The Drink Me Cocktail

By Marisa Pellegrino

December 14, 2018

Recipes

Simple is best, and Paul Rosser and Nick Perry echo this sentiment, stating, “The best cocktails are the simplest, using just a couple high-quality products and allowing one or two flavours to take centre-stage.”

Exemplifying the selection of top ingredients to elevate a cocktail: this is what Paul and Nick have done with their book Drink Me: Curious Cocktails from Wonderland. All the cocktails were created for the book based on inspirations from Alice in Wonderland, which has a medley of references to elixirs.

When asked about their favourite cocktail in the book, Paul said, “my favourite is The Mushroom, though it’s not one for the faint-hearted!” The Mushroom does indeed pack quite the punch, using real Absinthe, Cocchi Americano, and rose liqueur with ice. All this is “stirred until the ice melts and fully dilutes the drink. A true sharpener.”

Meanwhile, Nick has opted for the Queen of Hearts as his favourite, “A twist on one of my go-to classics, the Margarita.” It’s a cocktail they developed throughout a few sessions. Using Campari for that bitter edge, it also uses a heart-shaped garnish, which “ties in wonderfully with the Alice in Wonderland theme. When drunk, the creamy foam head is offset with a crisp raspberry tartness on one’s top lip.”

The recipe that they decided to share with us today is the cornerstone of the book, with a straightforward name: The Drink Me Cocktail.
With its unexpected ingredients, this cocktail will spark some nostalgia. Think cake-frosting–infused vodka, buttered-toast–infused rum and delectable toffee syrup. “It had, in fact, a sort of mixed flavour of cherry-tart, custard, pineapple, roast turkey, toffee, and hot buttered toast,” suggest the bartenders. The quintessential drink from Wonderland was a magical potion, its properties contort Alice’s body and set her out on her adventures into Wonderland.

“With this drink, we wanted to create a curious cocktail that dared to blend the wide array of flavours Lewis Carroll references in his novel. The complex flavours of the turkey-and toast-infused rums balance out with the sweetness of the cherry liqueur to create an enjoyable drink with a distinct taste that will live long in the memory. This is the perfect drink for a party, as it involves an element of theatre and allows you to pre-batch and bottle the drink in advance.”

Take a leap down the rabbit hole and set out on your wonderful cocktail adventure!

Yield: 1 Drink Me Cocktail

Ingredients

0.5 oz (15 ml) Cherry Heering

0.5 oz (15 ml) vanilla bean and cake frosting–infused vodka

0.5 oz (15 ml) buttered toast–infused rum

0.5 oz (15 ml) turkey rum

1 oz (30 ml) pineapple juice

0.25 oz (7 ml) toffee syrup

0.25 oz (7 ml) fresh squeezed lemon juice

Method

1. Add all the ingredients to a Boston glass over cubed ice, give the mixture a hard shake, then use a funnel to fine strain the mixture into a 5-ounce (140 ml) glass bottle.

2. Cork the bottle and garnish with a brown paper tag labeled “Drink Me.”

3. Serve the bottle alongside a Nick and Nora glass, allowing your guests to pour the drink out themselves. Be sure to keep any batched bottles chilled.

Note: You will need to buy a runny toffee syrup for this drink; if the syrup is too thick, you may need to implement a dry shake.

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Marisa has worked as a freelancer in radio, print, and online. She is also the co-creator of a popular Montreal food blog, which has given her the opportunity to sample some of the best food and drink her native Montreal has to offer!

By Marisa Pellegrino