I’ve been feeling kinda sullen lately, maybe that’s why today’s drinks are somewhat grim – only bad guys today…

(“Quickly! Quickly! Take the pic before the ice melts – and before the glass melts!”)

CAPTAIN COLD

Edinburgh Gin Distillery’s Elderflower Liqueur

dash of the smokiest mezcal you’ve got

Few drops Blue Curacao, should you want to adjust the colour to “glacier green/blue”

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a suitable glass crammed with ice… or glasses made out of ice 🙂

This particular liqueur is fine as it is, with plenty of ice… I must say: although the taste is pretty fine, it gets boring pretty fast. Solution: try to balance it with something “totally contradicting”?

Well, mean and smoky mezcal sure is something opposite – and hey, the result is pretty nice! It has a cool “glacial” feel with mean disposition… since Mr. Freeze and Killer Frost, our frrrreezing villains, have their drinks already, I think this creation should be named after Len Snart, aka. Captain Cold.

You might have to do some testing with mezcal, when you find the right ratio you’ll know what I’m talking about.

SCORPION

3 parts extra dry vermouth

2 parts Midori

3 parts dark rum

dash of sarsaparilla syrup

dash of Kahlúa

dash of bourbon

dash of Angostura Orange bitters

(option: 4 parts both vermouth and rum, otherwise the same)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass with an ice cube in it.

Now here’s an interesting one… the basic ingredients – vermouth, Midori and rum – create a cocktail which is pretty bland, but you can tell it has potential… it is all those dashes that breathe this drink alive!

As you’ve guessed, it takes a few attempts to get this right. And when it is “right”? When sarsaparilla gives kinda gloom feel, combined with a “darkness” of Kahlúa coffee; all this crowned with a slight hint of sweetbitter of bourbon, accompanied by Angostura’s citrus aroma.

I think this cocktail honours Scorpion, one of the greatest Spider-Man villains ever, pretty well.

I’ll publish next post a week before Halloween or so. I’m going to mix characters from different publishers to create a true nightmare… what is Captain America going to do if Lex Luthor is elected president again? :S

I did some experimentations with coconut cream, let’s check them out…

MAN-THING

5 parts tequila blanco (cheapo brand actually works better than 100% puro de agave)

1 to 2 parts creme de menthe (see below)

10 parts orange juice

2 parts sarsaparilla syrup

some coconut cream

(maybe some Blue Curacao for adjusting colour)

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a highball glass with lots of ice in it. Appropriate garnish; somehow I think those two red cherries are a must ;P

In the pic above the drink has been standing for couple of minutes, and coconut cream has started to separate… looks disgusting, and that’s the point! With Man-Thing, it’s all about fear, and overcoming it… so go ahead, taste the drink – I dare you 🙂

Of course the separation doesn’t affect taste (unless you let it stand for a hour but then it’s ruined anyway)… and speaking of taste: sarsaparilla gives the drink “dark and gloomy” feel, so “the fear factor” is not just in the looks.

The amount of creme de menthe is the key for controlling how much sarsaparilla dominates the drink: one part creme really brings out the sarsaparilla, two parts pushes it to the background.

SUPERGIRL (KARA ZOR-EL)

2 parts Passoã

up to 1 part cognac/brandy and/or bourbon

2 parts coconut cream

Rose’s lime cordial, up to taste (maybe almost up to 1 part)

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

This drink is less lethal than my first Supergirl cocktail (maybe), but the concept is the same: sweet, easy to drink, the colour is “girlpowerish” pink and highly deceptive – perfect for girls’ night out! 🙂

And speaking of Girl Power Drinks, don’t forget to check out Power Girl.

Man-Thing The Cocktail got me thinking… Halloween is closing in, so get ready for some grim drinks ;P

I guess I’m not the only one fed up with modern Hollywood movie industry: sequels, prequels, reboots and endless remakes.

…but nothing wrong with cocktail remakes, I guess ;P

CAPTAIN MARVEL (CAROL DANVERS)

Red part, top:

3 parts Passoã

2 parts De Kyuper Sour Rhubarb

2 parts vodka

(few dashes of Aperol)

Blue part, bottom:

mezcal and simple syrup, roughly 50-50

Blue Curacao, for adjusting colour

Shake parts separately with ice and layer into a cocktail glass with couple of ice cubes in it; blue bottom, red top.

