…well, not completely out of ideas: lots of drafts, but nothing worth publishing at the moment.
So… Instead of not publishing anything, I’ll share couple of nice cocktails I came across.
NEGRONI-NOMICON
1 part gin
1 part Campari
1 part dry vermouth
1 part Triple Sec
1 part Blue Curacao
“Build ye this fell elixir over the icy wastes of glass of the old fashion. When all the spirits are present, stir them until an even and unnatural blue radiance suffuses the icy depths. Then you will know you have succeeded.”
So, a Negroni variant… could those ingredients really work together? Me and Test Subjects tried… they really do work, and very well!
“Unnatural blue radiance”… the colour of this drink is magnificent! I could have taken a photo of an actual drink instead of drawing in the book… but I try to poke on your curiosity and tempt to try this one out yourselves 🙂
I guess you’ve concluded what sort of cocktail book has a drink called “Negroni-Nomicon”…
Just bought it, I’ve tried only three recipes so far. Seems like a solid publication.
But this site is about superhero cocktails, not the ones inspired by horror literature (no matter how great)…
THE LAST LAUGH
1 part mezcal
1 part green Chartreuse
1 part Luxardo Maraschino
1 part lemon juice
some absinthe
Rinse a chilled cocktail glass with the absinthe. Shake other ingredients with ice and strain into the glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
If there is a cocktail that captivates the essence of Joker, this is it.
“Gotham City Cocktails” doesn’t include just recipes for the drinks; there’s also a section for Gotham-themed snacks.
Next time… I hope I’ll come up with something worth publishing 🙂
Okay! That’s it! I’ve been using so much Licor 43 on cocktail recipes lately that people probably are getting fed up with it… and to be honest, I’m starting to get kinda sick of it too.
So… two more recipes utilizing that particular liqueur, and then I put that bottle aside for a long time.
Since last time I published Obsidian, I’m feel kinda obligated to publish something about here sister, too…
JADE
3 parts Licor 43
1 part Pisang Ambon
3 parts vodka
1 part tequila blanco
Shake with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with some ice in it.
Where do I start…? Well, I had Jade in mind when I started to design it; all the different aspects of the character, each represented with this-and-that ingredient… then I kinda forgot all my fine reasoning and got excited with the aromas…
So: no intellectual arguments why this is especially Jade’s namesake drink. It just is, and it’s delicious (I dare to say). At least the colour is green, if you’re looking for some kind of rationale.
About tequila blanco… as always, I strongly recommend using 100% puro de agave. In this case I have a strong reason to do so… this is one of those weird drinks where you don’t taste the tequila, but if you leave it out you’ll notice something essential is definitely missing. Using cheap tequila adds wrong kind of sting: I tried with Sauza Blanco, and the agave bit me in the toungue… with eg. Ocho Blanco La Laja the drink is smooth yet bold.
LUKE CAGE (POWER MAN)
1 part Advocaat
1 part Licor 43
Shake with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with plenty of ice in it.
Nothing wrong in my first version of Luke Cage… but when this brainstorm strained out the shaker and I saw the vibrant yellow colour I instantly thought of Cage’s T-shirt and thought “please let it taste good, and I’ll publish it as a second version of L.C.”… and it did, so here it is 🙂
I don’t have a slightest clue what to publish next – well, it’s not going to contain any Licor 43, that’s for sure… We’ll just have to wait and see ;P
Obsidian started out as a good guy, turned insane and became a villain. Last time I heard of him he’s okay now, back among the ranks of heroes. I hope this drink, featuring “repulsive” sourness and bitterness, but also gentle sweet elements, properly describes the character.
SANDMAN
5 parts sour apple liqueur
3 parts Licor 43
1 (or 2) parts the smoothest dark rum you have
2 parts light rum
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
When thinking about Sandman and his namesake cocktail, the first thing that comes into mind is his sleeping gas – that’s the obvious element for use as inspiration for a drink.
I reveal a secret… Sandman has been in my “to do”-list for a long time. Sleeping gas – Heavy, like a deep slumber? Light, like a dream you never want to end?Intoxicating… sure, but how to depict that? Overwhelming sweetness is too easy an answer (and boring one).
