One of the great things about writing the Covers & Cocktails feature is discovering new drinks I’ve never had before and trying to recreate them. This is one of those drinks!
The inspiration this month comes from Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet, one of my most anticipated releases for 2019. I am totally here for more sci-fi romance, and I loved the blend of purples and blues on the cover. Nightchaser is described as “Star Wars meets Robin Hood,” and I’d say that’s an accurate description. The heroine has a merry crew who are all about stealing from the rich to give to the poor. There is also some big bad evil controlling the galaxy.
While doing research for what to make, I discovered the shrub cocktail. The base of a shrub cocktail is a syrup made with vinegar, sugar, and whatever other flavors you want to give to said syrup. When I first read the word vinegar, I wasn’t so sure, but you’re allowed to adjust the sugar and vinegar to taste, depending on whether you want a sweeter or more acidic syrup.
One thing I love about the heroine, Tess, and Bouchet’s previous heroine Cat in A Promise of Fire ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) is how complex they are. They can be altruistic and earnest, wanting to protect the ones they love, but they’re also filled with feelings of rage and vengeance. Finding that balance is very reminiscent of finding that same balance in this drink.
Since I loved the colors of the cover, I wanted to try and match that and luckily, I had some leftover blackberries from my latest Soggy Bottoms bake. The alcohol I used was gin and I love gin because of how clean and crisp it is. It provides a good foundation for adding other flavors as well. But because I opted to make my shrub syrup slightly more on the sweeter side, I wanted to bump up the “kapow” of the drink (given how action oriented Nightchaser is). For this, I added ginger beer!
The name: The Enhancer. In the book, the enhance is a secret serum used to turn people into unstoppable super soldiers. And let’s all be honest with ourselves, cocktails are a serum in and of itself. We’ve all done or said things that we definitely wouldn’t have the ability to do or say sober.
As a bonus, the team at Sourcebooks Casablanca has a cocktail set to giveaway to one (1) lucky winner! More details below!
Shopping list:
Gin
Blackberries
Ginger beer
White wine vinegar (for syrup)
Sugar (for syrup)
Proportions:
2 oz. gin
3 tbsp. syrup
Top with ginger beer
Shrub syrup instructions:
I used this link, which provides both cold and hot instructions for assembling the syrup. I went with the hot version.
- Combine equal parts vinegar and sugar in a saucepan. Over medium heat, stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Add blackberries and bring to a simmer.
- The longer you simmer, the more the blackberries will infuse into the syrup.
- Let cool and then pour into a sealable container.
- Refrigerate for at least twelve hours.
- After that, taste the syrup and then adjust as need be with more sugar or vinegar.
Modifications and notes:
- Definitely turn on your stove’s vent fan while cooking the syrup. My kitchen smelled like vinegar for hours.
- Want more of a ginger taste? Add fresh ginger in with the blackberries during the syrup-making process.
- You can freeze some blackberries and use as makeshift, fruity ice cubes in your drink.
- Of course, you can adjust the proportions above as need be. If you want more of a blackberry flavor, add more syrup!
Now, it’s giveaway time!
To enter, comment below with what you’d name your intrepid spaceship!
Standard disclaimers apply: We are not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Open to US residents where permitted by applicable law. Must be over 18. Always wear your seatbelt when hyperdrive is activated. If you vomit in your spacesuit, you’re responsible for cleanup. And get ready to explore the final frontier! Comments will close Sunday December 30, 2018 around noon ET, and a winner will be announced shortly thereafter.
Cheers!
Winner update: And the winner is Patti (@thelovejunkee) with her ship, The Outlander!
I loved all of the names and I’m now petitioning to start a romance-loving, ass-kicking space fleet.
I would name mine The Magpie’s Revenge.
I like The Intrepid, actually.
The Airship Headcanon. Because….. we ship it.
The Endeavor
The Abominable.
The Harlot’s Revenge 🙂
The Cowabunga
The Ruby Doo after my Great Dane puppy who boldly goes where no dog should think of going.
@Vicki: My family used to have a Great Dane named Loki and he was THE BEST dog.
1) I want to know more about that Glass! That etching looks amazing.
2) my Ship would be called Jannah (the final abode of the righteous)
@JayneH: It’s a limited edition Disaronno glass. You might be able to find some floating around somewhere.
I love the disclaimers! I also raised my eyebrows at “vinegar”, thanks for clarifying, this sounds delicious.
What would I name my spaceship? I’d probably name it The Outlander, or something similar.
Screaming Valkyrie.
The Law
I’d name my spaceship MINE, ALL MINE.
Thanks for a fun post, Amanda. I too liked the disclaimers! Hmm, on second thoughts I’d name my spaceship THE DISCLAIMERS.
The Grateful Baker, N1GOA-class starship
I’d name my spaceship The Speed of Light. I explain the speed of light and latency (snore) frequently while doing my job. I need to work up some disclaimers to provide before my lectures ….
Amanda, the drink looks yummy, especially in that glass.
The Tempest
Oh my gosh that sounds good. I hope someone makes it for me.
My spaceship would be called the Jane Austen. Because.
That looks seriously delish! Amanda, you always make me wish I could still drink alcohol, everything you make looks so good!
Salty old art lady that I am, my ship would be named the Flying Buttrest.
The HMS Shitty Kitty II. My fiance and I had a small inflatable raft that tragically met its end in Yosemite that was the HMS Shitty Kitty so my starship would definitely have to carry on this great naming tradition.
The Hermione Granger, of course.
Antiope – as in the head of the Amazon army in the Wonder Woman world.
@EC Spurlock: Replace the gin with tonic water! Or some maybe even a seltzer with a similar taste profile as the other ingredients. Honestly…you could probably just combine the ginger beer and shrub syrup.
The Atalanta. She was pretty kickass and I like the way her name sounds.
Heaven’s Glory
I would have to go with “Ripper Cushions”, a la Ilona Andrews
The Leia
The Satellite of Love, since Lou Reed + MST3K is as apt a description of my life as any…
The HMS Scooter! And…it would be Bombay sapphire blue.
The Persistor!
Some awesome female warriors listed, how about Boudica?