Deus Ex: Human Revolution -- Manhattan
There is no question that Deus Ex is a noir game. And for a noir film, we need a noir drink,
something that says cynicism and melodrama all at once. Enter the
Manhattan: favored drink of washed-out private detectives and smoldering
ingenues everywhere. (Of course, the game has several it's own cocktails, but I'm not about to sully good sake by mixing it with cough syrup.)
2 oz. whiskey
Combine
the first three ingredients into a mixing glass and stir well. (Never,
ever shake.) Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice (or better yet, whiskey stones), garnish with the cherry, and sip broodingly as you stare out the rain-slick window into the cold, uncaring night.
A
classic drink dating back as far as the 1860s, the Manhattan is
traditionally made with rye whiskey. But personally, I prefer bourbon
above any other kind of whiskey, with Knob Creek as my current reigning
fave. If you use Scotch call it a Rob Roy, or substitute tequila and
call it an Anejo Manhattan. And feel free to substitute dry vermouth for
the sweet, or use equal parts of both for a "perfect" Manhattan.
A note on vermouth: Keep in mind that vermouth is wine,
and it will start to go downhill as soon as you open the bottle.
Refrigerating it may help it last a little longer, but the older it gets
the more stale it's going to taste, so replace your bottle if it's
starting to look a little dusty. And as with any wine, different brands
have different flavors, so experiment around until you find one you
like.
Alternates: Gibson, Singapore Sling
More after the jump...
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| Starin' slowly across the sky, said goodbye... |
Driver is the video game grandchild of '70s car chase flicks like Bullitt and The Driver, so to honor it's source material we need a drink that screams flared pants, sideburns, and floral polyester shirts unbuttoned just a little too far. And there is no better drink for the job than the Tequila Sunrise, made immortal by Don Henley and Mel Gibson.
2 oz. gold tequilaThe trick to this drink is getting the grenadine to sit at the bottom, giving it that distinctive sunrise coloring. Somewhat counter-intuitively, you actually need to add the grenadine last. First, build the tequila and the orange juice into a glass filled with ice and give it a good stir. Then, use a bar spoon to slowly pour the grenadine down the side of the glass, allowing the syrup to settle on the bottom. Garnish with the orange slice and try not to get the Eagles stuck in your head.
8 oz. fresh orange juice
¾ oz. grenadine
orange slice, to garnish
Alternates: Harvey Wallbanger, Piña Colada
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| Is there anything more relaxing than sitting on the beach and repeatedly kicking your enemies in the nuts? |
Bulletstorm -- Rum Runner
The world of Stygia was a luxurious tropical paradise...that is, until the convicts being used as slave labor revolted and destroyed the planet's radiation filters, causing all life on the planet to mutate into carnivorous plants and cannabalistic savages. So to honor this sunny setting, we're going to make my personal variation on a Rum Runner.
1 oz. Kraken Black Spiced RumUse the turbinado sugar and some extra lime juice to frost the rim of a Collins glass. Combine the other ingredients in a mixer with ice and shake until your arms hurt. Strain over fresh ice into the frosted glass and say something misogynistic, but wittily ironic.
1 oz. Parrot Bay 90 Proof Coconut Rum
1 oz. simple syrup
½ oz. Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice
6 oz. pineapple juice
turbinado sugar, to frost rim
Don't let the sweetness this drink fool you. The 90 proof Parrot Bay gives it a good kick while retaining a deceptively sweet flavor. I may have to rename my version after the in-game drink of choice, Nom Juice.
Alternates: Mojito, Hurricane
Dance Central 2 -- Amaretto Sour
Dance Central is a girl game. And I don't mean that in the sense of "it's easy so girls can play it," because this game IS NOT EASY. Not for me, anyway, because I dance like Elaine Benes but with less balance. No, this is a girl game because any time I play against someone with more than one X chromosome I get my ass kicked. Anyways, a girl game calls for a girl drink, but there's no reason a girl drink needs to be sissy and weak. Here I'm ripping off pro bartending blogger Jeff Morgenthaler's personal recipe:
1½ oz. amarettoDry shake ingredients, then shake well with ice. Strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with fresh ice, garnish with the lemon and cherry, and talk about how many pictures of Channing Tatum you have on your Pinterest page.
¾ oz. bourbon
1 oz. lemon juice (I use ½ fresh-squeezed lemon)
1 tsp. simple syrup
½ oz. egg white
lemon peel, to garnish
maraschino cherry, to garnish
I know what you're thinking-- raw egg? Really? Just trust me, it's good. You can't taste the egg at all, it's strictly there to fluff up the drink and make it more frothy during the shaking phase. The bourbon, meanwhile, tones down the intensity of the amaretto while nicely complementing its flavor.
Alternates: Cosmopolitan, Vodka Red Bull
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| Bring Your Horrible Abomination to Work Day! |
BioShock -- Absinthe Cocktail
Andrew Ryan's underwater city of Rapture was a monument to the rational self-interest and laissez-faire capitalism of Ayn Rand's Objectivism. Thus, we need a cocktail that embodies the self-deluding egocentrism of that "philosophy" and its founder. What better, then, than Sander Cohen's own drink of choice, absinthe?
1¾ oz. absinthe
1 cube white sugar
1¾ oz. spring water
narcissism, to garnish
Absinthe used to be outlawed because of the supposedly psychoactive effects of thujone, a chemical present in wormwood. However, the modern theory is that any reports of abberant behavior had more to do with the liquor's 148-proof rating than any supposed hallucinogenic effects. In 2007 the ban was lifted and you can usually find it in a well-stocked liquor store.
Alternates: 7 and 7, Gimlet
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