Grab your blaze rod and gather your wart, because it’s time for a pink potion guaranteed to keep the zombies at bay.
You’ll need
- 2 oz pink gin or pink vodka
- .25 oz (10ml) honey liqueur
- .50 oz (15ml) watermelon simple syrup
- .50 oz (15ml) lemon juice
Add all ingredients to a shaker filled with ice. Shake thoroughly to chill. Strain into your preferred vessel. Garnish with a lemon peel. Serve!
“Oof.”
– Steve
Want to feel absolutely ancient? It’s been nearly 10 years since the first playable beta of Minecraft was released. In that time, there have been what seems like uncountable updates – honestly, I’ve lost track of all the gamechangers in recent years.
One update I do remember with fondness, however, was the original release of the alchemy system. You can probably tell I like potion-making in all its many forms considering this weird hobby I have, and Minecraft was giving me an opportunity to indulge. I hadn’t played for ages, and then suddenly I was diving back into the Nether to harvest Nether Wart and cracking entire mountains to get at gold and iron enough for the multitude of new ingredients for the mystical Minecraft potions.
There are a fair few to choose from, but I decided that it’d be best to remake a classic of the RPG genre: the Minecraftian version of the Potion of Healing.
Looking for a different kind of healing? Check out the Potion of Healing from Dungeons & Dragons.
To bring it to life, I’ve taken the in-game recipe and translated it to real-life equivalents. That’s where the watermelon and honey liqueur comes in, to represent the Glistering Melon. The watermelon simple syrup is obvious, but we’ve also used a honey liqueur that has actual gold flakes in it. If you don’t feel like being quite so extra, you can just use honey simple syrup instead.
This drink is also a great opportunity to talk about the recent resurgence of pink liquors. I’ve noticed a lot of people think that all the pink gins and vodkas we’re seeing nowadays are the same. Not true. The two I’ve used, 1919 Pink Gin and Blush Pink Vodka (both NZ-based distillers), create completely different drinks. The 1919 is very characterful with a huge depth of complexity, while the Blush is far cleaner, summer-y and bright, and the way they are made is very different too: the 1919 with raspberries and strawberries, and the Blush with rhubarb.
Don’t let the colour fool you: pink liquors are not all the same and they make distinct cocktails as a result. Try out a few; testing the difference is a great excuse to create a flight of cocktails. Hope you enjoy!
If you want to keep seeing video-game-inspired cocktails and get a hold of some exclusive recipes, head on over to Experience Bar’s Patreon page and consider slinging me a credit or two. You help keep this blog going!
