Amidst all this coronavirus chaos it’s a relief to take all thoughts to the other side of the galaxy… These drinks are dedicated to hard core Green Lantern Fan, Test Subject K. 😀

 

KILOWOG

Pink/orange-ish layer:

4 parts vodka

1 to 2 parts lime juice

1 part Campari (or Aperol for a milder version, but that’s kinda lame)

Green layer:

3 parts Midori

1 part mezcal

2 parts milk or 1 part cream

1 part simple syrup

Shake layers separately with ice and layer, green first, pink/orange-ish on top, into the old fashioned glass with lots of ice in it.

Colour theme is naturally derived from Kilowog’s skin colour… but two-part construction also serves a thematical purpose. First layer hits your taste buds like the bellowing of the drill instructor in the boot camp… well, that’s Kilowog for you, rookie.

After you’ve proven that you’re worthy, he’ll treat you a little better: you’ll notice that there is a heart in that wide chest, after all. But let’s not get sentimental: Kilowog is still tough, that’s why we have some mezcal in that green part as a reminder.

 

PARALLAX

2 parts ginger rum

1 part Amaretto di Saronno

2 parts white rum

2 parts orange juice

2 parts Mountain Dew

1 part Rose’s lime cordial

Stir with ice and strain into a highball glass with lots of ice and some lime wedges in it.

Parallax, The Yellow Lantern Corps… it’s all about fear. With Scarecrow I decided to go for a weird-looking summer highball: you know, to remind us that The Fear is lurking even under bright summer sky, while we’re chilling by the pool…

With Parallax it’s the same idea, expect there is no warning: the drink looks just fine… althought the yellow colour theme might tip you off. There are no weird aroma mixtures as in Scarecrow The Cocktail; Parallax just attacks you, without warning… yup, that’s ginger rum.

Despite of the fear element I tried to create a refreshing summertime highball, suitable for those who are tired of boring Sex on The Beaches and want some kick in their beverage.

 

There it is. Next time it’ll be April… and Cherry Tequila 😀

 

Let’s continue with our Doom Patrol cocktails, but before that… Arriba!

This caught me by the surprise, I didn’t learn it until a couple of days ago: in 2018, Mexican Government declared the third Saturday of March A National Tequila Day… and that’s, like, today 😀

It seems that in the US The National Tequila Day is June 24th… Americans can wait until then (or take a false start), but I urge you all to enjoy the glass of quality tequila 😀

I didn’t have time to prepare and dignify The Noble Mexican Spirit in this post properly… but I’ll make it up next year, I promise!

But now it’s time for Doom Patrol cocktails…

 

CRAZY JANE

Top layer, green:

1 part Midori

2 parts vodka

1 part lemon juice

2nd top layer, red:

2 parts vodka

1 part De Kyuper Sour Rhubarb

1 part tomato juice

3rd top layer, purple:

3 parts Parfait Amour

2 parts Maraschino Luxardo

1 part Gammel Dansk

Bottom layer, yellow:

6 parts Advocaat

1 part Strega

Shake layers separately with ice and strain into a highball glass with some ice in it, from bottom to top in the correct order. Serve with a straw.

Kay Challis is truly as crazy as they come: 64 different personalities, all with different powers, competing over one single human body. Wow, that truly is a recipe for chaos and destruction.

I decided that the only way to approach this character is to design a layered drink… well, not 64 layers, but many… and the aromas in the layers should vary wildly. And all the better if the colours are “bit off”; the drink should cry out “CRAZY Jane”.

How to enjoy Crazy Jane The Cocktail? Do some exploring between the layers, check out which layer tastes the best after this-and-that layer… and once you’ve tried all sorts of combinations, stir the whole shebang together with your straw.

 

She might appear crazy as the shithouse rat (pardon my French)… but deep inside there is fragile young woman, Kay: she just wants to live her life, just like everybody else.

And that’s a thematic aspect of this drink… it looks crazy and it tastes crazy, all sorts of different aromas and colours, nothing makes sense… but once you take a good look onto her (stir the drink), Kay Challis can be seen.

