When we issued a challenge to Bloom's mixologist to make us a cocktail using Peeps for Easter, we thought about a sweet martini -- maybe in candy colors to represent jellybeans or something.
What we got was nothing short of brilliant (and more than a little disturbing). Here's how it played out:
See also:
- Make Your Own Peeps: A How-To Demo by Tudor House's Jamie DeRosa
Jaren Rivas, Bloom's bartender, started by placing several berries into a Mason jar. In went raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries. "I love fresh berries for spring," he told us. So far, so good. He then added a few sprigs of fresh spearmint, building the cocktail in the glass.
Things got a little weird as Rivas poured in some Ketel
One vodka, lime juice, and house-made chamomile syrup -- all the while
babbling about Easter Sunday being about blood and resurrection.
We started to fear for our lives when Rivas muddled the berries and
mint. Well, it was more massacre than muddle. "You've got to really get
in there. You want to be visceral and really bruise, macerate, mangle
the berries. They've got to really look like blood and guts. See the
mint? I really like the color. It adds a hint of bile to the red."
Filling the gory mixture with ice, our charming-yet-creepy bartender asked us what Easter Sunday meant to us. "Ummm... bunnies?" "No," he said as he reached under the bar and brought out two zombie Peeps -- complete with exposed raspberry brains and rib cages made of blackberries. "The Walking Dead!"
Rivas then explained that the zombie-filled show was one of his grandma's favorites and that he was going to make this cocktail for her on Easter.
So there you have it: the most awesome cocktail ever that celebrates both Easter and the zombie apocalypse! P.S.: It tastes amazing too! The Walking Peep cocktail ($12) is available Easter weekend at Bloom.
Walking Peep Cocktail
Ingredients:
2 oz Ketel One vodka
3/4 oz lime juice
3/4 oz chamomile syrup*
Spearmint sprig
4 blackberries
4 raspberries
6 blueberries
1 strawberry, cored and halved
(For garnish)
1 Peep
1 raspberry
1 blackberry
1 sprig spearmint
To make zombie Peep, cut a slit in Peep's belly and place a halved blackberry in to look like a bloody ribcage. Tear a little of the Peep's head off and place raspberry on head for brains.
Place berries and mint into short mason jar or heavy rocks glass. Muddle the berries and mint until "bloody." Add vodka, lime juice, and chamomile syrup and stir. Fill with ice to top, garnish with mint and zombie Peep.
*To make chamomile syrup, add strong, steeped chamomile tea to simple syrup and allow to chill.
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