup or vanilla syrup. These syrups can be found in grocery stores, often near the alcoholic drinks. Try World Market if you can't find them in your grocery store. You can also make simple syrup by combining equal parts granulated sugar and water. Boil together until the sugar dissolves and then cool.

Talbot's Carbonated Blood w/ a Hint of Tangerine

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Ingredients:
2 Cups POM (100% Pomegranate) Juice
2 Cups Club Soda
1 Cup Blood Orange Soda (optional)
1/3 Cup Tangerine Juice (from fresh tangerines or Cuties 100% tangerine juice)
1/4 Cup Simple Syrup or Vanilla Syrup (see note above)

Directions:
1. Stir all of the ingredients together in a pitcher. Chill in the fridge & then pour into wine glasses to serve.

* For some "True Blood" food try Lettie Mae's Hoecakes Cooked in Bacon Grease w/ Maple Syrup Blood. *