I started reading what the crew over at Macabre Monday did with their collaborative writing project, Dinner Party, set in the ominous realm of dark fiction and horror. It is a stage play script where each participant embodies a character and scripts their actions and lines amidst a gathering shrouded in mystery and suspense.
At some point during the dinner, Thebes, the Maitre d’, announces the specialty cocktails available for the guests. If you have been around long enough, you know I’m an amateur mixologist and am known to enjoy a craft cocktail. Therefore, I started thinking about how to bring these libations to life.
My approach is relatively simple: I want to develop recipes that anyone can easily execute with ingredients you may already have at home or can be easily acquired. I'm looking at these cocktails as the minimum viable product, not exact replicas. There's no indication of ratios, so I'm taking a lot of liberties but trying to get close enough to the original idea. Let’s do this thing.
Abyssal Bloom
Black vodka, squid ink, elderflower liqueur, and a dash of sea salt. Served with a garnish of edible violet petals.
I rarely mix with vodka, let alone black vodka, which I learned is vodka with some acacia bark used as a food colorant. Abyssal refers to the depth of the sea between 10,000 and 20,000 feet, so it makes sense that this would be a dark drink. I’ve mostly seen squid ink used in rice or pasta dishes, and it imparts a briny flavor and a dark color. Elderflower liqueur, a.k.a. St. Germain, is a sweet, floral, and aromatic liqueur, and that is where we get the bloom from, I assume.
To make an Abyssal Bloom, you’ll need:
2 oz gin
1 oz elderflower liquor
1/4 tsp soy sauce
Pour all the ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice, and stir for about 30 seconds—strain into a chilled coupe.
This cocktail is sweet and salty with some bite to it. It has a nice body that coats your tongue and activates your taste buds. The soy sauce makes it taste like saltwater on your lips after swimming in the ocean. The gin and elderflower combo brings a botanical, floral, sweet touch that makes this boozy shoreline sipper very interesting.
Phoenix Fizz
Saffron-infused gin, blood orange juice, honey syrup, champagne, and a sprinkle of edible gold dust. Garnished with a dehydrated blood orange wheel.
This drink seems to share the same elements of a French 75, so I took that framework and tweaked it a bit. I found a blood orange syrup, giving me flavor and sugar. I don’t have saffron-infused gin; however, I have a bottle of Strega, an Italian liquor made with saffron and some honey notes. I’ll leave out the garnishes, but you can add them if you fancy them.
To make a Phoenix Fizz, you’ll need:
1.5 oz gin
1/2 oz blood orange
1/2 oz Strega
2 oz prosecco
Pour the gin, blood orange, and Strega into a shaking tin, add ice, and shake for 30 seconds. Strain that into a flute and pour about two ounces of prosecco.
This one is a brunch drink. If you like Campari, you will enjoy this one. It’s very easy to drink, so be careful. I know prosecco is not champagne but feel free to use champagne or prosecco or cava or brut, in the end it’s all bubbly wine. This drink is refreshing and feels light even though it’s boozy (four ounces of alcohol and a little mixer). The balance of sweet, citrus, and honey from the Strega mixed really nicely with the bubbles.
Whispering Woods
Birch sap vodka, vermouth infused with wild mushrooms, a hint of truffle oil, and a few drops of green Chartreuse. Garnished with a sprig of thyme.
I made two versions of this drink. The spec doesn’t specify whether dry or sweet vermouth should be used, but I inferred this is a kind of vodka martini, which usually calls for dry vermouth. I dropped the truffle oil and thyme–can you tell I’m not big on garnishes yet?
To make a Whispering Woods I, you’ll need:
1 oz vodka
1/4 dry vermouth
1/4 green chartreuse
Pour all the ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice, and stir for about 30 seconds—strain into a chilled coupe.
I’m not a big fan of vodka martinis, so I started thinking, if I were to name a cocktail Whispering Woods, what would I put in it? Gin is made with juniper berries and botanicals found in the woods, so that was easy. Some people forage ingredients from the woods, medicinal plants, and herbs; Benedictine came to mind. Two of my favorite drinks are Negronis and Manhattans, so I borrowed sweet vermouth from the first and ratios from the second, and voila!
To make a Whispering Woods II, you’ll need:
1 oz Gin
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1/2 oz Benedictine
Pour all the ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice, and stir for about 30 seconds—strain into a chilled coupe.
This one is herbal, slightly sweet, and very enjoyable. The amber color of the drink made me think of sap from trees, which is a bonus. I would also put this one in a rocks glass with a big ice cube to enjoy slowly.
The Siren’s Lure
Blue pea flower-infused rum, coconut water, lime juice, and a dash of lavender syrup. Served with a rim of crushed pearl sugar.
I don't have blue pea flower tea at hand. However, I found lavender syrup. When I saw rum, lime, and syrup, I immediately thought of a daiquiri, so I figured a coconut daiquiri would be a good framework for this cocktail. A light rum like Don Q Cristal would work great for this, however I tried this cocktail with Plantation Stiggins Fancy Pineapple Rum and Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaican Rum and got better results with the latter. I went with Coco Lopez cream of coconut for mouthfeel. And since the cream of coconut and lavender syrup is plenty sweet, I skipped the sugar rim, but you do you.
To make The Siren’s Lure, you’ll need:
2 oz Smith & Cross Jamaican Rum
3/4 oz lime juice
1/2 oz cream of coconut
3/4 oz lavender
Pour all ingredients into a shaking tin, add ice, and shake for 30 seconds. Strain that into a chilled coupe.
The funk of the Jamaican rum stood up to the coconut and lavender, making it my favorite one from this group. If you’re using a light rum, I’d recommend you open and pour the whole drink and the ice you mixed it with into a glass or blend it for some frozen daiquiri action.
Devil’s Breath Martini Margarita
Chili pepper-infused tequila, dragon fruit puree, lime juice, agave nectar, and a smoked salt rim. Garnished with a slice of jalapeño.
I’m getting Margarita vibes. To make things interesting, let’s swap the tequila with mezcal, passion fruit instead of dragon fruit, add Orange Curacao, and drop the agave. I’m not a fan of spicy drinks, but if you want to add jalapeño, I won’t judge you.
To make a Devil’s Breath, you’ll need:
2 oz Mezcal
1/2 oz Orange Curacao
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz passion fruit syrup
Pour all ingredients into a shaking tin, add ice, and shake for 30 seconds. Open pour into a rocks glass, and sprinkle some chili powder on top or add a slice of jalapeño.
In Mexico, Mezcal is usually served with orange slices, sal de gusano (ground maguey worms with salt), and tamarind candy. The smoke of the mezcal mixed with the orange and lime make it complex and bright with just the right amount of sweetness and tartness from the passion fruit syrup. I know I said I don't care for garnishes, but the chili powder gives it a nice kick.
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You are giving "getting drunk on horror" a good name, sir.
These all look amazing!