This was a sand-filled zone, set in an Aztec Village in 1518.50ml Pulque
25ml Lime Juice
Shake and Garnish with some Lime Zest.
The Aztec Zone drink features Pulque, an ancient alcoholic beverage that was originally reserved for Aztecan nobility. It also contains some – more contemporary – tequila, in addition to lime juice. The Pulque is quite thick and of a milky colour; when shaken, you get a slight froth on top of the drink.
Set within a chemical plant, this zone was based within a post-apocalyptic, nuclear-fallout era.100ml Schweppes Ruschian
15ml Rose’s Lime Cordial
Add ingredients, with ice to a conical flask or other (clean) laboratory glassware
Set in 1302 in a Medieval English castle, this was the ancestral home of the Master of the Maze, Richard O’Brien. He lived here along with “dear-old” Mumsie (see below).20ml Mead (I like Moniack)
40ml Apple Juice (The fresher the better)
This drink is based on a combination of the English Tradition of making (and drinking) mead, with Calvados, which was brought over by the Norman Conquest in 1066.** In true Medieval style, it is served in a leather cup.
The flavours are, unsurprisingly, quite appley, but the mead (a sort of honey-wine) sweetens up the drink. Calvados and mead are quite nice together, but the apple juice improves the drink further by lengthening it. My one word of caution would be to use an apple juice that is not too sweet.
The Futuristic Zone was set in 2494 (after the Second Galactic War of 2245) on board a space station, far away from Earth. Its only permanent inhabitant was a rather sarcastic and occasionally gloomy computer.Sacred Gin (distilled in Outer Space (well, a vacuum))
Tonic Water
Cardamon Distillate Float
In the future, all drinks will obviously be served super-chilled in test tubes for the ultimate level of convenience. With space travel an everyday occurrence, all spirits will be distilled in outer space (the vacuum of outer space means that you can distill at low temperatures); Sacred is tomorrow’s gin, today.
Despite it being the 23rd Century, the perpetual popularity of the Gin & Tonic persists. A cardamon float on the top of this drink represents the ultimate in a consumer’s choice to customise their drink.
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You have braved the zones and escaped to the Crystal Dome. You need to collect 100 gold tokens to win a prize, but any silver tokens that you collect by accident will be deducted from your total score, so be careful!1 sugar lump
3–4 drops of orange bitters
Juice of ¼ of a lemon
About a measure of gin
Champagne
Add two dozen edible silver hearts and a edible dozen gold stars
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The Dome is a celebration and, to me, nothing says celebration quite like a French 75. This recipe was kindly donated by Mr. Clayton Hartley. I used gold star and silver heart cocktail flakes from www.edible-glitter.co.uk to represent the tokens floating in the Dome. Try and drink just the gold ones!
.50ml Dark Rum
10ml Pimento Dram
Dry Ginger Ale
The teacup and Champagne flute are a reflection of the glamour and sophistication of the Golden Age of travel. It’s up to you how you drink this: with the ginger ale on the side or mixed in with the spirit in the teacup.
The Dark Rum has an evident Naval connection (I used Skipper’s), the Pimento Dram reminds me of the exotic spice of tropical islands, and the ginger ale, with it’s Champagne-like appearance, provides light refreshment.
In the Crystal Maze, the games were sorted into four categories: Physical, Mental, Skill and Mystery. I set my own challenge for the Skilled & Mysterious barkeep, Adam Smithson (an exceptionally skilled cocktail creative from Graphic Bar in Soho), to come up with a cocktail which reflected all of these aspects.20ml Agave Syrup & 10ml Egg White (both good for the physical strength)
35ml Lemon Juice and 10ml Super Cherry Wine
40ml Oxley Gin (lots of skill is need to create this gin)
20ml Dame de Fumer Syrup (the Mystery!)
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This an intensely fruit and juicy drink very refreshing and full of flavour. A great balance between a jammy sweetness and the tartness from the lemon. The gin comes through and whilst not over=powering add a sturdy juniper presence. The mystery pops up at the end the delicious flavour of the Lapsang Souchong Syrup ( Dame de Fumer).
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Living in the Crystal Maze with Ravenous Rick, the Master of the Maze, was Mumsie, his new-age, fortune-telling matriarch. She lived in the Medieval Zone and liked to ask contestants riddles. This cocktail is a tribute to her.20ml Pedro Ximenzez Sherry
10ml Lemon Juice
100ml Hot Water
“Mumsie” is the comfy nickname that Rick uses to refer his mother and I wanted to reflect this comfy nature in the drink. Mumsie also often had heather around her and so this is reflected in the drink, too. This is a comforting toddy recipe with the sweetness coming from the sherry, which also provides a Christmas spice note to the drink. The lemon acts as balance, whilst the gin adds herbal notes of juniper and heather, as well as some fortification.