After stirring, that quite normal-looking colour won’t change back, no matter how long you wait (Advocaat takes care of that). By the way, now all the aromas are mixed into one; it’s not bad, but… interesting.

 

The glass is in the middle of the picture; maybe I’ve should’ve taken the picture “from the corner of my eye” ;P

MR. NOBODY (for President!)

1 part cheap gin or mezcal, with stinging taste

1 part Triple Sec

1 part De Kyuper Blueberry

5 parts mineral water

dash of kirschwasser (don’t skip this!)

Build into a perfectly normal-looking highball glass, add ice.

Mr. Nobody is probably the weirdest character so far to claim his own drink in this blog… and that’s quite a challenge: how to depict the center figure of The Brotherhood of Dada?

I decided to use “strangeness and unpredictability” as my guideline, and here’s the result… it looks like a club soda, or maybe like common Tom Collins… but it is guaranteed to rise your eyebrows!

Note on kirschwasser… You can try the drink without it… it’s okay, still weird (in a good way), but adding a dash or two of kirschwasser, that german cherry booze with a kick-in-the-teeth-taste, “jolts” the drink onto the next level.

 

There are the Doom Patrol Cocktails, see you in a week or so 😀

 

These cocktails have definitely taken too long to publish… but I wanted to take my time, design decent drinks; if these won’t satisfy Test Subject K., he’ll grab his Official TMNT  sai set and stab me to my justified death 😀

So, these better be good… I’ll concentrate on main Doom Patrol characters during Grant Morrison’s run.

Let’s begin.

ROBOT-MAN

4 parts vodka

2 parts sloe gin

1 part Aperol

Shake with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass with some ice in it. Garnish with orange peel(s) and two red cherries; suitable brain candy on top ;P

It’s simple, but it works. “The taste of metal” and bitterness of being ripped out of one’s living human body… here it is, without resorting to misanthropic levels of bitter taste (you’ll have to check out eg. The Punisher for that). And I think the colour is okay: not the bright orange (oh, those lovely colours of Ye Olde Comics) but more weathered brownish… yup, just like in the TV Series.

The orange peel is not just for the show: slowly it gives out its aroma during drinking, enhancing the drink over time (as the orange peel in, say, Negroni). Red cherries, in addition to acting as Cliff Steele’s red machine eyes, serve as a dessert in case you happen to need it… and the Brain? Well, it’s just for show! 😀

 

REBIS

Bottom part:

1 part Midori

2 parts ginger rum

2 part simple syrup

dash of creme de menthe

Middle part:

1 part bourbon

2 parts tequila blanco, 100% puro de agave

2 parts simple syrup

dash of creme de menthe

(dash or two of Midori)

Top part:

Reposado tequila, 100% puro de agave

dash of creme de menthe

dash of bourbon

dash of lime juice

Add some ice into the cocktail glass. Shake parts separately with ice and layer them into the glass: bottom first, then middle, top layer last. Garnish with lime wedge.

Rebis is a fusion of three different personalities and/or entities: Eleanor Poole, Larry Trainor and The Negative Spirit. So I decided her/his/its cocktail should look like one, but be three different drinks: but not too different, since all three are one.

Whoa.

Well, only way to do it was to design a three-layer drink, were every layer has same colour but they taste different. Still, every layer uses creme de menthe, so there is some coherence… but don’t worry: even if you hate Menthe you should check this out, there are kwazillion other aromas in there that Menthe won’t be able to dominate.

“So, how does it taste like?” …well, it falls into the category of “hard to describe”. I refuse to give any statement about which layer represent which personality/entity of Rebis… part of “Rebis The Cocktail Drinking Experience” is to debate that.

Next time: Crazy Jane… and Mr. Nobody 😀

 

It’s Green Drinks, again! I can’t help it: while designing superhero/villain cocktails, green colour theme keeps popping up… and again, and again…

Well, that’s life. Today’s actual theme is not a green colour, but couple of Spider-Man adversaries; let’s check them out…

 

LIZARD

Prepare a frappe: cool suitable thick glasses beforehand in the freezer. Fill cold glasses with crushed/shaven ice, then quickly prepare the drink…

2 parts peach liqueur (of suitable colour, preferably colourless)

1 part Strega

1 part Creme de Menthe

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into the ice-filled glasses. Serve with a straw: green, naturally.

