Skyward Sword Cocktails

It’s been nearly ten years since we played Skyward Sword on the Nintendo Wii. Now we’re launching upward once more, but this time on the Switch. And this time, with adult beverages. Wait, who are we kidding? It’s not like we discovered alcohol in the last decade. We’re reasonably certain we drank during the Wii era. But still. Raise your swords to the sky, your glasses too, and soar with these suggested cocktail pairings! (For BOTW cocktails, click here, and if you’re waiting impatiently for BOTW2, click here. As always, please remember to drink and play responsibly.)

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The Last Word

• ¾ ounce gin
• ¾ ounce green chartreuse
• ½ ounce maraschino liqueur*
• ¾ ounce fresh lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a container full of ice; shake vigorously to chill and then strain into a coupe.

Garnish with a brandied cherry or lime wheel.

Then enjoy having the Last Word with, and about, Skyward Sword HD.

*The traditional recipe calls for equal parts gin, green chartreuse, lime juice, and maraschino. We are not fond of the latter ingredient, so to be contrary we lowered its amount slightly. Do try it in the traditional fashion, if you are more maraschino-inclined.

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Demelza’s Demise (Reprised)

Demelza originally crafted this cocktail (and its name) while playing Breath of the Wild. At the time, she did not know there was a Demise, other than her own from drinking her experiments, in our gameplay future. We are pleased to bring back Demelza’s Demise with minor modifications to celebrate Skyward Sword victory.

• 2 ounces Pisco
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• ¾ ounce Cointreau
• ¾ ounce passionfruit syrup
• ¼ ounce simple syrup
• 1½ teaspoons pineapple juice
• 1 ounce Champagne

Combine Pisco, lemon and pineapple juices, passionfruit and simple syrups, and Cointreau in a shaker full of ice. Shake vigorously to chill. Strain into a glass full of ice and top with a float of Champagne to celebrate the demise of Demise!

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White Lady

• 2 ounces gin
• 1 ounce dry curaçao
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• ½ ounce egg white

Combine all ingredients in a container without ice; shake vigorously for a “dry” shake. Add ice to container and shake again for 30 seconds to chill. Strain into a coupe and toast the lady’s achievements.

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Devil Zin the Margarita

• 1½ ounces tequila blanco
• ¾ ounce simple syrup
• 1 ounce fresh lime juice
• ½-¾ ounce Zinfandel

Shake tequila, lime juice, and simple syrup with ice to chill.  Strain into a coupe glass and gently top with a float of Zinfandel.  For a festive touch, sugar the rim of the glass and add a lime wheel for garnish. (Ahem: If it needs saying, and oh we hope it doesn’t, top with a red Zinfandel, not white.  Never white Zin.  Augh. )  And, unless one has a particularly hard time defeating the Demon Lord Ghirahim, or unless one is having a party, a mere half-ounce float per drink will leave a lot of Zin in the bottle.  Plan on finishing off the Zin the next day with strong cheeses, smoked meats, or both. 

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Tri-fruit Triforce

• 2 ounces vodka
• ¾ ounce Triple Sec
• ¾ ounce simple syrup
• ½ ounce fresh lemon juice
• ½ ounce fresh lime juice
• ½ ounce grapefruit juice

In celebration of finally assembling the Triforce (the ultimate MacGuffin), we concocted a tri-fruit libation of lemon, lime, and grapefruit.  In this cocktail, the uber-tartness of three citrus juices is offset by both Triple Sec (or Cointreau) and simple syrup.  Blend all ingredients in a cocktail shaker of ice to chill; strain into a glass, garnish with a fruit or fruits of your choice, and savor the victory.

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Saturn

• 1½ ounce gin
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• ½ ounce passion fruit syrup
• ½ ounce orgeat
• ¼ ounce velvet falernum

Mix ingredients with a cup of crushed ice; blend until smooth.  Pour into a glass with additional crushed ice.

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Imagine That

We found a drink called the Imagine That on the menu of a bar in San Diego. Although the ingredients were listed, the amounts were not; we experimented and came up with the recipe below. Credit to the bar (which we can’t remember) for the drink’s name, if not the precise recipe!

• 1½ ounce gin
• 1 ounce elderflower liqueur
• ¾ ounce passion fruit syrup
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 2 dashes orange bitters
• 1 ounce club soda

Combine gin, elderflower, lemon juice, passion fruit syrup, and bitters in a shaker of ice. Shake to chill and strain into a couple glass. Top with an ounce of club soda and garnish with maraschino cherry.

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Gin Fizz

• 2 ounces gin
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• ¾ ounce simple syrup
• 1 egg white
• Club soda

Combine gin, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white in a shaker without ice and shake for 15-20 seconds. Add ice to the shaker and shake again to chill. Strain into a Collins or highball glass and top with an ounce of club soda.

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Polished Princess

• 1½ ounce vanilla vodka
• ¾ ounce simple syrup
• ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 6-8 fresh cranberries
• one large egg white
• dash pumpkin spice

Slice 5-6 cranberries in half. Combine simple syrup, lemon juice, pumpkin pie spice, and sliced cranberries in a shaker; muddle well. Add vanilla vodka and egg white and do a “dry” shake (without ice). Add one cup ice and shake again to chill. Strain into a chilled coupe, sprinkle lightly with pumpkin spice, and garnish with a cranberry or two. In the meantime, summon Scrapper the robot to deliver pumpkin soup.