At hindsight I must say my first take on Captain Marvel was pretty sketchy; I got too carried away with my new discovery, De Kyuper Sour Rhubarb, and build the drink solely on it – not very entrepreneurial 😦

With Carol Danvers The Cocktail I decided to stick with Sour Rhubarb, there is still nothing wrong with that but I added Passoã… and some Aperol for counterbalance, althought some Test Subjects think the drink works better without it. You decide.

The drink needs ice, otherwise it gets too warm towards the end = intolerably sweet. Of course the melting ice waters the drink down, but that’s okay: when you hit the blue bottom part, some water is welcome – it softens up mezcal+sugar combo, making it actually a worthy “dessert” for the red part, instead of acting just a colour layer.

JEAN GREY

Green highball:

2 parts white wine (see below)

3 parts Midori

5 parts mineral water

Build into a highball glass, add crushed ice. Maybe garnish with a stirrer (see below).

Brown shot:

4 parts añejo tequila (see below)

2 parts Amaretto di Saronno OR Malibu

simple syrup, to taste (see below)

Shake with ice and strain into a shot glass.

So what’s the deal with this duo? Another cocktail consisting of multiple drinks, like Cloak and Dagger or Thanos? Not quite, a variant of good ol’ Bomb Shot aka. Depth Charge!

Phoenix and Dark Phoenix are two different personalities, but a same person. Earlier I tackled this dilemma by designing two different drinks, now I decided to depict the moment Phoenix turns to The Darkness.

So, first enjoy the highball – nice, cool, but nothing breathtaking here. When you have made enough room, drop in the shot glass (and this is why you should use crushed ice, cubes prevent the glass from sinking in).

Stir if you like, but I personally enjoy “The Darker” taste on top, after which the drinks turns back into the original form towards the end; works both tastewise and thematically. Nothing wrong with stirring the whole shebang together, then it’s Dark all the way.

So what’s so “Dark” in this drink? It’s the Amaretto, adding surprising bitterness (as in The Punisher)… for some reason Malibu works kinda same way. The shot needs quite a lot simple syrup to bring out the desired taste when bombed in – you might end up using it same amount as Amaretto / Malibu, rendering the shot undrinkable on its own.

But there is also other essential element for Darkness… añejo tequila. Please, no substituting with cheap gold tequila; if don’t want to spend your money for añejo you’ll just have to skip this drink. You’ll need full-bodied aroma of tequila, stored in a barrel for months, to create that menacing rounded “Dark” into the Jean Grey.

I’m not a spokesperson for any alcohol brand, but I must say Agavita añejo works very nice in Jean Grey… and it’s pleasant to sip on its own.

I’ve mentioned this before, but I do it again… for cocktails I use white wines that contain 40 grams of sugar per litre: so, they’re pretty disgusting to be enjoyed as they are… but those dried wines that taste good with a meal just don’t work in cocktails, they’re just too dry.

I usually buy pictured German cheapo wine for my cocktails, but other brands work just as fine as long as they are sweet enough.

I hope you these. See you in October 🙂

I’ve done some experiments with umeshu, actually I conducted them last spring… but there is always “something better” to publish. Sigh, the story of my life; everything gets postponed in the last minute because I discover something “more urgent” to publish…

But now it’s time for umeshu! Unlike soju, the taste really isn’t easy to lose among other ingredients: the taste is very tense and sweet indeed! The key – the way I see it it – is to find something that “rhymes” with the liqueur; not just add some vodka and slam a name for the “creation”.

KRAVEN THE HUNTER

1 part bourbon

1,5 to 2 parts umeshu

dash of Peychaud bitters

some absinth (see below)

Glaze the chilled old fashioned glass with absinth (the best way is to spray it with good ol’ wormwood booze). Shake ingredients with ice and strain into the glass, add a lot of ice.

Sergei Kravinoff… russian aristocrat, who spends his time stalking a big game (and occasional human-shaped spider) and hustling with some weird jungle herbs.