I tried to simulate the taste of Curtis Connor’s regeneration serum… as far as I know, there are no side effects with this one; well, after one too many you might turn into a sluggish reptile…

 

VULTURE

2 parts lager

2 parts cider

0,5 to 1 part orgeat syrup OR Orange Curacao

Blue Curacao for adjusting colour

Build into a suitable glass, adding Blue Curacao last: one dash at the time, stirring, until you got the colour right. Add ice.

So, it’s a good ol’ Snakebite with extra twist, coloured green. The basic idea is to create a feeling of “soaring high” (while looking for a good attack angle on Spidey); orgeat syrup makes this almost too easy to drink. Orange Curacao is more interesting, I personally recommend it but I also include orgeat syrup variation because Test Subjects made me to 😀

It’s a simple drink, easy to make if you’re looking for different kind of Snakebite variant.

 

Today’s drinks were pretty simple, next time something bit more complicated… Doom Patrol.

 

Leaping Day always has had certain “magic appeal” to me. It only occurs every four years… so everything that happens February 29th kinda “slumbers” until the next Leaping Day.

And even if we discard all mystical qualities of that particular day, still we have some real world oddities concerning it… for example different legal viewpoints in various jurisdictions: if you’re born Feb 29th, which day you actually have your birthday during non-leaping years? And most importantly, while we were youngsters… do you attain your legal drinking age in Feb 28th or March 1st? ;P

And so we move onto our alcoholic refreshments…

 

DR.STRANGE (SORCERER SUPREME)

1 egg white

6 cl (2 oz) cognac (Camus VS strongly recommended)

3 cl (1 oz) Kahlúa

1 cl (1/3 oz) sarsaparilla syrup

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

My first Dr. Strange cocktail looks pretty weird, maybe even uninspiring… but The Magic is in the taste. Stephen Strange looks like a basic passer-by (well, at least while wearing ordinary clothes instead of Cloak of Levitation and other weird garments) but when he unleashes his powers…

I decided to continue in the chosen path. Sorcerer Supreme has a same kind of dull dark brown colour as my first take on the doc, but the taste is guaranteed to surprise you; different surprise as in the cocktail version #1, but surprise anyway.

 

My desperate attemps to capture purple colour realistically with my camera continue…

MYSTERIO

Green part, top:

2 parts dry prosecco

1 part Pisang Ambon

dash of Tabasco sauce (don’t overdo it)

dash of pineapple juice

Purple part, bottom:

2 parts Parfait Amour

1 part simple syrup

dash of pineapple juice

dash of cheap gin/smoky mezcal/something with “A Sting”

Add crushed ice into a champagne flute. Shake purple part ingredients with ice and strain into the glass. Stir green part ingredients with ice and gently layer into the top of the purple part.

Quentin Beck, the master of deception and trickery; you’ll never know what’s coming… Please be careful with Tabasco sauce, you won’t need much: the idea is to give a surprising and satisfying element to prosecco-pisang-combo, not to turn it into a fiery sludge. And the surprise twist of the purple bottom part is entirely up to you; everything with sharp taste works pretty well… maybe use both cheap gin and mezcal? It would be pretty dull to resort to Tabasco sauce in the bottom part as well… if you yearn for Final Chili Kick In The Teeth in the purple bottom part, please check out Joker.

And now onto today’s third cocktail, and that’s a bit of an enigma…

 

Sorry folks: this really should have a purple stirrer, but I didn’t have one at the moment.

