Hello friends, and welcome to Gameskinny's weekly collection of Pokemon-inspired pick-me-ups. This week, we have a wide variety of cocktails on display, from the assertive and strong Ekans and Sandslash to the vicious and dark Fearow.
But those of you with encyclopedic knowledge of the Pokedex know that this installment of Gotta Drink 'Em All has something special in store for you. Yes, this week we finally premiere the highly-anticipated Pikachu cocktail. So what are you waiting for? Get your shaker ready (as well as a few antidotes) and jump right in.
#019 Rattata
Rattata gets a bad rap.
It's a hard-working Pokemon, and to be honest, a perfectly serviceable normal-type early on in your adventure. Yeah, it's not the strongest, or cutest, or most interesting, or most unique, or... wait, what was I talking about again?
Oh yeah! Rattata. The Rattata cocktail pays homage to Rattata's humble roots with its bare-bones nature. It's a simple mixture of vodka and seltzer water, with a couple of dashes of vanilla extract. Poured over a rocks glass full of ice, the aromas will fill and tantalize your nose. See? There's nothing wrong with being vanilla.
TL;DR VERSION
In a rocks glass filled with ice, add 1.5 oz vodka and 1 or 2 dashes of vanilla extract. Add seltzer water until the ice is submerged. Stir and enjoy.
#020 Raticate
Trainers that put in the work to train their vanilla Rattata will be rewarded with... well... a Pokemon that is still pretty darn vanilla. Raticate is still a normal type, but don't underestimate it. It's got a pretty nasty bite.
To replicate the dark and biting nature of the Raticate, we're replacing the vodka in the Rattata drink with scotch. The peaty aroma of the scotch melds with the vanilla extract's sweet smell, enticing you to drink more. But be careful. Drink too much too fast, and you'll be on the receiving end of a Hyper Fang. You don't want to black out tonight, do you?
TL;DR VERSION
In a rocks glass filled with ice, mix 1.5 oz scotch and 1 or 2 dashes of vanilla extract. Cover with seltzer, stir and enjoy.
#021 Spearow
Perhaps best known for being a total dick to Ash Ketchum in the anime, Spearows are ill-tempered flying Pokemon that make their homes in fruit trees, flitting across the sky and pecking anything that looks at them funny. Using anything but Wild Turkey in this drink would be blasphemous.
We'll also pay homage to Spearow's avian habitat and diet by adding a bit of apricot jam to the drink, adding sweetness, texture and depth. Mixed with some ginger ale, you've got yourself a punchy drink perfect for those times where you just want to ruin someone's day.
TL;DR VERSION
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 1.5 oz Wild Turkey bourbon and 1 tbsp apricot jam. Shake and pour over ice in a rocks glass, then cover with ginger ale. Stir and serve.
#022 Fearow
The thing to know about Fearow is that if you see one, you should probably find the nearest house and just take cover until it goes away. Because as dickish as Spearows are, Fearows are worse.
So to fully embrace Fearow's dark nature, we'll be replacing the ginger ale with cola. You can also optionally up the proof of your Wild Turkey if you're really in an ornery mood. Just don't peck someone's eye out. Or if you do, don't tell them you got this recipe from GameSkinny.
TL;DR VERSION
In a cocktail shaker, add 1.5 oz Wild Turkey and 1 tbsp apricot jam. Pour over ice in a rocks glass, cover with cola and serve.
#023 Ekans
Not anyone can be an Ekans trainer. You don't just need a mean streak to successfully tame an Ekans, you need a bit of evil in you. All this is to say-- this drink isn't for everyone.
But those of you that can withstand the Ekans's poison will be rewarded with complex and aromatic flavors that are at the same time sharp and smooth, worthy of not just the Pokemon, but of Team Rocket's own James. The key to this gin-washed drink is to use a relatively sweet red table wine that will cut the astringency of some added lemon juice. Oh, and when you're washing the glass with gin, remember, less is more. Only use as much gin as you need to to coat the walls of the glass.
TL;DR VERSION
Rinse a coupe or martini glass with gin. Add a splash of lemon juice, then fill with any sweet red table wine. Stir and enjoy.
#024 Arbok
So if the Ekans wasn't up your alley, you might as well skip this slide. Good? Good.
