Level Up

From their inception, video games have captured the attention (and arguably the hearts and minds) of almost everyone who has ever played them. Growing up in the 1980s, I was born into an unfortunate household who did not have an Atari gaming system, but almost weekly my little brother and I would go to the neighborhood arcade with a roll of quarters and we would game until we ran out of money. We played Joust, Dig Dug, Centipede, Space Invaders, Ms. Pac-Man, and more. The atmosphere of everyone having a good time, coupled with some icy beverages and pizza, now this was the stuff of a kid’s dream come true. And this is exactly what Edgar Wright’s 2010 film “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” gives the audience. Pure serotonin.

Based on the graphic novel series “Scott Pilgrim,” by Bryan Lee O’Malley, the film follows the story of indie rocker Scott Pilgrim (MIchael Cera) as he endeavors to win a music contest with his band Sex Bob-Omb, while simultaneously trying to win the heart of Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and he must battle her seven evil exes in the process. A romantic action/comedy, the film includes copious amounts of special effects to immerse viewers into the gaming world, with both video game graphics and sounds. With each battle win, Scott “levels up,” and we see him and Ramona change throughout the film. Ramona’s changes are in her hair color, progressing from pink, to blue, and then finally green.

For this movie, we actually created three cocktails - in honor of Ramona’s hair colors, and the levels Scott must master to win not only the contest, but also Ramona’s heart. All three are riffs off of the basic gin gimlet. As a base, we used Roku gin (notes of cherry blossom, citrus and green tea), and then created new flavors, each with an intense color to match. For pink, we named it the Other L-word and added a brilliant raspberry syrup and freshly muddled raspberries. For blue, we named it Get a Life, and added vivid blue curacao with a fresh blueberry garnish. For green, we called it Garbage truck, and added freshly muddled celery with a bright celery leaf garnish. Make yourself one of these while watching the film, or even just listening to the amazing soundtrack… “We are Sex Bob-Omb, and we're here to make you think about death and get sad and stuff!”

Ingredients:

“If you want something bad, you have to fight for it. Step up your game, Scott. Break out the L-word.” - Wallace Wells

“Lesbian?” - Scott Pilgrim

“The other L-word.” - Wallace Wells

“...Lesbians?” - Scott Pilgrim

The Other L Word

Ingredients:

2 oz. Roku Gin

.5 oz raspberry syrup

.5 oz lime juice

Fresh raspberries

Raspberry syrup:

1 cup fresh raspberries

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Instructions:

1. For syrup: Add raspberries, sugar, and water into a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves and raspberries begin to break apart. Let simmer for 5 minutes and turn off heat. Let cook then strain into a bottle. Store in the fridge.

2. In a cocktail shaker add 4-5 fresh raspberries, lime juice, and syrup. Muddle raspberries.

3. Add gin and ice. Shake for 15 seconds. Double strain into martini glass and garnish with fresh raspberries.

“What are you doing?” - Stephen Stills

“Getting a life.” - Scott Pilgrim

Get a Life

Ingredients:

2 oz Roku Gin

.5 Blue Curacao

.5 Simple Syrup

.5 oz lime juice

Blueberries for garnish

Instructions:

1. In a cocktail shaker add all ingredients. Add ice and shake for 15 seconds.

2. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with fresh blueberries.

“I'll take you to the dump, 'Cause you're my queen. Take you uptown; I'll show you the sites. You know you wanna ride, On my garbage truck. Truck, truck, truck.” - Stephen Stills, lead singer of Sex Bob-Omb

Garbage Truck

Ingredients:

2 oz Roku Gin

.5 oz lime juice

.5 oz simple syrup

Fresh celery

Instructions:

1. In a cocktail shaker add 1 stalk of chopped celery, lime juice, and simple syrup. Muddle until celery is broken down.

2. Add gin and ice and shake for 15 seconds. Double strain into a martini glass. Garnish with celery leaf.