The Perilous Potation

Series of Unfortunate Events Cocktail
Matthew Kelly/Supercall
Matthew Kelly/Supercall

Dear reader, I'm sorry to inform you that this is not a happy cocktail recipe, filled with boisterous berries, sensational syrups or merry mixers. No, this is a cocktail born of calamity, a word which here means "a tragedy for which one can most certainly blame Count Olaf." This cocktail is made with infamous absinthe, ominously smoking herbs and charcoal powder as black as a mysteriously burned down mansion. While you may be tempted to sip this drink whilst binging the trials of the Baudelaire orphans in the A Series of Unfortunate Events Netflix series, I must warn you to tread lightly—this Very Flammable Drink bears the mark of vile villainy.

The Perilous Potation

FLAVOR PROFILE
Sweet, Dry
STRENGTH
DIFFICULTY
expert

INGREDIENTS

  • 1.5 oz absinthe
  • .5 oz Orgeat
  • 1 Egg White
  • 1 oz Heavy Cream
  • 1 Capsule Activated Charcoal
  • Angostura Bitters, for garnish
  • Small bundle of fennel fronds, 2 star anise, 2 cinnamon sticks

INSTRUCTIONS

Step one

Prepare the stencil for the garnish, tracing the iconic eye tattoo onto cardstock and cutting it out with an x-acto knife.

Step two

Pour approximately .25 oz of bitters in a spritzer bottle along with a tiny pinch of activated charcoal, and shake to combine.

Step three

Dry shake the absinthe, orgeat, egg white, cream and charcoal in a shaker for 1-2 minutes, then add ice and shake until chilled.

Step four

On a wooden board or metal plate, make a small bundle of star anise, fennel fronds and cinnamon sticks in a bonfire formation. Drizzle with a little absinthe, and ignite with a long lighter. Extinguish with an upturned coupe, so that the glass fills with smoke.

Step five

Remove the coupe from the board and immediately strain the cocktail into it.

Step six

Place stencil over cocktail and spritz with bitters, then remove stencil and serve.

Contributed by