5 'Twin Peaks'-Inspired Cocktails To Celebrate The First Glimpse In 25 Years
By Anthony Todd in Food on May 5, 2017 4:00PM
The fish in the percolator. Photo by Anthony Todd.
By Rob Christopher and Anthony Todd
It's been 25 years since America last got a chance to journey to the mysterious town of Twin Peaks. That's all about to change, as the revival of David Lynch's iconic, supernatural soap thriller launches on Showtime on May 21. You're obviously hosting a party, right?
To make your Twin Peaks-themed gathering a success, we've come up with five original, themed and totally delicious cocktails that are sure to make any true fan's mouth water. So grab a cup of coffee and a slice of pie (and make sure you know where your log is) and dive right in. P.S.: if you don't have a few of the ingredients, play with the recipes a bit. Your guests will be too busy watching Kyle MacLachlan to know the difference.
The Fish in the Percolator
One of the show's all-time best moments. The takeaway? Never let Josie Packard make the coffee. Stick with this Manhattan variation instead, and don't skip the garnish!
2 oz. high-proof rye whiskey, such as Rittenhouse Rye 100
1/2 oz. Amaro Averna
1/4 oz. coffee liqueur
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash grapefruit bitters
Combine ingredients in an old fashioned tumbler and add a jumbo ice cube. Wrap a Swedish fish with a swath of grapefruit and impale on a cocktail pick; use it to stir the drink briefly and leave it in the glass as a garnish.
Knotted Cherry Stem
Much like Audrey Horne herself: smoky, sour, and just plain inviting. Fun fact: although Sherilyn Fenn made the move famous onscreen, Mädchen Amick boasted in a 1990 Rolling Stone interview that she actually knows how to perform the trick. "You have to bite up the stem to make it limber," she advised. "Bite it until it isn't stiff."
The knotted cherry stem. Photo by Anthony Todd.
1 oz. mezcal
1 oz. Luxardo Cherry Sangue Morlacco
1/2 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 oz. Letherbee Besk
Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass or a small goblet filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a cherry.
Jacoby's Coconut
Where the good doc keeps all his secrets. Serve this cocktail to someone without telling them what's in it, and see if they can guess that it contains a caraway-flavored liqueur. That can be our little secret.
1 1/2 oz. coconut rum
1 oz. unsweetened pineapple juice
3/4 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
3/4 oz. Gilka Kaiser-Kummel Liqueur
1/4 oz. Plantation O.F.T.D. overproof rum
5 drops 'Elemakule Tiki Bitters
Shake with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Gently add a few drops of bitters to the top of the drink and serve.
Ghostwood Cocktail
In Episode 12, Judge Sternwood tells Agent Cooper, "I'd advise you to keep your eyes on the woods. The woods are wondrous here. But strange." And in the last moments of Episode 23, Josie Packard finds out just how strange wood can be in Twin Peaks! We think you'll find this drink suitably mysterious.
1 1/2 oz. Chief Gowanus New-Netherland Gin
3/4 oz vodka
3/4 oz Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur of the Alps
1/3 oz. Carpano Antica vermouth
1/2 teaspoon creme de cacao
2 dashes orange bitters
5-6 mint leaves
Slap the mint in the palm of your hand, then add to a mixing glass along with all the other ingredients. Stir with ice until cold and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon peel.
My Mother's Sister's Girl
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (the movie prequel released after the TV show was cancelled) includes the character Lil, an unusual woman who conveys a coded message to FBI agents Sam Stanley and Chester Desmond. Pinned to her dress is a blue rose. I can't tell you about that, but I can tell you that this daiquiri variation is delicious.
1 oz. Plantation 3 Stars rum
1 oz. Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Gold Rum
1/2 oz. KOVAL Ginger liqueur
3/4 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 oz. Blue Curaçao
Shake with ice, strain into a chilled coupe.