Alpha Flight, part 2 (Shaman, Snowbird)

So it’s Alpha Flight again, and today I’m gonna take a look on its characters who dabble in magic and/or supernatural.

It’s not the first time I’ve designed drinks for wizards and such… usually their drinks end up with very, very strong aromas; well, I guess it’s fine since The Winds of Magic are strong… but hey, let’s try something milder for a change, shall we?

Last wizard to have his namesake drink was Mordru; that cocktail still had quite a twist (although not as “twisty” as, say, my 2nd version of Dr. Strange)… let’s cut down a little, still trying to keep that Magic Touch.

The weapon of choice is vanilla vodka, as I warned you last time; Smirnoff, Stolichnaya… both taste the same to me, no significant difference there.

SHAMAN

1 to 2 parts vanilla vodka

1 to 2 parts extra dry vermouth

1 to 2 parts apple juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Add one small ice cube.

Apple and vanilla go well together, everyone knows that and it’s so simple combo it’s not “a cocktail” worth publishing… but hey, adding the dry spiciness of vermouth changes the game; there’s the fruitfulness of the apple, with a slight hint of sour – there’s sweet mellow vanilla, with a kick of vodka – and the herbs and spices of vermouth.

Maybe this drink doesn’t create a “tornado of magic” in your taste buds, but at least some small breeze, I hope.

So what’s with the ratios, everything is “1 to 2 parts”? Sorry folks, every Test Subject had an opinion about the perfect Shaman The Cocktail… so I thought not to publish one definitive version, but instead courage you to do some exploring 🙂

My personal favourite is 2 vodka, 1,5 vermouth and 1 juice, but some Test Subjects loathed that much vermouth. Your call.

SNOWBIRD

White layer:

2 parts Bols Natural Yoghurt liqueur

1 part vanilla vodka

Light blue layer:

as above, but add some Tabasco sauce and Blue Curacao

Shake layers separately with ice and layer into a small glass with some ice in it, white layer on top (see below). Serve with a straw.

Okay folks, I have an official announcement to make: I’m done with Bols Yoghurt. It has some potential (or so I thought), but I must confess that pretty much the best thing I can do with it is, well, White/Life Lantern.

Trying to mix it with other liqueurs: its taste vanishes completely. Trying to mix it with some hard booze: it instantly starts to separate, no matter the ratio of the mixture. It’s incredible, the liqueur reacts way more than actual dairy products.

So, Snowbird is my last cocktail ever using Yoghurt.

Anyway, about Snowbird The cocktail… let’s just put aside the fact that unpleasant separation starts at the same second vodka and Yoghurt make contact… vanilla and the cool cream work together fine; use just a few drops of Tabasco – the idea is to create just enough “diversion” to make the taste interesting.

Blue Curacao doesn’t actually change the taste at all, just half a spoon will turn the colour right… blue layer’s density is almost the same as white’s, so when you layer the white atop of the blue, the white doesn’t “float” – instead they kinda swirl among each other.

It doesn’t take any inhuman caution to drink Snowbird with a straw without mixing two colours… so maybe the taste of Snowbird The Cocktail doesn’t spell out “magic” as much, but the visual side does – sideways layering, without any molecule gastronomy gimmicks.

Next time… Alpha Flight, part 3. And I think it’s time for Guardian 🙂