Game Cocktails: The Final Strand

I’ll say it. Quarantine. With so many of us hunkered down, relying on contactless deliveries, craving oxytocin and small talk… That one game kept cropping up in my head. DEATH STRANDING. Arguably the strangest and most beautiful gaming experience I’ve had in 2019. And now, inevitably, it has inspired me to mix a topical cocktail. Let me tell you how…

Sam Porter Bridges. The courier, the legend. And though his shoes are worn out, he’s pressing towards the Timefall Farm. Soon he’ll be hauling some craft Porter Beer deliveries to thirsty preppers, and overindulging in a few cans himself. Heck, I don’t blame him. Connecting an isolated and broken country at such a bleak time? Pour that man something off the top shelf.

But this isn’t a story of brewing beer (not yet anyway…). It’s about a cocktail inspired by BTs and the glorious beasts of the Void.

So my key ideas boiled down to:

Strands! Connections, ties, bonds, tentacles… It’s truly the game’s overarching theme. While improvising with spun sugar techniques, I came up with the sweet strands. Simply melt some sugar in a saucepan, dip the glass, and let gravity do its work (until the drips are solid). I chose demerara sugar for its darker colour and toffee notes. For the garnish, spin the melted sugar around a toothpick or just experiment with it.

Caffeine! The porters in Death Stranding must crave a regular pick-me-up. Would a healthy dose of espresso and coffee liqueur keep their spirits up (/badpun)? Especially when overburdened with Cryptobiode beauty products, chiral printers, and trying to keep a pizza delivery flat? I’d vote yes. Kojima actually chose to feature Monster Energy in Sam’s quarters, but we’ll go with the good ole coffee flavours here.

Dark liqueurs! Getting dragged into the black tar by BTs can be frustrating, but it’s a lesson in porter life. Let go. Connect. Emerge soaked in dark liquids. It’s only right that this cocktail featured those, albeit tastier. And I subconsciously opted for a Kraken rum. For a true black #000000 drink, you may add a pinch of activated charcoal, but only if medically advised!

Shall we deliver some fragile cargo to your home, then?

[Order No. 3] The Final Strand Recipe

Cocktail ingredients:

30 ml (1 oz) Kraken Black Spiced Rum
30 ml (1 oz) Kahlua Coffee Liqueur
30 ml (1 oz) Espresso (cold)
Orange Peel
Glass Rim: Melted Sugar
Garnish: Spun Sugar

Instructions:

1. Store the rimmed glass and the sugar garnish in the freezer.
2. Pour the rum, coffee liqueur, and espresso into a shaker.
3. Add a large peel of orange. That extra citrus note will balance out this fairly sweet cocktail. And Lou’s pod was orange-ish, right?
4. Add a few ice cubes. Seal and shake that cargo until cold.
5. Strain the cocktail into the chilled rimmed glass.
6. Garnish with the sugar strands. Or tentacles. Or your own creative wonder that references Death Stranding.
7. Taste it. Keep on keeping on! 👍

Suggested Sipping Soundtrack:

Low Roar, featured heavily in the Death Stranding OST.

Drift away with post-rock, such as God is an Astronaut.

So once the quarantine is over… Make cocktails for your friends, strengthen your social bonds, and get a few likes while at it.

Open for your suggestions for my next video game cocktail!

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