Sandman The Cocktail remained in my “ongoing projects” for week after week. Then… some crime scene investigator in “Sandman’s Mystery Theatre” describes the smell of the gas as “kinda like sour apple”.
Thank you, you nameless mook! Now I had something “official” to base my drink at… after the deadlock opened I actually reached the decent recipe in one evening.
I tried to be careful, not to overdo it… you know, adding this bitter and that sour – something I do too often. I hope you enjoy Sandman The Cocktail, please remember to use the smoothest dark rum possible. Nothing wrong with rums with zing, but unfortunately they’ll ruin the union of sour apple and Licor 43; light rum is there to add that needed kick, dark version “lays the foundation”.
All sorts of stuff going to be published today, better get started right away…
TECHNO
4 parts Suze
3 parts Licor 43
2 parts vodka
1 parts Kahlúa
Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with plenty of ice in it.
I was in the dead end with Techno/Fixer… there had to be some sort of “technical” taste in the drink, but I just couldn’t come up with any which I hadn’t used already…
And then Test Subject P. came to the rescue! He’s been visiting France, and he brought “a bottle of something, I don’t know what it actually is.” Well, it was a bottle of Suze: I know it’s not very rare alcohol or anything, but you can’t get it in Finland (for some reason)… and it turned out to be The Techno-Element I was looking for!
The bitterness of Suze, combined with mishmash of Licor 43… we’ll even throw in some Kahlúa, but then we need some vodka to cut down the sweetness.
Techno was my first cocktail utilizing Suze, but it sure won’t be the last 🙂
BARON ZEMO (CITIZEN V)
I just wanted to point out that Baron Zemo can be created with rowanberry vodka instead of Bayou Pink; it will not taste the same, but something similar.
And now I’ve created enough Thunderbolts cocktails for compilation… which is not ready at the moment. I’ll update it to recipes and downloads in the near future.
It’s Halloween next weekened, and I haven’t been thinking about any monstrous villains worthy of their own cocktails… or well, yes I have…
I’ve been reading a lot of Punisher MAX lately, and once again, as I pondered with my first take on Punisher… “which one is more frightful: demons and ghosts an such, or absolutely stone cold killer? And how about those insane animals the said killer is going to put out; so grotesque and horrible Marvel publishes them under the MAX-label?”
So, here we go…
Those are actual tools I use in the forest; I’m aware they look pretty grim, which makes them perfect for this pic!
BARRACUDA
1 part bourbon
1 part Suze
1 part Strega
Shake with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass filled with ice.
I admit: I just love Barracuda. Hideous sociopath who just keeps on coming, even after his fingers are chopped and his teeth are knocked out and testicles electrocuted and nose destroyed with pliers and what on earth Punisher did to put that mad dog down… But the dude also has some sort of human side in him.
Usually Punisher MAX villains are brutal beyond good taste, one psycho after another… but Barracuda was an exception: kinda felt bad when Castle finally managed to kill him.
So, Barracuda’s namesake drink… a bunch of “violent” ingredients, which – when combined – create a stiff drink… but it still has a slight touch of gentleness in it.
Well, this is brutal… but so is Jigsaw. I really don’t know to whom I’ll recommend this, but I guess there’s always room for “I dare you”-shots in the parties… especially in Halloween parties.
But, about the taste… there was actually some real development here, I just didn’t throw in sharp-tasting alcohols. Rowanberry and tequila sure are a lethal combo, I just gotta cut it down with something… but sweetness would be sort of out-of-place kindness in the namesake drink of Jigsaw.
Worchester sauce does it, without giving too much mercy and at the same time adding a “carnal” feel for the shot… as did the bouillon in my first version of Sabretooth…
…but it seems I’m the only one in the world who likes that Sabretooth cocktail, I ended up designing another one without bouillon… so, just two drops of the sauce, no more!