MYSTERIO (QUENTIN BECK) OR HULK (GAMMA BOMB)

1 to 1,5 parts cheap and stingy gin

2 parts Pisang Ambon

0,5 to 1 part coconut milk

1 part pineapple juice

dash or two of Tabasco sauce

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a highball glass with some ice in it. Serve with a stirrer (as coconut milk may start to separate a little)

I got bit carried away with Mysterio, I started to design him another cocktail as well; I decided to explore the coconut milk again, haven’t done it for a while… but as the drink started to take its form I realized that the result might be Hulk The Cocktail as well!

My first Hulk cocktail is pretty decent, I dare to say, no urgent need to design another one… but something in this drink turned my thoughts to Angry Green Giant. First Hulk Cocktail “tells a story” of Dr. Banner turning into Hulk; this one depicts the pure anger, or the violent experience of getting in the blast radius of the gamma bomb.

But this drink is Quentin Beck, as well… looks innocent, but plays you for a fool if you think it’s just a mellow watered-down happy hour highball.

I simply could not decide, my dear Test Subjects were as indecisive as me… so you’ll have to check it out and decide for yourself.

 

Mysterio took my thoughts to Sinister Six… so next time we’ll check out more Spider-Man adversaries 😀

 

(This post is dedicated to Test Subject B.: A Friend, and an avid fan of Batman)

Today I’ll hit 225 cocktail recipes, please check out Recipes and downloads for updated compilation.

 

St. Valentine’s Day is closing. Time to friends and lovers to celebrate – but what about those who are lonely, not knowing whom to trust? Surrounded by crowd, but might as well stand alone in the dark… surrounded by wolves.

Maybe the darkest place of them all is Gotham City: filled with madmen and lunatics, greedy politicians and corrupt cops. Frightened citizens trapped in their apartments while few valiant individuals strive to give the control of the city back to its inhabitants.

Theirs is a lonely duty, but they keep on trying. Caped Crusader is the most famous of them all; Dark Knight, Silently watching over Gotham… but the task is overwhelming, even for him.

In the moments of direst need he relies on his few friends…

 

JIM GORDON

3 to 4 parts apricot brandy

2 parts vodka

1 part mezcal

dash of lemon juice

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

Commisioner Gordon’s responsibilities are grave, and there are very few to share them with… who can you trust? How do you know which officers are bought by The Mob, and which have some decency left in them? Batman is a priceless asset in never-ending battle against The Darkness called Crime, but a commissioner also needs unmasked heroes on his side.

These are the things Jim contemplates while sitting alone, in his office, in the dark… and this is the drink he uses to calm his nerves.

Apricot brandy is a sweet ingredient, simulating Gordon’s desperate need for some kind of exuberance… vodka adds ethanol volume, because a man in his position needs a strong drink.

Combination is delightful… but strong and distinctive aroma of mezcal is a reminder that the Filth of Gotham will not be washed away with a single cocktail… or even with a dozen of them.

 

HARVEY BULLOCK

4 parts lager

1 part tequila reposado

1 part De Kyuper Sour Rhubarb

Build into a suitable glass. Ice optional. Enjoy with big and smelly cigar, preferably in non-smoking area.

Detective Bullock is obnoxious, coarse, maybe even corrupt to some extent… but at the end of the day, he is one of the few loyal cops in GCPD Commissioner Gordon can truly trust.

So what about Harvey’s namesake drink? Beer, naturally: drinking while on duty is forbidden, but one Blue Ribbon doesn’t count… “Hard-working cop is allowed to drink beer with his lunch!”

Of course the lunchtime refreshment is spiked – obvious thematical choice would be whisky, but I think tequila has a bit more “hard core”-feel in it. Blanco tequila doesn’t quite fit with lager, reposado works better.

Apricot brandy creates comforting element in Gordon The Cocktail; De Kyuper’s Sour Rhubarb does the same thing with Harvey – creates a nice blend with reposado in the sea of beer.

Attentive readers might notice an apparent similarity with Captain Boomerang but I assure you: while both drinks consist of lager and tequila, Sour Rhubarb and sala syrup as third ingredient create completely different drinks.

