Monday, September 8, 2014

Working on concept drinks for Arnold movie night

at 9:26 PM
I have become locally known for my high-concept theme-mixology (see: Frankenshot, 2008; Holy Diver, 2010), but I'm currently a bit stumped. I'm trying to get something going for my upcoming "Arnold Schwarzenegger Movie Night" (open invitation, business casual attire expected) and can't quite pin down what makes the original Man of Steel tick, in drink form. To give you an example of my typical conceits, here's the recipe for my latest creation (it got rave reviews in local bartending publications):

The Godzilla Bomb
-1 half can Sapporo or Asahi if you're out
-1 oz sake
-2 drops green food coloring
Drip the food coloring into the bottom of a shot glass. Pour in the oz of sake - it will mix on its own and turn a very dark green. Pour the beer into a regular beer glass. Drop the sake shot into the beer and immediately chug.

What happens here works on a lot of levels. The Japanese beer is a synecdoche for Japan and the green sake represents Godzilla (he is usually portrayed as green, but also a creation of Japan). The impact of the shot in the beer symbolizes the devastating effect Godzilla has on the nation of Japan. The cocktail works on a second level (most of mine do), as the green "bomb" is also a metaphor for the atomic bomb. The instantaneous spread of the green color to the entire drink when the "bomb" is "dropped" suggests the atomic fallout that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as Godzilla himself was originally conceived to represent. It's a drink that inspires philosophical contemplation, and that's what's important in mixology.

So my first idea for an Arnold drink is something like a Belgian Trippel (European + extra "strong" alcohol content) mixed with Muscle Milk (to build show muscles while you enjoy a beverage) served in a steel tumbler (Arnold only drinks from steel tumblers as his grip is so strong that he inadvertently crushes glasses). But who wants to buy a fifty pound can of Muscle Milk to make a dozen drinks for a party? It's just impractical.

I'll update you as soon as I have some better ideas. It'll come to me, I'm sure. It always does.

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