Rowanberries are ripe, bitten by night frost… it’s time for soaking berries in vodka again. But before that, let’s check out the product of other kind of “soaking-something-in-booze” experiment…
1 to 2 parts sweet white wine (around 40 grams sugar/litre)
1 part Fanta or sparkling water
2 parts carrot juice
(dash of simple syrup to adjust taste)
Stir with ice and strain into a highball glass with some ice in it.
Of course Atlas’ drink should be a HUGE highball, and there must be enough strenght… read: alcohol content.
Mixture of Skittles tequila and carrot juice is weirdly attractive, especially when balancing elements are introduced… sweet white wine “lightens up” the drink; it still needs bubbles, though – I couldn’t decide which one was better, so it’s up to you to use Fanta or bubbly water (I personally prefer Fanta). The sweetness of the drink is okay, but somehow a small dash of simple syrup “lubricates” it… again, you’ll test and decide.
What about the colour? Why isn’t the drink blue, red or yellow, or mixture of them? Well, in some stories Atlas’ outfit is brownish-orangeish-reddish… I’m a fan of that look, so I’m content with this colour.
And now it’s time for today’s rowanberry cocktail…
2 parts De Kyuper Sour Rhubarb (or peach liqueur, see below)
2 parts pineapple juice (see below)
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with maraschino cherry.
So…we already have one Thunderbolt soaring through the skies, Songbird (and Jolt and Meteorite)… how do I depict another flyer, without repeating myself?
Well, Abner Jenkins flies with his suit of marvelous technology – machine powered aviation, that’s something I can work with!
Hmm… Aviation, classic cocktail from the good ol’ days. Some like it, but it’s too harsh for many… so, let’s keep the basic concepts of the Aviation in mind and see if we can “soften it up” a little, still keeping the hint of jet fuel onboard?
Well, finally I strayed quite far from the original Aviation, but there’s no shame in that: dry white wine lifts us up in the air, rowanberry vodka / Bayou Pink gives a sting (they don’t taste the same, but work fine here)… juice softens up a bit, as does the liqueur.
I recommend pineapple juice, but you can replace part of that with orange juice… if all of the “2 parts juice” is orange it kinda chokes down the drink.
De Kyuper Sour Rhubarb OR peach liqueur… what’s this? Two totally different liqueurs, and I couldn’t decide which one to use? Well… is the main juice is pineapple, I’d use Sour Rhubarb – the more you introduce orange juice, the more I’d tend toward peach.
So why not both? Sure, if it suits your fancy… but I think adding both of them creates kinda unsatisfactory mishmash.
Next time? More Thunderbolts, at least Techno 🙂
Last time I shared some of my creations I started designing some character in mind but ended up depicting someone else. This time I’ll present couple of drinks that started and ended up exactly as characters I intended…well, almost 🙂
KINGPIN
3 parts Advocaat
2 parts creme de cassis
3 parts vodka
(some prefer a dash of cognac)
Shake vigorously with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with some ice in it.
Kingpin – what does the name bring into our minds? Criminal mastermind with a huge glass of scotch in his even huger hand – quite okay, but I’m in the mood for breaking some stereotypes (hence I discarded the idea of white drink in the get-go)… so, let’s skip the whisky. Maybe he sips something based in cognac/brandy?
Mr. Fisk looks pretty cool most of the time, but when he blows up he gets REALLY angry… so maybe it’s something sharp, vodka or gin? Tequila seemed like a wrong choice for the character from the start.
Hmm… cool, but capable of horrendous violence at any given moment… let’s hide that vodka sting in something smooth – Advocaat does it, but we need something more to make things interesting.
Creme de cassis? It would turn the overall colour into purple (or at least purple-ish), the colour of Wilson’s trousers 🙂 Unfortunately the final colour was nothing I planned, more like latte… but it’s okay, I think: it’s still stylish and serene, something that would look cool in Kingpin’s enormous clamp.
Then it’s just the matter of finding out the right ratios. I prefer those above, feel free to adjust. Some Test Subjects preferred a dash of cognac in their drink… I don’t, instead I designed another Kingpin cocktail based wholly on cognac.
Before we’ll check out that creation… Big Barda The Cocktail might look almost like Kingpin’s namesake when you just read the ingredients, but they are quite different.
