Drink 49: The Epic Spell Wars Drinks (Part II)

The Name: Midnight Merlin's Inferno-Tastic Fountain of Youth

The Bar: The Half Pint (76 West 3rd Street, NYC)

The Story Behind The Name: You might be looking at this name thinking "What? What could that possibly mean?" Well, if you read about my last drink you can find out all about the insane and fun game Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards, and learn the secret formula for determining this drink's name.

Ordering The Drink: After drinking Dr. Rooty Bark's Mysterious Bedazzlement, Nick and I walked around a bit and found ourselves in Washington Square Park. We decided we wanted to use our special Epic Spell Wars drink-naming formula one more time, so we googled "Bars Near Washington Square Park" and saw great reviews for a place called The Half Pint. Putting our faith in the all-knowing hivemind of Yelp, we made our way there.

It became clear that The Half Pint's specialty is their really great and expansive beer menu. Beer lovers should definitely be sure to check it out. But they did have mixed drinks as well, so Nick and I decided to go ahead and order our weirdly-named drink as planned. We randomly selected the spell cards and ended up with Midnight Merlin's Inferno-Tastic Fountain of Youth.

Nick's fingers displaying the drink name fate had chosen for us.

I went up to the bar to order my drink. The bar was being tended to by a man named Brian. A gruff but fun and no-nonsense guy with what I think was an Irish accent (although it was a bit loud so I can't be 100% sure). I told Brian that I was hoping he could make me a cocktail based only on a name I would give him, and he seemed completely on board. But I think he might have regretted it as soon as I said the actual name.

Me: So, the drink will be called Midnight Merlin's Inferno-Tastic Fountain of Youth.
Brian: ...What the fuck?
Me: Sorry.
Brian: You want to run that by me again?

Brian clearly didn't know what he'd gotten himself into. I tried to reassure him that he could put whatever he wanted in it and I'd be happy. "You could just go 'fuck it' and make me a vodka cranberry if you wanted," I said. "No, I'm not going to do that," Brian assured me. He then asked if I had a preferred alcohol, and I said I didn't, but did say that the presence of the word "Inferno-Tastic" made me think that perhaps the drink would have Fireball in it. "Yeah," he agreed, "Definitely." It seemed like the wheels had started turning and Brian had gotten his idea. In not too long, Brian placed a drink in front of me.

The Drink:

Fireball
Cider
Amaretto

Assessment of Drink: I've gone to an assortment of bars for this blog. Some really specialize in cocktails. And some are just neighborhood places like The Half Pint is, which can put together a gin and tonic but those tending bar aren't exactly mixologists. In general, I'd say that, unsurprisingly, the former bars tend to outdo the latter (even though the neighborhood places have at times offered really creative drinks and shouldn't be underestimated). But, despite how simple the drink was--it's only three ingredients after all--I have to say that this was delicious, and hands down the best cocktail I've gotten for this blog at a bar of this variety. In fact, it tasted better than the drink I'd gotten earlier in the evening during part 1, at a bar that is far more cocktail-oriented. It shouldn't be a surprise that it tasted so delicious. Apple, almond, and cinnamon are all flavors that go well together, after all. And here, it was especially good, creating a drink that could simultaneously be sweet, tart, and spicy. It was like a mulled cider, but chilled and more refreshing. It tasted like grown-up apple juice.

I also love that cider was included. There are actually a lot of great cocktails out there that include beer or hard cider, but you don't see them too often, which is a shame. I've actually thought that beer would be a great addition for several of the drinks I've gotten here. I think that Brian's use of the cider was so smart. It added a great depth of flavor to this drink, and was unexpected and creative. And it played well with the fireball and amaretto. It wasn't just a cider with spice added to it--it was a legitimate cocktail in its own right. And a great one at that. Seriously, I would definitely order this again. I'm considering asking a bartender to give me cider with a shot of fireball and amaretto in the future. I want this drink again. And Nick did too, and he's not normally a fan of fireball.

Does It Live Up To The Name: Absolutely. Obviously, as Brian and I had discussed before the drink was made, Fireball automatically checks off the "Inferno-Tastic" part of the name. And I think that the Fountain of Youth part was present too. In my description of the drink, I said it tasted like "grown-up apple juice." And that apple juice flavor is definitely something that most people--myself included--relate with childhood. Despite the presence of alcohol, it was conceivable as a youthful drink.

If I had to scrutinize the name of this drink, the main criticism would be that the Midnight Merlin wasn't really present. That part of the name would certainly be tough to represent, but I think it could have been doable. I couldn't help but think of the pitch black drink I once got for this blog, which would have been amazing, although something tells me that The Half Pint doesn't typically have a supply of activated charcoal ready to go. I also thought that perhaps absinthe would be a good way to represent the Merlin part, as absinthe is often imbued with sort of magical attributes. But, even though I love absinthe, I don't think it would have improved the drink, so I'm really okay with it not being there.

Even though the "Midnight Merlin" wasn't really present, two out of three of the spell cards isn't a bad track record. Honestly, I think Brian nailed the sizable challenge of this drink's name. In the challenge of the Epic Cocktails of the Battle Mixologists, Brian at the Half Pint definitely comes out on top.