 

That’s it for now. Have a nice St. Valentine’s: cherish you friends and loved ones… and be prepared for Leap Day – some weird cocktails coming up ;P

 

Today’s drinks both have some kind of nutritious ingredient, so you can enjoy them with clear conscience ;P

POPEYE

Spinach vodka (see below)

(dash of Midori, if you feel like it)

Shake with ice and strain into a suitable glass with some ice in it. Garnish with spinach leaves. Enjoy while smoking a corncob pipe.

While publishing Bamse and Super Goof I promised to publish Popeye; one more “superhero” who gains his powers through eating some particular stuff.

Using spinach in Popeye The Cocktail is self-evident… but it turned out to be tough thing to do. Spinach has such a faint taste, it will disappear when mixed with other aromas, no matter how careful you try to be.

Producing spinach vodka: mush fresh spinach leaves with suitable pestle, cover it up with vodka. Let it soak for 2 hours, stirring occasionally; strain.

I tried soaking mushed spinach leaves for different time periods, even for two days, but the taste won’t get any more “spinachy” after two hours.

Okay, the colour is pretty okay and you can sense the faint aroma of spinach (when liquid is suitably chilled)…but mixing it with any other ingredient completely vanishes thin spinach taste.

The only ingredient that seems to work with spinach vodka is Midori, and even then you should use it very sparingly (measuring by the drops, actually). Midori covers up the spinach, sure, but the taste of Midori itself seems to change due to spinach.

I must apologize, my dear readers… Popeye The Cocktail is not a very good cocktail. Sure, thematically it works (because of the spinach) but the taste leaves a lot to hope for… and I always try to design my cocktails “Taste First”.

Luckily, today’s second cocktail is way more better; both in taste and in thematical sense…

 

EDIT: check out another version of Sabretooth here.

SABRETOOTH

one egg white

4 cl (1 1/2 oz) whisky

4 cl sweet red vermouth

(dash of tequila, if you yearn for “sharp kick”)

2 cl (3/4 oz) bouillon (see below)

(dash of simple syrup, see below)

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

I guess you’ve heard about the cocktail called Bullshot? Recipes vary, but the essential element is bouillon. Internet and books describe Bullshot as Bloody Mary with bouillon added, or Bloody Mary without tomato juice…with bouillon added.

Bloody Mary w/ bouillon seems like a missed opportunity to me; you could achieve some much more with such an interesting and unorthodox ingredient – some much more than just dumping it into B-Mary, to get lost in all that tomato juice. The second approach, vodka + bouillon + Bloody Mary spices, is just an uncomfortable experience; looks like it’s meant to be some kind of stupid “Test Of Manhood” for hangovers.

While sipping different Bullshot versions I couldn’t help wondering… “vodka lacks a character in this case (as it usually does): the taste of bouillon is destined to dominate this cocktail no matter what, but instead of adding “faceless” vodka you could use something that works with bouillon – something that will not set itself “below” bouillon, but something that enhances its taste…”

“Hmm…whisky could be the weapon of choice”, I thought, and instantly my “theoretical taste buds” realized that red vermouth will complete the trio into something truly worth publishing.

“It’s so obvious, someone’s bound to have invented it before, and I end up publishing something that has been known by everyone for years” (as I unbeknowst did with Penguin, Solomon Grundy  and Swamp Thing (The Green) )… I’m pretty sure someone has thought whisky+vermouth+bouillon-combo but I couldn’t find such an act written up, anywhere.

So, I started to finetune this combo, and here it is: Sabretooth The Cocktail.

Sabretooth is such a “carnal” character, I think “meaty taste” describes him very well. Whisky and sweet vermouth support bouillon perfectly, as expected. Egg white binds them all together: instead of three elements together there is one smooth (but strong) taste.

Tequila, for those who want an extra kick, is not essential. If you feel like you’ll need some simple syrup to make this cocktail enjoyable, don’t just add it to the shaker: pour in some to the bottom of the glass before straining the drink on top as well – this way you’ll avoid potentially unsavoury aftertaste with the last gulp…

…though I personally don’t find the strong taste of the cocktail unsavoury at all: on the contrary, I think regular bouillon is a little too mild for the purpose – I found out that the broth made out of “beef taste” noodle spice powder works better than actual bouillon 😀

You might think that I’m yanking your chain with this cocktail, but it really is delicious. Please check it out.

