Patrolling the Mojave Desert almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter… or at the very least, a damned drink.
No matter how advanced (or backward) our society might get, we never forget about the soporific qualities of booze, and that goes double for the Las Vegas Strip of the Fallout universe. You’ll find wine, beer and spirits a-plenty, and you’ll even find a cocktail or two for the especially cultured wastelander.
One such libation is the Atomic Cocktail, which I’ve recreated using the recipe below:
You’ll need:
- 1 part brandy
- 1 part vodka
- 1 teaspoon dry sherry
- 1 part brut champagne
Method
- Combine the brandy, vodka and sherry in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice.
- Shake vigorously for 10 – 15 seconds.
- Strain into a chilled Martini glass.
- Top up with Brut champagne.
- Serve!
The Atomic Cocktail was originally invented in 1950’s Las Vegas, during the notorious nuclear bomb tests conducted in the Nevada desert. These tests of mankind’s most deadly weapon took place only 65 miles away from the city, and were apparently a big draw for tourists and Las Vegas residents alike. In fact, people were so enamoured with the blasts that practically everything was named after something nuclear: this cocktail included.
It’s fitting, then, that the Atomic Cocktail got a place in Fallout: New Vegas, though the recipe certainly isn’t the same. The bartenders of the Mojave keep the vodka, but replace the sherry, brandy and champagne with Nuka-Cola Victory and Mentats. Rather than a nice buzz, it gives you the ability to resist fire and energy damage.
What does it taste like?
Just like its namesake, this drink will flatten anyone. So notorious was this beastly beverage that Slim Gaillard wrote an entire song about it.
It’s the drink that you don’t pour,
Now when you take one sip you won’t need anymore,
You’re small as a beetle or big as a whale – BOOM – Atomic Cocktail!
That about sums it up. It’s definitely a boozy tipple, but still has enough depth to please the tastebuds. The sherry definitely pulls through the latent dryness, but the brandy kicks up some latent fruit right at the front of the palette to even it out. It’s still definitely a dry drink, best suited as an apertif.
It’s softly fruity, strictly dry and has a kick that will flatten everything in a 10km radius. Try mixing up a Atomic Cocktail for your next New Vegas playthrough and get transported back to before the bombs dropped.