So, are all the wimps gone? All right. Because now that they're not around, we're going to give our Ekans some fangs. The Arbok adds astringency, depth, and sweetness by inviting tonic water and balsamic vinegar to the party. This results in a truly unique and complex drink suitable only for the most adventurous Pokemon trainers.
TL;DR VERSION
Rinse a coupe or martini glass in gin, then add 3 oz of a sweet red table wine. Add 1.5 oz tonic water, then finish with a splash each of lemon juice and balsamic vinegar. Stir and enjoy.
#025 Pikachu
We knew you'd be expecting something special for Pokemon's most popular character, and we've delivered. The Pikachu is an easy, refreshing, and sweet drink that can easily scale into a party-sized pitcher for those of you who are looking to entertain. That said, first, prepare your garnishes-- just cut a lemon peel into a lightning bolt pattern and set aside a couple of cherries. Then, prepare some ginger simple syrup by simmering a cup each of water and sugar, then adding that to a blender along with a thumb-sized hunk of peeled ginger. Blend, strain, and set aside.
Then all you have to do is snag a can of San Pellegrino lemon spritzer and some vodka, then you've pretty much got all you need, besides a thunderbolt of fresh lemon juice. Arrange the garnishes in a coupe glass -- the tail along the rim, and the cherry cheeks side-by-side in the bottom, and enjoy.
TL;DR VERSION
In a cocktail shaker, add 1.5 oz vodka, 1.5 oz San Pellegrino lemon spritzer, and .33 oz (about a half pony) each of ginger simple syrup and lemon juice. Shake and pour into a coupe or martini glass. Arrange the lemon peel tail and maraschino cherry cheeks as shown and serve.
#026 Raichu
We looked all over for a thunder stone, but we just couldn't find one. What we could find, however, were plenty of oranges. For Pikachu's bigger, chubbier evolution, we're replacing the lemon flavors with orange flavors, right down to the orange peel tail.
That being said, be careful here. This drink requires a deft hand, as orange juice is much sweeter than lemon juice and the drink can easily be overpowered by sweetness if too much OJ is added.
TL;DR VERSION
In a cocktail shaker, add 1.5 oz vodka, 1.5 oz San Pellegrino orange spritzer, and .33 oz (about a half pony) each of ginger simple syrup and orange juice. Again, be careful with the orange juice. Shake and pour into a coupe or martini glass. Arrange the orange peel tail and maraschino cherry cheeks as shown and serve.
#027 Sandshrew
Found in the grasses around Cerulean City and other seaside towns, Sandshrews thrive in warm habitats like beaches and deserts. Though this Pokemon seems cute and docile at first blush, well, it's got claws.
To match with Sandshrew's ground typing, we've created a yogurt-based drink that also incorporates curry powder. To take the earthiness to the next level, we've also chosen whiskey as our liquor here. This drink can be changed dramatically based on your choice of yogurt. We recommend Greek yogurt, in either plain or vanilla flavors. The vanilla flavor will result in a sweeter, smoother drink while the plain yogurt will give the drink a surprising sour kick.
TL;DR VERSION
In a cocktail shaker, add 1.5 oz whiskey, 1 heaping tbsp Greek yogurt, .75 oz simple syrup, and 1 or 2 dashes of curry powder. Shake well (really well), and strain into a tall thin glass.
#028 Sandslash
When Sandshrews grow and evolve, their claws grow and become viable digging tools. They also get a pretty sweet tan on the spikes along their back. So to properly pay homage to Sandshrew's digging capabilities, we had to get a bit dirty ourselves. Well, not that dirty. A few coffee grounds got on our hands when we changed the filter, that's all.
To evolve your Sandshrew, add .75 oz (a pony) of coffee to the cocktail shaker before you shake, strain, and serve. Medium and dark roasts work best since their body and flavors play well with the aromas and flavors we already have here in the whiskey, yogurt, and curry powder.
TL;DR VERSION
To a cocktail shaker, add 1.5 oz whiskey, 1 heaping tbsp Greek yogurt, .75 oz medium or dark roast coffee, and 1 or 2 dashes of curry powder. Shake well and strain into a tall, thin glass.
Do you have any favorites from the series so far? Let us know in the comments! Next week we'll be back with Nidoran through Ninetales, so be sure to share your creations with #GottaDrinkEmAll, and send them to us at @GameSkinny and @SamGreszeseses on Twitter. We'll see you next Friday!
Published: Jun 2, 2016 09:09 pm