I decided to skip “russian” part; as I said, I didn’t want to approach the subject just by adding vodka (althought it is a good combo).

There are a lot of strong aromas in this drink; I think that qualifies for “jungle herbs”. And this is one of those drinks that you want to enjoy slowly, with patience… as the hunter needs patience to score a kill.

And now we have the original Sinister Six represented with cocktails! In addition to Kraven here… Dr. Octopus, Electro, Mysterio, Sandman and Vulture. I’ll add a compilation to recipes and downloads first thing tomorrow.

SUNFIRE

2 parts dry apple cider

1 part gin

1 part umeshu

some red grenadine (for adjusting colour orange-ish)

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

Shiro Yoshida sure has temper, he’s pretty arrogant dude – hence dry cider and gin, to add “harsh” element. Umeshu, of course, stands for his Japanese nationality… but it also blends nice with other elements: my humble attempt to represent Sunfire’s plasma bolts.

So, those were today’s drinks, I hope you enjoy them 🙂

For all you “Third Rock from The Sun” fans out there, this post is for you 🙂

BRAIN

1 part cognac

1 part Cointreau

dash of absinth

Shake with ice and strain into a shot glass. Garnish with a brain candy, for example the same you used in Robot-Man.

This drink was born when I was doing experiments with classic Sidecar. “Well, the Braintube-dude is hanging out with a gorilla called Monsieur Mallah, so I guess his drink should have some sort of French element, eg. cognac.”

Okay, truthfully… I just came up with nice shot and decided to publish it as Brain, since the raspberry taste of these particular brain candies works well with the aftertaste of the drink 🙂

There was more character oriented focus while designing the next drink…

M.O.D.O.K.

Yellow bottom layer:

2 parts Advocaat

1 part Strega

1 part simple syrup

Purple top layer:

2 parts Parfait Amour

2 parts vodka

1 to 2 parts tequila blanco

Shake layers separately with ice and layer into an old fashioned glass; yellow bottom, purple top. There should be lots of ice in this drink, and it seems very appropriate to use one huge ice ball instead of several ice cubes 🙂

Representing superior intelligence and telepathy through taste is a bit of a challenge… so I decided I’ll try something “sharp”; hence the Strega and tequila, to balance out the sweet liqueurs.

A note about the layering… MODOK The Cocktail is a great opportunity to utilize those stainless steel “whisky rocks” you bought with high hopes, used once and noticed that they are pretty uncomfortable lumps in your glass…

Well, it’s still uncomfortable but at least you get some humour out of them. Please note how differently the layers behave when using ice ball and steel ball: in both pictures the volumes of layers are exactly the same – steel ball doesn’t obviously float, so it forces the yellow layer to rise higher.

I know I’m gonna get bombarded by Test Subject K… “Hey! You published Brain! Where is Monsieur Mallah Cocktail?”

Not in this post, Dear Friend and Endless Well of Useless Super Hero Trivia. Instead of IQ 178 gorilla I’ll give you another version of MODOK…

M.O.D.O.K. (George Tarleton)

2 parts vodka

4 parts cranberry juice

1 part lemon juice

1 part sala syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a highball glass with one big ice ball in it.

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

The first MODOK cocktail might have the accurate colour theme, but for you who don’t like the sting of Strega and/or tequila…here’s a different approach. Still pretty crisp and zesty, but more suitable for the poolside. And the colour is kinda same as in the beams MODOK shoots out from his forehead, sort of.

And here’s the best part…

M.O.D.O.K. The Mocktail

As above, just skip the vodka 🙂

All right, enough with the huge domes. See you next time.

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 😀

 

I received a request for another version of Sabretooth… it is a weird cocktail, I give you that, but I decided to publish it anyway because I personally like it; Test Subjects said that the basic idea is good, “carnal / fleshy” cocktail for such a character, but my approach was just too bizarre. Arrogantly I ignored them 😐

They were right! I was approached by a reader of this humble blog, and he requested for another version for Sabretooth.

So be it, Sabretooth 2.0 coming up… and another drink for a character I feel I’ve mistreated with my cocktail. It’s not bad, just that it’s a “joke drink”; that character deserves more than that.