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Hurricane

There are many recipes for a Hurricane, but the holy trinity of ingredients always includes rum, lemon, and passion fruit. We had fun (cough cough) experimenting with different juices and rums. Our personal favorite is below.

• 2 ounces light rum
• 2 ounces dark rum
• ½ ounce lime juice
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• ½ ounce passion fruit syrup
• ½ ounce simple syrup
• Grenadine

Combine rums, freshly squeezed juices, and syrups in a blender with a heaping cup of ice. Blend and add additional ice to reach desired consistency. Pour into a hurricane glass and drizzle top with a teaspoon of grenadine. (Although our Hurricane is not the same as the drink in Smuggler’s Cove, credit goes to that book for the excellent idea of showing a windblown umbrella as garnish!)

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Old Friends Spritz

The recipe below is a variation of an Auld Lang Syne cocktail published by the New York Times. Rather than rosemary syrup, we used blood orange and reduced slightly both syrups in the drink.

• ¾ ounce Aperol
• ¾ ounce elderflower liqueur
• ¾ ounce fresh lime juice
• scant* ¼ ounce blood orange cordial
• scant ¼ ounce simple syrup
• 2 ounces Champagne or other sparkling wine

Combine Aperol, elderflower, lime juice, and simple syrup in a shaker full of ice to chill. Strain into a flute and top with two ounces of Champagne.

*Cookbooks of our era, or perhaps rather of our grandmothers’, used the term “scant” before a measurement to indicate something just less than that amount (i.e., the opposite of heaping). A “scant” quarter-ounce of blood orange syrup provides a delightful raspberryish flavor; more than that makes the drink too sweet.

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The Doctor

• 2 ounces Swedish Punsch
• 1 ounce rum
• ¾ ounce lime juice (or a mix of lemon and lime juice)

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice; strain into a coupe glass.  We also like this with a bit of spiced simple syrup added!

(Replace mask between sips.)

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Not-So-Demonic Rum and Cola

• 1½ ounce aged rum
• ¾ ounce kola syrup
• ½ ounce Licor 43
• ¼ ounce lime juice
• 3½ ounces club soda

For our battle with the Demon Lord Ghirahim, we wanted a drink featuring what, in temperance times, was often called Demon Rum.  We planned a Demon Rum and Cola (not wanting to be sued by the company most associated with this drink, we are using the generic name, ahem).  Much to our surprise, we found Lord Ghirahim to be less demonic than we’d anticipated, and thus decided some tempering, not to be confused with temperance, was required.  The Licor 43 added that slight mellowing!  To make, add rum, kola syrup, Licor 43, and lime juice in a glass with ice; stir to combine.  Top with club soda and garnish with a lime wedge.

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Thirsty Frog

• One can frozen limeade
• Vodka to fill one empty can of limeade
• Ice to make the desired amount of slushiness

Empty one can of frozen limeade into a blender. Fill empty can with an equal amount of vodka and add a cup of ice.

Blend, using additional ice as needed, to achieve the desired level of slush. Garnish with two maraschino cherries, like the eyes of Eldin Volcano’s thirsty frogs.

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Diki Diki

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SandSea Breeze

• 3 ounces cranberry juice
• 2 ounces vodka
• 1 ounce grapefruit juice
• 1/2 ounce Cointreau

Pour all ingredients into a glass half-filled with ice.  Stir and garnish with a lime wedge.  

Enjoy while sailing Lanayru’s sandy waters!

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White Claw(shots) Paloma

• 1 can White Claw ruby grapefruit alcoholic seltzer
• 1 cup tequila
• 1/2 cup grapefruit juice
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 4 ounces simple syrup

Credit goes to BuzzFeed’s Hannah Loewentheil for turning us on to this easy recipe for delicious Palomas.  What could be more perfect to celebrate earning Link’s Clawshots than using White Claw seltzer as the base?  (Use another favorite brand if you prefer.)  Simply mix all the ingredients in a pitcher and pour over a glass of ice; garnish with a grapefruit wedge.  Makes about four cocktails.  

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Cherry Heering Heart Potion

• 1 ounce Cherry Heering
• 4 to 5 ounces Prosecco

Demelza had wanted to try Cherry Heering for a long while, as she kept finding references to it in the Savoy Cocktail Book. The liqueur’s appearance in that venerable bartending tome is not surprising; Heering’s been around since 1818, and according to the company website, that makes it the world’s oldest cherry liqueur. Unfortunately, one of the most famous cocktails with Cherry Heering, the Blood and Sand, contains whiskey, which Demelza abhors. Thus, the rich red color inspired us instead to make something we could imagine to be a heart potion, paired with a day in which Link ran through hearts like we go through vodka. We poured an ounce of Cherry Heering into a flute and topped with Prosecco. And that was it.

