One of our new favorite Barcelona speakeasies is a short ten-minute walk from our home. We stumbled upon it while searching for a new Mexican restaurant we found on The Fork app. As we looked in the glass doors, we knew this was a place we had to visit, so we slipped in for a cocktail after our meal.
La Llibreria is a magical place, a bar filled with books and vintage bottles and a laboratory behind a velvet curtain in the back where experiments and the mixing of new concoctions are performed. It has influenced the Speakeasy and the Inner Sanctum of my upcoming novella, The Purging Room.
I am creating an atmospheric landing page for the book that has interactive elements, character backstories, playlists for the book, and more. One idea for the page was to develop all-new cocktails like the five in the book. And what better place to do that than La Llibreria.
Walking in last week, I was apprehensive, as they were very busy. But we were fortunate to snag our favorite private alcove with two leather chairs facing each other, much like the ones in the book. The gracious and engaging bartender Genis, who served us before, was there again. When I said in broken Spanish, “Tengo una idea loca,” I have a crazy idea; he smiled and said, ¡Suena muy bien! ¡Hagámoslo!” Sounds great, let’s do it!
I had made notes with foundational spirits, garnishes, and liquors to try and match the appropriate character, so we began. It was an exotic list of ingredients, and he soon returned and asked if he and his colleagues, Floryan and Matias, could have input in the creation to ensure it did not copy an existing cocktail and tasted terrific. I said, “Absolutely!”
The collaboration turned out to be magic! Genis is an avid reader, so he wanted to make sure that we honored the essence of each of the four legendary guides/authors that mysteriously appear in The Purging Room. And synchronicity! Beatrix Potter and the Tale of Peter Rabbit is one of Genis and me’s favorite books. Crazy! I think we nailed the “Potter Inquiry” cocktail. It is delicious and captures her essence as Genis, and I perceive it. For example, he placed a mint leaf atop the Potter’s Inquiry because it emulated Beatrix Potter’s fresh mind.
As you will discover when you read the book, the other three legendary guides are Pauline Rèage, Silvan Tomkins, and John O’Donohue.
Because you are faithful subscribers and courageous readers, a vital part of the randyelrod.com community, you get a first exclusive preview of the recipes.
Here they are! They will also be in the back of the book. Please let me know if you make one (or two) and let me know your thoughts!
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Cocktail Recipes Inspired by The Purging Room
A Novella by Randy Elrod
These cocktail recipes were created to capture the essence of the transformative drinks experienced in The Purging Room. Each is designed to evoke the character, atmosphere, and themes of Phoenix’s journey.
The First Threshold
(Speakeasy welcome drink. Inspired by Dion’s initial absinthe preparation)
Ingredients:
– 1½ oz traditional Absinthe
– ½ oz elderflower liqueur (i.e., St. Germaine)
– 4-5 oz ice-cold filtered water
– 1 sugar cube
– Lemon peel
Preparation:
1. Place sugar cube on traditional slotted absinthe spoon over glass
2. Pour absinthe and elderflower liqueur into a crystal glass
3. Slowly drip ice-cold water over sugar cube until it dissolves
4. Watch as the louche effect creates a milky opalescence
5. Express lemon peel over the surface and discard
Tasting notes: The traditional ritual creates a drink that’s simultaneously bitter and sweet, with herbal complexity that opens up as it’s consumed – much like Phoenix’s initial crossing into the speakeasy.
The Réage Revelation
(Inspired by the amber integration drink)
Ingredients:
– 2 oz Cognac (XO preferred) or Brandy
– ½ oz Drambuie
-½ oz Tio Pepe Fino Sherry
– 3 dashes orange bitters
– 4 dashes Laphroaig Whisky or wood smoke (optional: use a smoke cloche)
Preparation:
1. Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice
2. Stir until perfectly chilled
3. Strain into a small crystal glass
4. If available, capture wood smoke in cloche over drink before serving
Tasting notes: Warm, complex, and slightly sweet with an earthiness that lingers – embodying the physical integration Phoenix experiences with Pauline Réage.
The Potter Inquiry
(Inspired by the ruby integration drink)
Ingredients:
– 1 oz London Dry Gin
– 1 oz Creme de Cassis
– 1 oz Lillet Blanc
– 1 oz fresh lemon juice
– Mint leaf as garnish
Preparation:
1. Add ingredients to shaker with ice
3. Shake vigorously
4. Double strain into a small crystal glass
5. Garnish with a single mint leaf
Tasting notes: Bright, vibrant, and slightly tart with complex notes that continue to develop – symbolizing the awakening curiosity Beatrix Potter nurtures.
The Tomkins Emotion
(Inspired by the clear integration drink)
Ingredients:
– 2 oz white rum
– ½ oz Elderflower Syrup or St. Germain
– ½ oz clear crème de violette
– 1 oz fresh lime juice
– Salt and Tajin on rim
Preparation:
- 1. Rub rim and top side of small crystal glass with lime, roll in salt and tajin
- 2. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice
- 3. Stir gently until chilled
3. Strain into a small crystal glass
4. No garnish – the drink’s subtle iridescence speaks for itself
Tasting notes: Initially seems simple but reveals surprising complexity as you sip – perfect for representing the emotional integration Phoenix experiences with Silvan Tomkins.
The O’Donohue Spirit
(Inspired by the Celtic wisdom of the final encounter)
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ oz Irish Whiskey
- 1 oz Brandy
- ½ oz honey
- ½ oz Benedictine
- 1 oz. lemon juice
- 5 dashes Absinthe
- Star anise
Preparation:
1. Shake all ingredients except star anise with ice
2. Shake until properly chilled
3. Strain into a crystal glass
4. Float star anise on top
Tasting notes: Spirituous yet grounding, with subtle sweetness and an aromatic quality that enhances the experience beyond mere taste – embodying the spiritual freedom O’Donohue reveals.
The Full Integration
(A final celebration cocktail representing complete transformation)
Ingredients:
- ⁃ ½ oz Absinthe (rinse)
- ⁃ 1 oz Brandy or Cognac
– 1 oz Black Tea infused Vodka (substitute: ½ black tea and ½ oz. Vodka)
– ½ oz Calavados Brandy
– ½ oz Yellow Chartreuse
- ⁃ 1 oz elderflower syrup or St. Germaine
- ⁃ ½ oz blueberry syrup
Preparation:
1. Rinse a chilled glass with Absinthe, discarding excess
2. Combine remaining ingredients in mixing glass with ice
3. Stir until perfectly chilled
4. Strain into the absinthe-rinsed glass
5. Express lemon peel over surface and discard
6. Garnish with edible flowers and Sichuan peppers
Tasting notes: A harmonious blend that incorporates elements from all previous drinks – representing Phoenix’s complete integration of body, mind, emotions, and spirit.
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