The Narnia: "Turquoise Tipple"

The Narnia: “Turquoise Tipple”
byAstrid Tuttle Winegar

My first experience with British fantasy literature was in elementary school when I read The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. This was true comfort literature for me (my favorites are The Horse and His Boy and The Magician’s Nephew). I read them all repeatedly and especially when I wasn’t feeling good. My favorite goofy characters are the Dufflepuds. My favorite witch/villain is Queen Jadis. My favorite child character is Eustace, who is lucky enough to find redemption by becoming a dragon.

As a girl, I always associated Turkish Delight with the color turquoise. Maybe this was because I live in the enchanted state of New Mexico, where turquoise is such a dominant color in large things such as the sky and small things such as jewelry, but it is also simply because of the beginning sounds of the words Turkish and turquoise—I was a child making connections.

As an adult, I bought some real Turkish Delight, and was surprised by how boring it looked; it was just beige and white. Sometimes it has a pinkish tinge to it. Perhaps it was just this particular brand I happened to purchase. The candies I bought actually tasted kind of boring, as well—they did not taste like the fruity confections you can get in America. Judging only by this box, I’m not sure what would make its flavor so seductive that a young boy like Edmund Pevensie would betray his siblings as he did. But I thought the ingredients listed sounded like they would make a fabulous drink, and here it is. Now I’m going to have to work on a seductive hot chocolate recipe…

Turquoise Tipple

1 ounce coconut rum (preferred brand is Malibu)
1 ounce hazelnut liqueur (such as Frangelico)
½ ounce each:
simple syrup (available in liquor stores)
vanilla vodka (Absolut)
blue Curaçao (Hiram Walker)
half-and-half
6 drops orange bitters (preferred brand is Angostura)
3-4 Ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a bar shaker container. Shake well and strain into a glass. *** You may serve over a few new ice cubes in a rocks or old-fashioned glass, or straight-up in a martini glass. Serves 1.

***Before you pour your drink, you might want to garnish your glass: place a tablespoon or so of orange juice on a small plate. Place a tablespoon of sugar on another small plate. Carefully roll the outside of your glass in the juice, then carefully roll in the sugar. Let glass dry while you mix the cocktail. Or, keep it simple with just a slice of orange on the side.

About the Author:
Astrid Tuttle Winegar is the author of Cooking for Halflings & Monsters: 111 Comfy, Cozy Recipes for Fantasy-Loving Souls, which will eventually be available on the Amazon Kindle. She also loves J. R. R. Tolkien, all Star things, both Trek and Wars, all things Whedon, and many other things besides… She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her husband and dog. Her brand-new blog can be found at halflingsandmonsters.wordpress.com. You can check out (and like!) her Facebook page at Cooking for Halflings and Monsters; or go to @astridwinegar on Twitter.