 

Next time… St. Valentine’s Day, with cocktail #225 😀

 

I designed these two drinks long time ago, I decided I’ll publish them in the middle of the coldest winter: to get “A Siberian Feel”, you know? ;P

Well, no sign of cold winter here in the Southern Finland: no snow, and temperature is well above freezing… so there’s your “Siberia”.

Forecasts give us no hope… looks like winter is cancelled this year (and maybe in the years to come?) so I might as well get it over with and publish these mean Soviet drinks.

 

KGBEAST

4 parts Passõa

2 parts whisky

1 part Cynar (or a dash of Gammel Dansk)

2 parts Mountain Dew

Build into a highball glass, add ice.

KGBeast The Cocktail has a pompous feel (as The May Day Parade in The Red Square) but underlying bitterness, in the form of Cynar or Gammel Dansk, reminds us that not all Soviet forces march in the open… the deadliest of them, assassin codenamed KGBeast, stalks in the shadows…

 

Dear Estonian Readers: I’m very aware that Estonians didn’t feel like “Soviet Citizens” while under the iron boot of Soviet Union. I’m not trying to draw connection between Estonia and Sickle ‘n Hammer with the picture above… I wanted to use a souvenir shot glass from St. Petersburg, and a strongest vodka I could find was good ol’ Viru Valge 80%. No offence, Estonian Brothers and Sisters… and “Terviseks!” ;P (For utilizing Vana Tallinn in cocktail, please check out Solomon Grundy)

RHINO

strongest vodka/spirit you can find

dash of rowanberry vodka

dash of red grenadine

Shake with ice and strain into a shot glass. Knock yourself out.

While in Kenya I realized I hadn’t designed a drink for Rhino. Aleksei Sytsevich has a special place in my heart, it all starts decades ago… he was the bad guy in the first ever Finnish issue of The Incredible Hulk. I remember reading the magazine over and over again; back then I thought Rhino was much cooler than Hulk, I admit.

While watching the actual rhinos in the Nakuru National Park, I remembered Rhino; so here we are, with the Killer Recipe!

Juggernaut The Cocktail tries to depict the head-butt of that particular dude… I thought Rhino The Cocktail must do the same, and million times more. Plus it has to have “Rude Soviet Bad Guy Attitude” in the taste! And forget about rhinoceros gray, colour theme should be Socialist Red.

It’s very simple to make… as little moving parts as possible; as in the Soviet tractor ;P It goes without saying that you should be careful while serving these in your superhero-themed cocktail party… but I guess there’s a demand for That One Badass Shot; so this is it. You’ve been warned.

 

Today we’re going to take a look for couple of truly ancient heroes; their cocktail recipes have a hint of actual Real World History in them…

 

CONAN THE BARBARIAN

1 part lager

1 part cider

1 part red wine

dash (to few very plentiful dashes) of Cynar

Build into a suitable container, ice is optional. All ingredients can be room temperature, although I personally prefer beer and cider taken from the fridge and red wine room temperature.

I came across a very old “cocktail recipe” from the ancient Greece: “beer, mead and wine mixed together.” Sounds horrible, right? “Mead” is a pretty broad concept, so I decided to go with a cider; “mead” can be anything between Finnish “kilju” (plase don’t try it) or any other kind of homemade alcohol created through fermentation… “cider” has some kind of classification, at least; readers have some kind of an idea what I’m referring to.

Original “recipe” didn’t give any proportions, so I dove in with 1 part each… “Hey, this tastes much better that it sounds like?!?!”… but even if red wine+lager+cider-combo was pretty allright, something was definitely missing…

Cynar is the Missing Link! It gives character, it gives “depth”: this is the cocktail (so to speak) worthy of invincible Cimmerian barbarian! 😀

Be warned: this goes down pretty easily (once you get past the first gulp) and you don’t get a feel about alcohol content: it’s pretty easy to drink this as a strong beer… but it’s much stronger! I guess this is kinda “test of manhood”: are you a Real Cimmerian?” ;P

I’m pretty content with this drink; it combines an actual ancient “cocktail” recipe, and still holds “A Hyperborean Feel”.

