Moonriver Bar #45 - Kamikaze and Scorpions

The Kamikaze Shot

THE RECIPE
1/2 oz Vodka
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz Lime Juice

TASTING NOTES
+ This is a party shot.  Simple and clean.
+ Fruity and covered.
This goes down easy, and it's supposed to.  Most settings that call for a Kamikaze call for a few over a period of an hour or two.  You're working with Vodka; this is a no-brainer.  Wanna' up the citrus?  Use Citrus Vodka.  Make it a little more interesting?  Blueberry or Strawberry vodka.  Easy peasy.

The Scorpion Shot

Normally I would see this in BOWL form.
  An eldritch monstrosity ordered by college folk and grad students alike bent on poor choices and broken dreams, the Scorpion Bowl is a ridiculous fruity mixture served in a gaudy tiki bowl with a ritualistic column of fire roaring at its center.  It is intended for AT LEAST two people, and it comes with straws.
  The full recipe is what you'd expect.

SCORPION BOWL RECIPE
3 cups of Ice (told ya)
2 oz Gin
1 oz Dark Rum
2 oz 151 Rum
2 oz Light Rum
2 oz Vodka
2 oz Grenadine
8 oz Orange Juice
10 oz Pineapple Juice
At least 2 pineapple chunks
At least 6 Marachino Cherries
With 3 oz of optional lemon juice
  Functional Strength: 28 Proof

PAIRING IT DOWN
  This won't be a traditional shot.  By volume alone, this is a shooter at best, and I aim to err on the side of greater strength rather than fruit juice.  The physical cherries intrigue me as well, so I want to incorporate some of my classic cherry heering to up the strength a bit.  The rest of its multitude of ingredients should be easy enough to shrink down. 

THE ELDER SCORPION
1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz 151 Rum
1/4 oz Dark Rum
1/2 oz Light Rum
1/2 oz Vodka
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1/2 oz Cherry Liqueur
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 oz Whiskey Sour Mix
SHAKE in a shaker with Ice, then strain into your favorite gentlemen's glass.
Total Volume: 4.5 oz
Total Strength: 31%. 62 Proof

TASTING NOTES
+ HELLS YEAH.
+ This, in my honest opinion, elevates a Scorpion Bowl.  The original is not drink of finesse, but of blunt force trauma and fruit.  It's an excuse for a bar to burn a tremendous amount of cheap resources at high volume for high copper, and a low overall output.  THIS achieves a tighter flavor profile, with lower volume, and higher buzz output.  
+ Shaken with ice activates the Heering and the Gin in nuanced ways, coaxing out the flavor without sifting a straw through that ice.
+ I might even increase the Cherry Liqueur by 1/4 oz, and lower the pineapple by 1/4 oz just to explore the sweeter end of this cocktail.
+ It's still deceptively strong, but I'm not filling my belly with acidic juice, and I'lll achieve a big bad buzz with room for a fine burger.  And really, isn't that the goal all along?

Lol.
Be safe out there, adventurers, and be careful what stinger you tempt.
​-Adamus