Few revisions… (Black Panther, Sabretooth)

Last time I promised to take another look on Sabretooth: I personally like it, but according to feedback not many others do. So, let’s design another version!

Despite of all I think I’m on the right track with Sabretooth 1.0… I decided to trade red vermouth to red wine and skip bouillon and egg white completely.

I’ve done some red wine based cocktails before (Etrigan, Conan The Barbarian and Venom, to name a few) so this is not my first rodeo. Let’s see…

 

Unfortunately that’s not a sabre-toothed cat’s jaw; it’s “only” cave bear’s. Yes, I’m an avid collector of fossils, as I told you before ;P

SABRETOOTH (VICTOR CREED)

1 part red wine (even cheapo works here)

1 to 2 parts lager (see below)

1 part Kahlúa

1 part vodka (see below)

Stir with ice and strain into a suitable glass with lots of ice in it.

So, the colour… Test Subject K., an invaluable source of Deeper Superhero Knowledge, stated that Sabretooth 2.0 should “look like blood”. Ok, this brownish-red hue actually isn’t 100% “blood”, but ominous enough.

Then, the taste… Note to self: “Remember, you promised: even though a character could be considered “evil”, that doesn’t automatically mean that you should add bitter sidetaste”… so I didn’t, and noticed that Kahlúa creates suitably weird and/or dire taste to the lot. You can try to substitute it with black coffee w/ insane amount of sugar in it (say, 1/3), but Kahlúa is the best.

“Oh my, what have I done? After all this mixing and testing over many days, and what have I created? A cocktail which tastes a lot like sweet red vermouth!”

Yes, I’m pretty sure there’s a brand of red vermouth somewhere out there that tastes a lot like this (though I don’t know what it is)… and then, in a wild whim of experimentation, I added some lager and that changed things completely!

Start with one part lager and take your time with the drink, exploring the taste. For the second glass, try 1,5 or 2 parts, and you can see that the lager is pretty essential element of the drink; maybe the most important?!? Tip: just before serving the cocktail, top it with couple of spoonfuls of lager. It gives kinda “smoother landing” for the strong aroma of the drink.

Still think this is just a “home-made” red vermouth with some beer added? (Well, I still did) Substitute some of the vodka with bourbon. Personally I think bourbon dominates the drink too much, but if you want to emphasize the vile n’ wild disposition of Victor Creed, go for it.

 

So that’s the Sabretooth 2.0 I’m content with. But it sure wasn’t the first draft in my long line of experimentations…

 

WEAPON X

3 parts red wine (yes, cheapo wine works here even better)

1 part Pisang Ambon

up to 0,5 part bourbon and/or brandy

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass with lots of ice in it.

Yes, I took some desperate measures while searching for Sabre 2.0 – I mean, Jeez: red wine and Pisang Ambon?!?!? Surprise surprise, it works… even though it needs something “sharp” for balance, hence the bourbon/brandy.

No, it’s not one my best creations… but it’s a draft worth publishing: I decided to name it after the secret facility which produced Sabretooth (and Wolverine and Deadpool), since I “discovered” it while trying to create the Sabretooth of my own. Poetic, huh? ;P

 

Even though the natural colour of the drink is nice, you could add food colouring to emphasize the point.

BLACK PANTHER (WAKANDA)

2 to 4 parts white rum

1 to 2 parts Malibu

4 parts pineapple juice

4 parts cranberry juice

(black food colouring)

Shake with ice and strain into a highball glass with a lots of ice in it.

And as always… for cranberry juice please use high quality concentrate diluted with water 1:1 ratio instead of recommendation (usually 3:1 or 4:1).

Nothing wrong with my first version of Black Panther, I dare to say… but as I mentioned earlier, I’m too eager to add a bitter element into the cocktail.

So… no bitterness to represent lurking dangers of the jungle, just nice tropical highball; something that you could sip while chilling on some nice terrace in the city of Birnin Zana, admiring the achievements of the glorious nation of Wakanda.

 

Originally I was planning to publish something else next time, but this reviewing some old characters/drinks kinda got me excited. So… next time: more revisions 😀