 

SLÁINE THE KING

hypocras (see below)

dash of lemon juice and/or dash of tequila and/or mezcal

Build into a suitable container, room temperature.

 

Sláine The King is a combination of two Old, Real World “cocktails”…

HYPOCRAS (one of the many ways to prepare this Medieval healing potion)

1 liter of red wine

150 grams of white sugar (very rare in Medieval Europe)

2 tea spoons of cinnamon

2 tea spoons of ginger

Heat the red wine in a pan, don’t boil. Soak in the sugar, toss in the spices, stir. Let it cool for at least two hours, stirring occasionally. Filter into the bottle(s) and store into a cool place; enjoy it in a week or two.

This Medieval recipe is named after Hippocrates, The Father of Medicine, and it’s suppose to have healing abilities. There are about kwazillion recipes for producing “The Best” Hypocras, this is the the one I use in Sláine The Cocktail.

And then there’s another old recipe…

 

“BOLO”

white rum

white sugar

exotic spices

orange juice

citrus juice (lime preferrd over lemon, since it’s from “The New World”)

Rim the glass with white sugar and grated citrus skin. Stir ingredients with ice and strain into the glass.

“Bolo” is the general name for expensive drinks in 16th century drinks served in Europe (there’s also a cocktail named “Bolo” in The Savoy Cocktail Book which has nothing to do with the concept)… ingredients vary, but the main idea was that the host tried to impress his guests with a drink containing all sorts of expensive ingredients from The New World.

 

So…My take on Sláine The Cocktail is the combination of Hypocras and the concept of Bolo.

 

Hypocras is a pretty decent drink as it is, but spicing/spiking it up with fresh citrus juice and/or a dash of Mexican alcohol takes it to another level… something Sláine would sip when he has risen to the to the throne, after wading in the blood of his enemies for so many years.

Just to make it clear… prepare hypocras as in the recipe, add citrus/Mexican booze before serving.

 

So, there we have a couple of drinks for ancient barbarian heroes, based on actual ancient drink recipes. I hope you enjoy them.

 

Year 2020, January. No snow, everything is dark and grim. Good mindset to check out couple of baddies.

 

LOKI

2 parts lager

1 part extra dry vermouth

up to 1/2 part Skittles Tequila or Strega

(Blue Curacao for adjusting colour to green)

Build into a suitable tankard, ice recommended.

Loki The Cocktail is “the evil version” of my first Thor cocktail: more “backstabbing elements” in this one… beware of the “hidden” alcohol content; you’ll taste the sting, but not the actual amount of ethanol.

 

ULTRON

Prepare a frappe: cool down suitable glasses in the freezer beforehand. Fill them with crushed/shaven ice, then quickly prepare the drink…

1 part De Kyuper Blueberry

1 part mezcal

(dash of kirschwasser, try first without it)

Shake ingredients vigorously with ice and strain into ice-filled glasses. Serve with a straw.

Oh, all those robots… Metallo, Red Tornado, Vision… but there is still room for one more. So, how to depict Ultron? Although Ultron is a high-tech creation with nuclear power supply, I decided to squeeze in “the exhaust fumes” in the form of smoky mezcal (as I did in Iron Patriot)…then create “weird and inhuman” conflict by adding something contradicting; De Kyuper’s Blueberry works nice, still keeping the colour “metal” (okay, transparent is the next best thing).

Add even more “synthetic” taste with a dash of Kirschwasser (essential element in Metallo The Cocktail) but beware: some Test Subjects think it ruins the unholy alliance of mezcal and Blueberry.

This isn’t a “puritan” frappe per se, so much non-liqueur booze in there… you might also enjoy Ultron The Cocktail in an old fashioned glass, with plenty of ice.

That’s it. More bleak winter cocktails next time 😀