Fuktoberfest is off to a strong start. comment some fucked up drinks and maybe sid will make them.
I don't think i can post much more than this on tumblr for purity reasons but day 4 is up on my bsky or that other thing
hi ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა i have bartending experience, a love for mixology, and i WILL overexplain drinks if you let me. when @thisrots sent me a video about Arcane-inspired shots, i wasn’t satisfied with the color… so, naturally, i tried to reverse-engineer Shimmer myself using basic bar knowledge, color theory, and low-effort chemistry 🧪💜
ꜱʜɪᴍᴍᴇʀ as a drink isn’t subtle; it’s bright and purple in a way that feels radioactive—the kind of color that makes people ask what’s in it before they even take a sip. something sweet and sour, sharp enough to wake you up.
below is what i find works best to achieve that result—cocktails + mocktails built to be flexible and accessible, with a lot of eyeballing and trusting the process. fun to mess around with until it looks and tastes right to you ◝(ᵔᗜᵔ)◜
· · ─── ⵌ 𝐀𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐂
𝐎𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 #𝟎𝟎𝟏
.✦ ݁˖ 45ml of any clear spirit of your choice (aka the neutral base, most to least recommended): vodka (cleanest) | white rum (slight natural sweetness) | tequila (more earthy, stronger finish) | gin (herbal/botanical notes BUT can clash depending on the brand)
.✦ ݁˖ 30ml butterfly pea flower tea (not sweet naturally so keep that in mind)
.✦ ݁˖ 20ml lemon juice (sour kick + the acidity affects the pH level of the tea, making it color-changing)
.✦ ݁˖ 10ml grenadine
.✦ ݁˖ 15ml syrup OR cane sugar liquor (optional, for sweetness)
🧪 → brew the tea until it becomes a blue color (not too deep), then let it cool. add lemon juice and watch the color bloom. too blue? more lemon. too pink? more tea. add the rest of the liquids, adjusting the quantities if needed to achieve the desired Shimmer color. stir it all gently until you’re satisfied with the result and voilà!
𝐎𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 #𝟎𝟎𝟐
.✦ ݁˖ 30ml blue curaçao liqueur
.✦ ݁˖ 50ml of any clear spirit of your choice (see above for recs)
.✦ ݁˖ 15ml-20ml lemon juice (add more depending on your preference)
.✦ ݁˖ 15ml syrup OR cane sugar liquor
.✦ ݁˖ a handful of muddled blueberries (~6-10 depending on the size + muddled directly in the glass. adjust blueberries until you have enough purple)
.✦ ݁˖ to top off: sparkling water (cleaner) OR sprite (sweeter)
🧪 → start with muddling the blueberries then add your curaçao liqueur, followed by the spirit of your choice, lemon juice, and syrup. that one needs a good stir (because of the blueberries). once you’re finished, top off with sparkling water or sprite until you have the desired quantity/color. stir again (gently) once or twice. done!
ⓘ for more purple cocktails, check out Purple Rain, Purple Haze, and Purple People Eater 💜
· · ─── ⵌ 𝐍𝐎𝐍-𝐀𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐂
𝐎𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 #𝟎𝟎𝟏
.✦ ݁˖ 60ml butterfly pea flower tea
.✦ ݁˖ 30ml lemon juice (sour kick + the acidity affects the pH level of the tea, making it color-changing)
.✦ ݁˖ 20ml pomegranate/grape juice (deeper color) OR 20ml grenadine (brighter color, recommended)
.✦ ݁˖ 15ml syrup (optional, for sweetness. balances out the acidity without affecting the color)
🧪 → brew the tea until it becomes a blue color (not too deep), then let it cool. add lemon juice to it and watch the color bloom. too blue? more lemon. too pink? more tea. add the rest of the liquids, adjusting the quantities if needed to achieve the desired Shimmer color. topping off is optional for more quantity or to lighten the color (sparkling water for cleaner taste, sprite for a sweeter one). stir it all gently until you’re satisfied with the result and voilà!
