the balrog of morgoth margarita
Shiny, glittery, shimmering, and sly, the monster leaves a tendril of smoke as it climbs from the depths of Moria. Grab your swords, company. We’re in for a battle.
Or, just grab a friend. No battles, just good sips. Phew.
You’re in for a good time when a cocktail involves lighting shit on fire. We bought a kitchen torch during the most recent Amazon Prime Days event and this was my first attempt at playing with the contraption. Granted, I needed to phone a friend since I sadly only have two hands, but even so, watching the blue flames swoop over some woodsy aromatics was enough to make me oooh ahhh as it happened.
Honestly, even though Halloween is not in my top favorite holidays, the pair of festive recipes from this week were quite a bit of fun. Perhaps there’s merit to this spooky day after all.
This cocktail is real fun to have in your back pocket if you’re hosting an event and even better if your friends are Lord of the Rings nerds. You can weave some super tale about how you had to forge the Mines of Moria for the gold swirls in the cocktail, and their drunk asses will be hooked on every sentence. No one will complain when you hand them this sparkly margarita, and if they do, well, they can leave the Company. In an explosion of flames. Since we’ve a fiery theme going.
In my early 20ss, LOTR lifted me out of several dark psychological days, and remains my favorite high fantasy series ever made. Far eclipses Star Wars and Harry Potter for me, though I respect both franchises, no doubt. I haven’t sat down to watch any of the movies in quite awhile, just don’t have time or the big desire (we err towards sports or Ted Lasso of late) but it will always have a special place and yes, I can rattle off quotes like no one’s business if beckoned.
What’s in the glass, you ask? Smoky mezcal, tequila, pomegranate juice, apple cider, and a bit of maple. Not fancy ingredients, just damn good when shaken together and the loveliest bloodred shade. Definitely don’t need Halloween as an excuse to toast with this drink. Just a nice coincidence, really.
Go Back to the Shadow
First, I’ll say that lighting shit on fire is not required for this drink. The purpose is purely aesthetic. If you have a kitchen torch, however, and want to play around with burning cinnamon or rosemary, by all means give it ago!
The rest of the drink is very straightforward. Just combine some cinnamon and sugar for the rim, then shake together the rest of the ingredients. You can buy edible gold glitter on Amazon; it’s not super cheap, but you use so little that the tiny container will last you quite a while.
Rosemary and cinnamon won’t properly catch fire, they’ll just smolder – still wouldn’t recommend throwing them into a pile of dry twigs or a blanket or anything. I light the tips for a few seconds right in that bright blue center flame of the torch, then carefully place the smoking rubble on top of the drink. A few apple slices to serve as little carriages for the herbs can help prevent the smoking tip from touching the liquid.
Have fun!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
More spooky enertaining favorites:
Creepy Crawly Pumpkin Patch Chocolate Cupcakes
Spookydoodle Pumpkin Chocolate Cake
the balrog of morgoth margarita
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 oz lime juice
- 1-2 tbsp maple syrup, or to taste
- 1 oz pomegranate juice
- 2 oz apple cider
- 1 1/2 oz tequila
- 1/2 oz mezcal
- apple slices, rosemary sprigs, and cinnamon sticks, to garnish
- 1/4 tsp edible gold glitter (optional)
Instructions
- Toss together the sugar and cinnamon. Run a lime wedge around the rim of a cocktail glass. Dip and swirl into the cinnamon sugar, shaking off excess.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the lime juice, maple syrup, pomegranate juice, apple cider, tequila, mezcal, and edible gold glitter (if using). Add ice and shake until cold. Pour into the prepared cocktail glass. Garnish with apple slices, a cinnamon stick, and a sprig of rosemary.
