The Ring of Fire

Nothing dramatic — just a cocktail recipe.

The Drink.

The Story

I found my passion for mixology — as all kids probably do — at the gas station soda fountain. My father used to let us get a Big Gulp before going home (seriously, who lets kids have that much pop?), and he encouraged us to come up with our own flavour combinations. For some odd reason, he called these mixtures “suicides” (was the taste supposed to kill me?). We came up with some odd stuff over the years, my signature mix being 75% Diet Pepsi, 10% root beer, 10% Dr. Pepper, and a scant 5% Brisk Raspberry Iced Tea. As much as I adored this as a child, my adult self fully realizes how putrid that all sounds. I dare say my mixology skills have grown since then. But I’m sure you aren’t reading this to hear about my strange childhood, and I maintain that it should be absolutely illegal to write ten paragraphs before a recipe, so without further ado:

The Cocktail

The Ring of Fire

— 4oz. ginger beer or diet ginger beer

— 1.5oz. St. Germaine Elderflower

— two dashes of orange bitters

— splash of grenadine

— Luxardo cherry

Use a large block or ball of ice for presentation. Mix all ingredients together…