Finally, Season 4 of HBO’s ground-breaking series, Game of Thrones is upon us, and you know what? You need a drink. Fortunately, we’re here to help. To that end, we’ve scoured the web for themed drink ideas you can make at home (as well as provided some Big Apple-weighted options for getting the next closest thing if you’re out and about).
Whether it’s to celebrate the return of Tyrion, Daenerys, Jon Snow and the rest, or to help calm nerves and allay fears as to which beloved character George R.R. Martin is going to kill off this time around, here’s a list of cocktails for making and partaking as we all finally return to Westeros.
1. The Night’s Watch
“Night gathers, and now my party begins.”
This caffeinated cocktail should give you the jolt you need to stay up and fight those scary White Walkers. Just the thought of them gives me the chills.
AT HOME:
Ingredients:
3 oz. chilled coffee
0.25 oz. Be?ne?dictine
0.25 oz. maraschino liqueur
Directions: Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Add ice, shake and strain into a glass and enjoy.
OUT & ABOUT: Ask for a Black Forest.
2. The Tyrion Lannister Shot
“Smart, smooth, and small, this shot brings it all.”
Tyrion Lannister is a fan favorite, and it’s easy to see why. Just like this cocktail, he enjoys the hedonistic sweetness of life but has a little bite of bitter at the end. Enjoy.
AT HOME:
(Makes 8 shots)
Ingredients:
5 oz. Grey Goose La Poire Vodka (or any pear vodka)
2.5 oz. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
2 oz. Simple Syrup
2.5 oz. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
10 Fresh Mint Leaves
Directions: Place all ingredients in a shaker and shake hard 26 times with ice. Strain into shot glasses.
OUT & ABOUT: Go to OBAO in NYC and ask for a Sipping Emotion.
3. The Dragon Lady
“Mango for her sweetness, lime for her sharpness, vodka for her charm. Yum, yum, yum.”
You’re gonna hear the khaleesi roar. Her, and her three dragons. Need some liquid courage? Try out the dragon lady, and soon, you’ll be roaring too.
AT HOME:
Ingredients:
2 oz. vodka
1 oz. mango juice
0.5 oz. lime juice
0.5 oz. triple sec
Fresh dragon fruit (cubed) & Dash of cayenne
Directions: Place the vodka, juices and triple sec in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled glass, add dragonfruit cubes and enjoy.
OUT & ABOUT: Ask for the Mango Margarita at Mai Thai restaurant in D.C. (though the Dragon Fruit may be hard to come by).
4. Wildfire on Blackwater Bay
“So that’s how Tyrion won his battle.”
The secrets to wildfire have been discovered! Maybe Stannis would chill out a little and enjoy life if he had a sip of this. Here’s a tip: make sure to blow it out before you sip.
AT HOME:
Ingredients:
2.5 oz. rye whiskey
0.5 oz. 151-proof rum
0.5 oz. simple syrup
5 dashes angostura bitters
Directions: Stir and strain into a cup. Set a piece of lime peel in the drink. Pour 151-proof rum on the peel. Light peel with match. Make sure you blow out the fire before it warps your cup.
OUT & ABOUT: Ask for a “Captain’s Blood.” Find a bartender who doesn’t mind the risk of getting fired by setting your drink on fire. Yes, there was a lot of fire in that last sentence, but the book is called “A Song of Ice and FIRE.”
5. The Kingslayer
“Sour at first, sweeter towards the end. And of course, it’s Lannister red.”
Jaime is such a bad boy, Jameson Whiskey suits him great. But maybe that cranberry juice can give him that wholesomeness he seeks from Brienne.
AT HOME:
Ingredients:
0.5 oz. sour mix
2 oz. cranberry juice
2 oz. Jameson Whiskey.
Directions: Mix and pour over ice.
OUT & ABOUT: Simply ask for a cranberry whiskey with some sour mix.
6. Cersei’s Sangria
“She’s not as sweet as she looks. Careful, or she’ll squeeze you for all you’ve got.”
Cersei is a lean, mean, ambitious queen. We all love to hate her as much as she hates to love anything. She disdains everyone. That’s why this mix of snooty sauvignon blanc, fruity flavors, and sour lime are the perfect drink for our queen of mean.
AT HOME:
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
750 mL of sauvignon blanc
18-24 fresh cherries, pitted and sliced
1 lime
0.5 cup of raspberries
0.25 cup of triple sec
Directions: Pit and slice the cherries and add them to a large pitcher along with the juice of half a lime. Pour the wine and triple sec in and allow it to steep for at least an hour. Immediately before serving, add in the berries and dice the remaining lime. Serve chilled. (A word of caution! Do not add all the lime at once otherwise your drink will be horribly bitter. Also, don’t add the raspberries too early either.)
OUT & ABOUT: Go to Pepper Jack Grill in Staten Island and ask for a White Rabbit.
7. Red Wedding Spiked Punch
“All things considered, I wouldn’t recommend serving this one at your wedding.”
A little morbid, but since no one can get over the Red Wedding, we might as well commemorate it with a toast to the remembrance of those characters we unfortunately won’t see again (alive).
AT HOME:
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Hornitos Plata tequila
0.5 oz. honey syrup
1 slice fresh ginger
4 oz. Pinot Noir or Merlot
Cinnamon and grated nutmeg to garnish
Directions: Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and stir until combined. Pour over ice into a goblet or double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with grated nutmeg and cinnamon.
OUT & ABOUT: Couldn’t find an equivalent for this one. Take the recipe, then go to a specialty place like Little Branch in NYC, where they can make just about anything.
8. The Wall
“Icy and bewildering.”
Hoping this cocktail will keep you safe from the White Walkers? Maybe if you throw it at them, they’ll drink it and forget that they were hunting you.
AT HOME:
Ingredients:
0.5 oz. lime juice
0.5 oz. simple syrup
2 oz. Plymouth gin
1 egg white
A few dashes of mint bitters
Dry ice
Club soda
Directions:
Combine lime juice, simple syrup, gin, egg white and mint bitters in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously, strain into a pre-chilled glass over a medium chunk of dry ice. Top with club soda or seltzer.
OUT & ABOUT: Ask for a Gin Fizz at Cure in New Orleans.
9. The Red Priestess
“Exotic. Erotic. Hypnotic.
One of the scariest, yet most alluring characters in Game of Thrones. How far can her magic actually go? Try this magical mix and discover.
AT HOME:
Ingredients:
2 oz. white rum
0.75 oz. fresh lime juice
0.75 oz. Campari
0.5 oz. simple syrup
Directions: Shake and strain into a coupe.
OUT & ABOUT: Ask your bartender for Crimson Slippers.
10. The White Walker
“Brrrr … this will chill you to the bone.”
Winter is coming, and so are the White Walkers. I wish they’d just get here already—why do they walk so slowly? But while we wait for Westeros’ imminent doom, let’s drink and be merry with The White Walker cocktail.
Idea & picture source
Recipe source
AT HOME:
Ingredients:
2 oz. Vodka
1 oz. Kahlua
1 oz. cream
1 cup of ice
Cinnamon
Directions: Combine vodka, Kahlua and ice in an old-fashioned glass. Pour in cream. Add cinnamon to taste.
OUT & ABOUT: Try a White Russian.
Madina Papadopoulos is a New York-based freelance writer and regular contributor to Paste. You can follow her on Twitter.