In celebration of the end of my most recent Masks of Nyarlathotep Call of Cthulhu campaign.
A tester in our household described this flavor as “like being stabbed in the mouth,” probably due to the acidity, but I think that’s a pretty good review. The investigators drained their glasses and now carry the most delicious and citrusy of curses.
Ingredients:
.75-1oz blackberry syrup
1oz lime juice
1 capsule activated charcoal
3oz sparkling water
Directions:
Stir syrup, juice, and charcoal in a glass.
Top with sparkling water.
Garnish with blackberries and lime for fanciness, as pictured.
Refinements:
- Adjust the blackberry syrup to taste.
- Muddle blackberries with a little water instead of using the syrup. But I didn’t do that.
- Juice your own limes if you want. But I didn’t do that.
- The charcoal capsules can make a mess, so be careful in cutting them open. Just use a sharp knife to cut off the tip of the capsule and then shake out gently.
- The default for the charcoal is just to mix it into the mocktail, but I tried blooming the charcoal in a teaspoon of hot water and that seemed to dissolve the charcoal dust and disperse it. But don’t expect all the charcoal bits to break down completely. This ingredient provides the “black” in the Black Pharoah.
- Try lime seltzer instead of plain sparkling water.
- To make ahead in volume, premix the syrup, lime juice, and charcoal in a vessel and refrigerate. Stir again to distribute charcoal before pouring mix into glasses and then top with sparkling water.
- Alcoholic version: 1 oz Empress 1908 gin or whatever and drop the sparkling water by the same amount.
Brands used in the recipe:
- DaVinci Gourmet Classic Blackberry Syrup
- Master of Mixes Single Pressed Lime Juice
- Lime LaCroix
- Mary Ruth’s Activated Charcoal Capsules
These are provided for completeness and not as endorsements.
Warning:
The memory of this mocktail will whisper to you unbidden when you least expect it.
