(Theros) Solomon wipes the blood from the latest fight off his face and stares up at the sky. The group is stuck in the desert, floating in a seemingly endless sea of sand. And monsters. It’s a constant onslaught by the beasts that dwell in this wretched place. To add insult to literal injury, the days are oppressively hot and the nights chill to the bone. And the end goal of this harrowing traverse through the desert is to get to Skophos – a city surrounded by a labyrinth, guarded by dragons, and ruled by minotaurs.
From the dark, heavy setting of the Abyss, the group emerged into the bright world of mythical gods in Theros. It was a great change-up but holy hell the monsters and BBEGs in Theros are quite formidable. It’s the same intense peril of the Abyss, just wrapped in a glorious toga.
The group of PCs are currently on their way to Skophos to stop something called “The Wheel of Pain” (which I’m sure is not at all dangerous). The recent Theros sessions have been a blood-bath, hence this dramatically named cocktail.
I started out building this drink as a lemonade to quench the imagined thirst of the desert-bound PCs. But, as I mixed and adjusted, it ended up as less of a lemonade and more of a summer punch.
The cherries make this drink. I’m not a huge fresh cherry fan, but I loved them in this cocktail. What I didn’t love was pitting them; I didn’t know cherries had to be pitted nor that they are tough little suckers to pit cleanly. If you have this (likely basic) knowledge, you’re already a step ahead of me in making this cocktail.
The pomegranate-cherry blend lifts any heaviness from the bourbon, and the lemon adds that Summer vibe. FYI, while I tend to be a big advocate for using fresh-squeezed citrus, I sure as shit did not juice a pomegranate. Fresh pomegranates are way too expensive and way too time consuming to get juice from. If you got the time and cheddar, go for it; if not, I used a small bottle of POM.
It’s an easy drink to make (but-for pitting the damn cherries) and can be adjusted to taste if you prefer it sweeter or sourer.
The Blood of Our Enemies
Ingredients: Makes one
- 2 oz bourbon – I used Four Roses Small Batch (excellent bourbon for the price point)
- 1.5 oz fresh lemon juice
- 1 oz pomegranate juice
- .5 oz simple syrup
- Spiced cherry bitters
- 5-6 fresh cherries, plus a few more for garnish
Recipe: Muddle 5-6 cherries in a shaker with the lemon juice. Add the rest of the ingredients to the shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a tall glass with more ice. Garnish with fresh cherries or a fancy cocktail cherry.
The Bourbon Dragon 