KINGPIN (WILSON FISK)
4 parts cognac
3 parts peach liqueur
1 part Grand Marnier
two drops (not dashes) of Angostura orange bitters (see below)
Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
So, we have smooth Kingpin cocktail ready… somehow I felt I betrayed Kingpin, maybe his cocktail should be based in some booze of brown colour – I still refuse to go the easy way and grab the whisky bottle… cognac it is!
So, where to go from here? One thing to liven up a glass of cognac is citrus and sugar but Sidecar is already there, so something else… actually, let’s try to design this cocktail without any citrus, in the form of liqueur or juice.
As noted, Wilson is always ready to bash some skulls if need arises… but he also knows how to enjoy the life of criminal… well, kingpin. So, let’s do some experiments with fruit liqueurs…
Peach seems to work, but there’s still some unwanted clash between the two elements… for cases like that we have a remedy I have used few times before: small amount of Grand Marnier (okay, there goes my principle of not using citrus liqueur). I don’t know why, but it helps to knit together aromas.
So, now we have a ready drink… or do we? G-Marnier does its job binding cognac and peach together, but something is missing from the result: it tastes too nice for Kingpin’s cocktail…
Okay, I promised myself not resorting to lime juice or Triple Sec or Cointreau or any of that stuff (already made a concession with G-Marnier)… well, I did, but they didn’t work, just “choked” the drink… the answer is couple of drops Angostura orange bitters. Normal dashes are too much, please be careful and use only two drops (three for bigger glass).
So, there we have two versions of Kingpin. And if you’re looking for Daredevil The Cocktail, it’s here.
Autumn is here (at least here in Finland) and so are rowanberries… next time we’ll utilize good ol’ rowanberry vodka 🙂
It happens from time to time… I’m designing a drink for some character, draft after draft, not getting anywhere… and then I realize that this draft will never be the namesake cocktail for the original character I had in mind, but instead pretty good depiction this-or-that superhero.
I will never disclose whose drinks these two started out as… let’s just check them out 🙂
Here it is, Test Subject K. Enjoy.
JUGGERNAUT (“I’m The Juggernaut, bitch!”)
3 parts gold tequila
2 parts Licor 43
dash of Tabasco sauce
Shake with ice and strain into a shot glass.
As I’ve been harping, I’ll take my inspiration from actual comic books, not from superhero movies. Anyway… Test Subject K. has been a pest about second Juggernaut drink: “Nothing wrong with the first version but you’ll have to design another, inspired by that movie line!”
[sigh]
Here we are. I stumbled upon a shot which reminded me of Juggernaut… then I remembered a promise I kinda made for K… Enjoy.
About the actual drink… please don’toverdo Tabasco, just a drop or two! It’s supposed to support the union of cheap gold tequila and Licor 43, not smother it.
METALLO (METAL ZERO)
1 to 2 parts bourbon
1 part creme de menthe
6 parts pineapple juice
1 part lemon juice
Shake with ice and strain into a highball glass with plenty of ice in it.
Original Metallo The Cocktail tried to depict the robot with kryptonite heart utilizing the sort of metallic taste kirschwasser has when properly combined with other ingredients. Metal Zero has same sort of “vibe”, but not as ruthless… maybe all those Metallo fans who loathed my first creation will welcome this “more humane” approach; if such term is fitting – it’s stone cold killer cyborg we’re talking about anyway.
Okay, couple of Greatest Misses which turned out as decent revisions. See you next month 🙂
For some time I’ve been thinking about publishing drinks for these two fellas… There is something hilariously funny about stereotypical evil nazi barons plotting against The Free World in their damp caverns – quintessential pulp material.
Dammit! I just realized I forgot the monocle from the picture… I own one, and I actually use it. By the way, have you noticed that von Strucker’s monocle tends to wander from one eye to another, depending on the artist? 😀
BARON WOLFGANG VON STRUCKER, WITH SATAN CLAW
Baron von Strucker:
6 parts whisky
3 parts Chartreuse
1 part creme de menthe
Shake with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with plenty of ice in it.