𝐎𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 #𝟎𝟎𝟐
.✦ ݁˖ 40ml pomegranate/cranberry juice OR 35ml grape juice
.✦ ݁˖ 25ml lemon juice / 30ml if using grape juice (grape juice is heavier than pomegranate)
.✦ ݁˖ 15ml blueberry syrup OR a handful of muddled blueberries (~6-10 depending on the size + muddled directly in the glass. adjust blueberries until you have enough purple)
.✦ ݁˖ to top off: lemonade/sprite (sweeter) OR sparkling water (cleaner)
🧪 → if you’re using muddled blueberries instead of blueberry syrup, start with that. follow by adding the liquids in the order above. if you went with the muddled blueberries, the drink will need a good stir. once you’re finished, top off with sparkling water or sprite until you have the desired quantity/color. stir again (gently) once or twice. done!
ⓘ it’s also safe to eyeball those measurements! keep in mind that this version will be a much darker/muddier color (darker purple leaning red, very wine-colored). not very Shimmer-accurate but still tasty :)
𝐎𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 #𝟎𝟎𝟑
.✦ ݁˖ any kind of blue sports drink (gatorade, powerade, etc.)
.✦ ݁˖ cranberry/pomegranate juice (recommended, adds more tartness) OR grape juice (least recommended as it is heavy + can make the drink too sickly sweet)
.✦ ݁˖ lemon juice (sour kick, the star of this drink)
.✦ ݁˖ grenadine (optional, for sweetness. though not very useful here)
ⓘ no measurements here. start with blue, add red until it becomes purple, add lemon for that sour kick, then sweeten carefully (optional) and adjust to your taste. play around with color theory if needed! ദ്ദി(ᵔᗜᵔ) the trick here is having enough acidity to keep the drink from tasting like pure candy or cough syrup. when properly balanced, it should taste like a slightly sharper energy drink. can be topped off for more quantity/a lighter look, so i’d recommend sparkling water to dilute the sweetness even more.
ⓘ can also be made alcoholic by adding any clear spirit of your choice, extra accessible and affordable option if you don’t have the tea i mentioned or blue curaçao liqueur <3
· · ─── ⵌ 𝐓𝐈𝐏𝐒 & 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄
.✦ ݁˖ it goes without saying that each recipe calls for ice, but it’s not a must have either. for that extra accurate Shimmer touch, add a bit of (purple, preferably) edible glitter! you can also rim the glass (lime + sugar) and/or add any garnish of your choice (here, i’d recommend lemon slices, blueberries, and/or edible flowers if you want to be extra fancy •𐃷•)
.✦ ݁˖ building your drinks directly from the glass lets you achieve a fun gradient/layered look!
.✦ ݁˖ you can stir with the handle of a spoon (or any cutlery, really), a chopstick, or a straw.
.✦ ݁˖ the drinks are meant to be stirred and not shaken as shaking affects texture, dilution, and appearance, resulting in a much cloudier (even foamier) look. those drinks rely heavily on color theory for them to work, and it’s best to stir gently so you can watch the color change in real time. stirring also helps you achieve a clearer appearance and mouthfeel (⸝⸝> ᴗ•⸝⸝)
.✦ ݁˖ anything you top off with (sparkling water, sodas, etc.), don’t over-stir. one or two gentle stirs are enough, trust me. it’s also why we prefer stirring over shaking: (over)shaking anything carbonated will not only kill the carbonation but also make it messy.
ᯓ ☘︎ lucky speaks: using ml here as it’s what i’m used to working with, and i don’t trust myself enough to convert it to ounces (ó﹏ò｡) still, one thing i learned while working behind a bar is that eyeballing is your friend, especially with color theory—it’s okay to adjust any of those recipes to your liking :) like i said, it’s not my usual type of content, but i miss the bar and wanted to share this. if anyone’s interested in more Arcane-inspired drinks, i’d be down to make more posts like this one (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)
Full version of my PFP. It's of a bar I ran, I don't know if I am going to do it anymore now that I quit drinking, I'd like to tell the story of it sometime here. It's a basic bar made of marine grade plywood, spray painted with blackboard paint, and I have fluorescent chalk for people to draw on it while I do a weird improv bit with them before they get a drink. I'd charge them a name or a story, but ask for a specific one, they couldn't just tell me whatever, then I'd improvise some conversation about whatever they told me, give some advice based on it, and a drink. I'd do it in a crow mask I made, called myself Unkle Crow, and it was dubbed the Crow Bar.
