The third and final of Talen-Jei’s original recipes from Skyrim titillates the tastebuds with mead, cream and lavender.
You’ll need
- .50 oz cream
- 1 oz honey liqueur
- .50 oz lavender honey simple syrup
- 3 oz dry mead
Chill and add the liqueur, simple syrup and mead to your vessel, leaving a small amount of room at the top of the glass. Layer your cream over the back of a spoon and garnish with culinary lavender. Serve!
“The ‘White-Gold Tower’, which is heavy cream with a layer of blended mead, lavender and dragon’s tongue on top.”
– Talen-Jei, bartender at the Bee & Barb
The White Gold Tower, the centrepiece of the Imperial City in Cyrodiil, means a lot of different things to different people. The Imperials see it as a sign of their sovereignty. The High Elves see it as a boastful icon of supremacy. And the Nords? They probably see it as a symbol of oppression and cowardice, considering the White-Gold Concordat that was signed in its shadow.
To name a cocktail after it, then, is a bold choice of behalf of Talen-Jei of the Bee & Barb in Skyrim. But considering he seems to be the only bartender in the entirety of Tamriel that makes mixed drinks, he can probably get away with a slightly risque name – especially considering the drink itself is so damn tasty.
The in-game recipe he provides us with is deceptively simple. Merely calling for a combination of meads, some cream, lavender and an orchid to top it all off, it sounds more like a dessert in a glass than a drink. But don’t be fooled: this drink as we’re making it today requires a steady shaker and some fine-tuned bartending knowledge.
Looking for more Talen-Jei originals? Try the Cliff Racer or the Velvet Lechance next.
See, the White Gold Tower is a little different in real life than Talen-Jei describes it in game for one simple reason: he says the mead floats on top of the cream. In reality, the cream floats on top of the mead. This requires you to know how to layer effectively.
Layering is the technique through which we put the cream carefully on top of the mead, avoiding mixing them together. This method results in two distinct liquids and is a popular way of making a drink a bit more visually interesting. To do it properly, you have to have two different liquids with different ‘specific gravities’. That is, liquid that have different weights. The more sugary a drink, the heavier it is, and generally the more alcoholic a drink, the lighter.
Cream breaks this rule slightly, as the lipids in the liquid force the usually heavy cream to float on top of… anything really. So we’re taking advantage of that, and carefully layering the cream on top of the mead over the back of a bar spoon. Do it carefully and slowly, or you won’t slow down the cream mixture enough and you’ll get splash and splatter, spoiling the layer.
Ensure you are using double cream or heavy cream as well, something with 40% or more milkfat. Otherwise it may curdle.
A little complex, but definitely worth it. The White Gold Tower as a cocktail is a sweet after-dinner drink for those who like a little rich treat to top off a meal. Thick and heavy, it’s an aromatic, delicious cocktail that doesn’t deserve the hate that the Tower it’s named after receives. Here’s hoping a drinking a few will change some minds. Cheers!
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!
