Macabre Spirits and the “RFL”: A Cocktail Recipe

Rare, Fine, and Limited.

Three words to describe the newest edition to my liquor cabinet and bookshelf. How do these two coincide? Well, dear reader, buckle up for a journey through spirit and word guided by two horror legends and little old me. 

Recently, I was able to get my hands on a bottle of Macabre Spirits, a new limited release sotol (we will discuss this soon) sourced by Matthew Lillard and Mike Flanagan. Included with the bottle of sotol is a novella, written by Mike Flanagan. The book details the consequences of greed, all for the sake of enjoying the finest beverage one’s hands (and money) can get ahold of. 

You may be asking two questions: What is sotol? And who are Matthew Lillard and Mike Flanagan? The first, a reasonable question. The second? Well, you should swiftly exit this webpage, pray to the gods above for your sins against humanity, and spend the next several days of your existence watching Scream, The Haunting of Bly Manor, SLC Punk, The Haunting of Hill House, Without a Paddle (a personal favorite), The Fall of the House of Usher, Thirteen Ghosts, Hush… Need I go on? I will. Don’t tempt me. 

Returning to the first question: What is sotol? Sotol is, for all intents and purposes, the cousin of tequila. It is a U.S. based product, with the majority produced in Texas. It is derived from the Dasylirion genus of plant, which is in the same family as the agave plant. The sotol that Matthew and Mike sourced for this project is, and I truly mean this, delicious. It is deep, rich, fruity, with a nice charred, smoky lingering flavor. For any fan of tequila, this is a wonderful spirit to try.

Now friends, let’s get to the important part of today’s lesson: the cocktail. For anyone who has read one of my silly little amalgamations of words with the intention of learning more about spirits, cocktails, and horror—welcome. For those of you who have not? Once again, atone for your sins and continue reading. 

For a drink so (genuinely) rare, fine, and limited, paired with an elegantly written horror novella all with nuanced history behind the owners of the company, where should one start? Well, inside the shell of this book lies our answers. Without spilling the secrets of the book (for that, you will need to buy it yourself), a purveyor of fine wines is invited to one of the most exclusive and private wine tastings this world has ever seen. When his gluttony gets the best of him, his dissociative hallucinations become his horrifying reality. When this man, Fuller, tastes this rare wine for the first time, his taste buds go on a fantastical journey. Much like Violet Beauregarde’s experience with the everlasting gobstopper, he tastes through a 5-course meal. From citrusy to sweet, spice to umami, he experiences a life-changing moment (before descending into madness). With this drink, I wanted to do the same. I wanted to taste through all possible flavor sensations available for human consumption by taking Fuller’s description of the first time this wine hit his lips and creating a cocktail from that. 

A small note: There is an alcoholic AND non-alcoholic version of this. This way, Matthew and Mike can enjoy this cocktail together. 

There are a few other nods here and there to Fuller’s experience throughout this novella, but, without further ado, it’s time you get your hands on a bottle of Macabre Spirits to have a life-changing cocktail experience with the RFL.

The RFL (Non-alcoholic)

• 1 oz Lemon Juice

• 1 oz Grilled Peach & Peppercorn Syrup

• 4 Drops of Sesame Oil

• 6 Drops of Saline Solution 

• 1 Egg white

• Topped with 3 oz of Soda Water

• Garnished with Grenadine Drops

In a cocktail shaker, add the lemon juice, grilled peach & peppercorn syrup, sesame oil, saline solution, and the egg white. Shake vigorously without ice to ensure the egg white has emulsified thoroughly. After a few moments of this, add in ice and shake again. This will ensure the cocktail is chilled and the egg white is further emulsified. Double strain this into a coupe (or a bathtub-shaped glass if you want to go above and beyond). Along the side of the glass, top with the soda water. Finally, take your dropper and add a few small dots of grenadine to float atop the egg white.

The RFL

• 2 oz Macabre Spirits 

• 0.75 oz Lemon Juice

• 1 oz Grilled Peach & Peppercorn Syrup*

• 4 Drops of Sesame Oil

• 6 Drops of Saline Solution†

• 1 Egg White‡

• Garnished with Red Wine Drops⸸ and a Spray of Absinthe⹋

In a cocktail shaker, add the Macabre Spirits, lemon juice, grilled peach & peppercorn syrup, sesame oil, saline solution, and the egg white. Shake vigorously without ice to ensure the egg white has emulsified thoroughly. After a few moments of this, add in ice and shake again. This will ensure the cocktail is chilled and the egg white is further emulsified. Double strain this into a coupe (or a bathtub-shaped glass if you want to go above and beyond). Finally, take your dropper and add a few small dots of red wine to float atop the egg white and spray the top of the cocktail with a small spritz of absinthe.

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Notes:

* How to make the peach & peppercorn syrup: Cut in half and remove the stone from 2 nice, ripe peaches. Place on either a heated grill cut-side-down or under a heated broiler cut-side-up. Leave until there are nice char marks and the sugars have begun to caramelize. Once the fruit has cooled, cut into smaller chunks. To a saucepan, add the cut-up and charred peaches, 1.5 tablespoons of whole peppercorns, a small pinch of cayenne, 1 cup of brown sugar, and ¾ cup of water. Simmer for 15-25 minutes, strain the ingredients, place into a container, and leave in the fridge until you are ready to use. 

† How to make saline solution and why in the world are we adding saline solution: To 1 cup of warm water, add around 1 tablespoon of table salt. Stir until combined. Now, the real question, why saline solution? This answer is two-fold. First and foremost, adding a pinch of salt to a cocktail does the same thing as adding it to your food: It enhances the flavors that are already there. I can promise you, this won’t result in a salty cocktail, just a deeper flavor experience. The second piece is a callback to the book. Every time that our main character awakens from his hallucinogenic state, he is covered in sweat. I wanted to make sure we added not only his blood and tears to this cocktail, but his sweat, as well. 

‡ If you would like to substitute the egg white out for a different ingredient because of an aversion to eggs, you can use aquafaba to achieve the same result. Aquafaba is the liquid that canned chickpeas come in. I promise, it tastes great and makes the mouthfeel of your cocktail phenomenal! Substitute 1 egg white with 2 tablespoons of aquafaba.

⸸ The red wine drops are simply a callback to the fact that this story revolves around red wine.

⹋ Why absinthe? Well, as many of you know, absinthe has hallucinogenic properties! Okay, not really at all on any level, but people love to talk about the green fairy. The addition of the absinthe is to take you on a hallucinogenic journey with this cocktail. (Results may vary… As in no results will occur… But it is the thought that counts).

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Article written by Noah J. Welter

Noah J. Welter is a Pittsburgh-based bartender and film artist. His cocktail creations have been featured throughout the world in a multitude of bars and immersive events. Noah takes a distinctly unique approach to the creation of his cocktails by combining his love for film and cocktail culture, historically linking them together. To find more of his work, drink and otherwise, you can visit www.noahjwelter.com.

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