grima’s draught
Ya’ll remember that asshole in Lord of the Rings that manipulated Théoden into a trove of lies, and also apparently aged him about 100 years in the process? This cocktail pays grim tribute to Wormtongue, but I promise you, tastes far better than any of his slithering lies.
I imagine every time Grima opened his mouth, a giant tarantula crawled out. I doubt Tolkien intended that, but whenever someone with sly vernacular comes to mind, I think their spoken tongue contains some type of awful visual characterization of how terrible and nasty they are.
Thankfully, when you drink Grima’s Draught, I’ve strategically removed any unpleasant side effects resulting from its namesake. Instead, you get to taste a meld of smoky mezcal, tequila, fresh blackberry, snappy pomegranate juice, and a touch of agave to sweeten. No giant spiders or actual worms to speak of.
Unless you count those little plastic guys crawling around, but don’t worry – they’re harmless.
Easier than Lying
If Grima had a choice, I think he’d opt to mix a margarita rather than spend his hours feeding falsehoods to noble folk. After all, drunk people are truthsayers, right? And it comes pretty naturally after a few drinks.
This drink is the simplest for freaky movie nights (if you’re into that) or coping with unruly gremlins and ghosts rap-tap-tapping on your door all evening. Wouldn’t recommend sneaking a portable version into kids’ candy bags. Might get your ass thrown in jail.
The golden rim is optional, but delicious and aesthetically satisfying. Simply toss some ginger with sugar, run a lemon wedge around the rim of a glass, and dip until coated.
Grab your shaker and get muddlin’: blackberries, lemon juice, and agave. Squish it up until juicy. Then, pour in some tequila, mezcal for that delicious tendril of firesmoke, Cointreau, and pomegranate juice. Shake it up with ice and strain into the pretty rimmed glass. Arrange some rosemary sprigs, blackberries, and pomegranates atop the uppermost ice layer.
Then drink away any ridiculous, unfounded lies told to you by the day.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 4 blackberries
- 1/2 oz lemon juice
- 1/2 oz agave, or to taste
- 3 oz pomegranate juice
- 1 1/2 oz tequila
- 1/2 oz mezcal
- 1/2 oz Cointreau
Instructions
- Toss the sugar with the ginger powder on a shallow plate. Run a lemon wedge around the rim of a glass. Dip and swirl the rim into the sugar. Fill glass with ice.
- In the bottom of a cocktail shaker, muddle the blackberries, lemon juice, and agave syrup until well-smashed and the juices released. Measure in the pomegranate juice, tequila, mezcal, and Cointreau. Add ice and shake until cold, then strain into the prepared glass. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, pomegranate arils, and blackberries.