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Caipirinha

• One-half lime, cut into quarters
• 2 ounces cachaça
• 2 teaspoons finely granulated sugar

Place lime quarters in the bottom of a highball or similar short glass. Add sugar and muddle to release the lime’s oils and juice. Fill the glass with ice, then add cachaça and stir briefly.

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Margarita (the easy kind)

• One can frozen limeade
• One can tequila
• Triple sec to taste

Empty one can of frozen limeade into a blender. Pour an equal amount of tequila into the now empty can and then pour that, too, into the blender. Add triple sec to taste and additional ice as needed to achieve the slushy consistency you prefer.

Don’t even bother with garnish.

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Late Night Gossip

• 1 1/2 ounces vodka
• 1/2 ounce coffee liqueur
• scant 1/2 ounce triple sec
• espresso shot, chilled

Combine all ingredients in a shaker full of ice to chill; garnish with coffee beans. And that’s about it, leaving you plenty of time to linger the next time you find a gossip stone.

This recipe, and its clever name, came to us by way of food.ndtv.com. We modified it only slightly to change milliliters to ounces. Hey, we’re from the States, what can we say? We also used vanilla vodka rather than unflavored. Credit is owed to Chef Sandy Bisht and the Market Place restaurant.

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Lanayru Scorpion Cocktail

• 2 ounces lightly aged rum
• 1 ounce Grand Marnier
• 2 ounces fresh orange juice
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce orgeat

There are many versions of the Scorpion, some with gin in addition to rum; some with lime in place of lemon or Demerara syrup in lieu of orgeat; and some with cognac instead of brandy. Our version replaces the more typical brandy with Grand Marnier, a form of cognac. Virtually all Scorpion punches include orange juice, with exclamation points around the importance that the juice be freshly squeezed. We concur! To assemble: mix all ingredients with six ounces of crushed ice, blend until slushy. Garnish with orange slice, orchids, umbrellas…the tropical adornment of your choice.

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Aperol Spritz

• Aperol
• Prosecco
• Club Soda

This is a drink best made “to taste.” Start with a glass filled with ice. Start with equal parts Prosecco and Aperol, with a splash of Club Soda. Personally, we like it with more Prosecco, about a 2:1 ratio, in fact. Garnish with an orange slice and pretend you’re in Italy. Or Lanayru.

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Flaming Dr. Pepper

• 1 ounce Amaretto
• 6 ounces beer (to taste)
• 1 ounce overproof rum

There are differing recipes for this particular, erm, cocktail, which seems more like a shot one tried in college — senior, legal-age year, of course — when cocktails were something an older generation drank and we instead imbibed what our wallets could afford and our palates tolerate. Much to our surprise, however, it was tasty. We are not overly fond of beer, so our beer to Amaretto/rum ratio might be different from yours. But the gist of it is that one puts amaretto in a shot glass, layers some overproof rum on top, lights the rum on fire, and then drops the “bomb” into a glass of beer. Cautiously, in our case. Allegedly, the resulting mixture resembles the soft drink for which it is named. And fortunately, we were more talented at dropping the shot-bomb into the pint glass than we are at dropping bombs on an Ampilus in the Lanayru Desert.

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Flaming Eldin Volcano

• 4 ounces fresh lime juice
• 4 ounces pineapple juice
• 1 ounce fresh orange juice
• 3 ounces Demerara syrup
• 2 ounces passion fruit syrup
• 1 ounce maraschino liqueur
• 4 ounces light rum
• 4 ounces gold rum

Combine ingredients in a pitcher; separate into two shakers full of ice and shake to chill. Dramatically strain shakers simultaneously, one in each hand, into a volcano bowl. (Alternatively if less dramatically, strain one at a time back into pitcher and then pour into bowl.) Top the volcano with a squashed lime wheel and a crouton doused with lemon extract — real, not imitation. Put on a hair net and remove any flowing sleeves in favor of something less inflammable before using a very long match to light crouton aflame. Hover nervously while photo is taken. Blow out flame, use tongs to remove crouton, dip in a bowl of water, stomp on crouton several times to be sure it’s really out and not a Pyrup in disguise; then enjoy your Flaming Eldin Volcano!

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Bellini

• 1/4 cup fresh peach puree*
• Prosecco (or substitute sparkling wine or Champagne)

To make enough for four drinks, peel four ripe peaches and whirl in a blender until smooth; chill puree in advance for a couple of hours. To assemble Bellinis, add one-quarter cup chilled puree to a flute. Top with Prosecco and stir gently to combine.

* Bellinis are traditionally made with white peaches, but we had none in season locally; instead, we used fresh Georgia yellow peaches. Though perfectly peachy, the resulting puree was not as sweet as if made with white fruit, so we added a smidge of simple syrup — about a half-teaspoon per peach — to our mixture.

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Vanilla Sky

• 2 ounces vanilla vodka
• 1 ounce Triple Sec
• 2 ounces pineapple juice
• ½ ounce lime juice
• ½ ounce orgeat syrup
• Splash of club soda or tonic water

Shake the first five ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice to chill; strain into a glass with crushed ice and add soda or tonic water to taste.  Garnish with a lime wedge speared with half a vanilla bean.