Gypsy Rose Blanchard has taken to TikTok to share a tutorial for her “energy drink” recipe, which she used to make as an inmate. The video was posted at the request of one of Blanchard’s 9.8 million TikTok followers asking her if she could post content showing prison hacks.
“So, I’m about to show you how to make a prison-style energy drink with only four ingredients,” Blanchard begins her video. “I want to disclose that this is a non-alcoholic drink, so, I don’t promote alcohol on my channel.”
The drink itself calls for a bag of Jolly Rancher candies, Kool-Aid Tropical Punch singles, strawberry-flavored Fanta and Folgers instant coffee. “Everyone in prison usually makes these drinks because nobody gets Red Bull in prison,” Blanchard explained. “This is just something that we made to have, like, a homemade Red Bull.”
To make the drink, Blanchard first crushes up the Jolly Ranchers — which she says is “kind of [an] important” step — before making the coffee with water. A Kool-Aid packet is then added into a mixing bowl with the coffee. As for why she prefers the Tropical Punch variety, Blanchard says it’s because “any other flavor would actually just taste really disgusting.” The strawberry-flavored Fanta is also added to the mix “because the whole point is to make it kind of juicy flavored, like very fruity.”
After mixing together the coffee, Kool-Aid and Fanta, Blanchard adds the crushed candy to enhance the fruity flavor. She serves the finished drink in a cup with ice, advising her followers to not drink it warm.
Blanchard’s recipe has since gone viral, amassing more than 26 million views in three days. Those who have tried the drink say it’s surprisingly palatable and not at all what they expected.
Aside from her TikTok, Blanchard will open up about her life post-prison in an upcoming documentary series “Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up” premiering June 3 on Lifetime.