Satan Claw:
1 part creme de cassis
3 parts Passoã
2 parts gin
Shake with ice and strain into a shot glass.
Start with the Baron… imagine you’re spending the evening with him, listening his rants about world domination etc. Sooner or later his jabberings are destined to become kinda “thick”, as is this drink – it’s time to clean the air, shoot the Claw. Now you’re “reset” and the rest of the Baron The Cocktail is enjoyable again 🙂
With Wolfgang I thought it was kinda mandatory to include Satan Claw. Instead of layering I decided to do same thing as with Cloak and Dagger: start drinking the bigger glass, get weary of the taste, refresh with the shot and concentrate finishing the bigger drink.
The green drink, The Baron, sort of designed itself… I was sipping it, pondering about what would serve as a suitable “half time shot”; suddenly I started to reminisce Robin.
I don’t have a slightest idea where that “taste memory” popped to my mind, but yeah… some redesigning and Robin The Cocktail is resurrected as Satan Claw The Shot!
I know you’re looking for them, so here are the links: HYDRA and Red Skull.
Let’s face it: this is pretty close to Lockheed… but with different ratios and added sting of gin, in other hand balanced with Sour Rhubarb should be enough to clearly differentiate Baron Zemo from Lockheed. Not “cute and feisty”, but “looks legit, but…”
Hmm… I’ve designed Jolt and Meteorite, and even Songbird long time ago. Maybe it’s time for the rest of the members and publish Thunderbolts?
With Karnak The Cocktail I’ll finish my journey with Inhumans for now… and I’ve compiled all Inhumans cocktails in one handy PDF, available for download in recipes and downloads.
KARNAK
4 parts smooth dark rum
1 part creme de cassis
1 part Aperol
Stir with ice and strain into a suitable small glass. Add one ice cube.
Karnak was the most challenging character in Inhumans cocktail-wise… how to depict intelligent and deliberative character? Finally I came up with this, something you are bound to sip slowly; something that has many levels – sweet and bitter, but everything is in harmony.
This drink is okay, I dare to publish it… but Karnak is one of those characters who will haunt me, demanding another try.
So, maybe we’ll get back to him in the future. In the meanwhile…
BANE (VENOM)
1 part Advocaat
1 part creme de menthe
up to 1 part gold tequila (see below)
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
There’s basically nothing wrong with my first version of Bane: it’s not One of My Top Cocktails, but it’s okay. So why a second version?
To be honest… I was developing something else (I’m not telling what) when I realized the draft tasted like Venom! So, no other chance than to publish it as Bane 2.0.
Gold tequila… I personally prefer 1 part of cheap gold tequila, the classic Jose Cuervo works fine: I enjoy The Sting… but I guess many prefer something less intense. So, use little less tequila.
(Very special thanks for Human Test Subjects B., K. and S. for constructive feedback.)
Last Time I was thinking of designing something non-Inhuman for a change, but here we are…
CRYSTAL
3 parts very dry white wine
2 parts Advocaat
1 part peach liqueur
1 part whisky
2 parts pineapple juice
Shake vigorously with ice (to get that nice pineapple foam) and strain into a cocktail glass. Maybe add one small ice cube.
Lots of different aromas here, suitable for the master of four elements… I personally enjoy the clash of dry white wine with sweeter elements.
GORGON
3 parts Licor 43
5 parts vodka
3 parts whisky
Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with lots of ice in it.
I used Licor 43 in Black Bolt, and if you’re comparing that recipe to Gorgon The Cocktail on the paper you might be deluded to think the two taste kinda same… well, they dont – just try them out 🙂
You really should use plenty of ice with this, even if you fear diluting the drink; it’s so strong to start with (both in taste and alcohol volume, suitable for strong-as-ox Gorgon) that even after “watering down” it’s quite a handful.
So, about Inhumans… I guess we still have Karnak. I’ve been working on his namesake cocktail from the beginning of Inhumans Project, and I still don’t have anything worthy of publishing – I knew his drink would be a tough nut to crack.
If I come up with decent solution, I’ll give it to you next time… otherwise: something else 🙂
Superhero Cocktails 