I’m working on them, I try to create something decent for the next post. Meanwhile we check out couple of white drinks.

 

MOON KNIGHT

2 parts cachaca (or in emergency, white rum)

2 parts peach liqueur (colourless)

1 part De Kyuper Blueberry

4 parts milk

1 part simple syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass, add few ice cubes.

This drink is hard to classify… should it be enjoyed from tall glass, rather than a cocktail glass? Is it a digestif or a party drink for those with serious sweet tooth?

Moon Knight is a mysterious character, and so should his cocktail be. I admit… if a comic book character is “mysterious / grim / dark / etc.” I go for the bitter tinge, all too easily – I personally enjoy it, but I should remember that I’m not just designing cocktails for my own taste.

So, “the mystery” in Moon Knight The Cocktail is the mixture of peach and blueberry; cachaca adds a interesting “kick” for some balance.

If you feel that this drink should be highball try adding some milk, but I feel that other aromas drown somewhere there pretty easily.

Longing for a stronger drink? Try cutting down the amount of milk, and you’ll see it starts to separate – too little milk compared to alcohol volume.

 

WHITE TIGER

1 part white rum

2 parts Bols Cacao White

2 parts lime juice

2 parts simple syrup

4 parts coconut cream

…OR…

3 parts Malibu

2 parts lime juice

2 parts simple syrup

4 parts coconut cream

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a highball glass with lots of crushed ice in it. Green straw.

Hector Alaya hails from Puerto Rico, so I decided that his drink should have (sub)tropical feel. Lime and coconut is a tasty combo, I started with that… and discovered couple of ways to achieve The Feel I was striving for. So I give you two versions of White Tiger 🙂

 

Next time couple of revisions: Sabretooth, and someone else. Cheers!

 

The weather is HOT! Couple of maritime highballs to help you chill out…

 

MERA

1 (or more) part rowanberry vodka

0,5 to 1 part Midori

2 to 3 (or more) parts dry cider

1 part orange juice

Blue Curacao (for adjusting colour more intense green)

Build into a suitable glass, add lots of crushed ice. Garnish with orange wedge and rowanberries.

Without rowanberry twist this drink would be just a basic beach drink, without surprises… the sourness adds an element of danger; of being serious, not to be joked around with… that’s Mera, like an ocean: gentle, but capricious – even violent if needed (add more rowanberry vodka).

 

OCEAN MASTER

6 parts dry cider

1 part Cynar

2 parts Coca-Cola

0,5 parts sarsaparilla syrup.

Build into a suitable glass, add a lots of crushed ice.

When you dive deeper into the depths of the ocean, the shadows get longer and more numerous; it’s still the same sea, same water, but there is something sinister lurking around…

Basically an easy highball, but Cynar and sarsaparilla add their twist – not just to make the drink interesting, but to remind us just how bitter Orm is. I can’t find a better drink to sip while planning your revenge for Aquaman 😀

 

Please people, try to survive the heat wave and coronavirus and everything… Keep safe, keep hydrated ;P

 

The weather is HOT! We need cool long drinks to fix that problem… we’ll tackle the issue with a couple of tall glasses filled with red liquid.

 

CARNAGE

3 to 4 parts dry apple cider

4 parts Passoã

1 to 1,5 parts Fernet Branca

Build into a highball glass, add lots of ice.

Carnage sure ain’t no dude to mess around with, the fact I wanted to emphasize with this drink. It’s a highball, but pretty strong; cider and Passoã are kinda gentle combo, outright non-Carnagean… but Fernet Branca gives certain murderous undertone that makes this drink Carnage The Cocktail.

If you find out you used a bit too much Fernet, just add Passoã.

 

SCARLET SPIDER

1 part dry or extra dry apple cider

1 part Aperol

1 part cranberry juice

Build into a highball glass, add lots of ice.

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).

So what’s with Aperol in Scarlet Spider? Well, Ben Reilly is pretty bitter that he’s constantly confused with Spider-Man – I needed a way to represent that frustration in the drink.

 

I hope these highballs help you to survive the heat wave. I’ll be back before the end of month 😀