Grenadine is a bar staple that makes its way into a lot of classic beverages, from the Shirley Temple mocktail to the Prohibition-era Mary Pickford to the scotch-forward Crow. It adds sweetness and a distinctive red hue to the drinks which feature it. But, what, exactly, is grenadine? Keep reading to find out, and also for a full recipe to make this crimson syrup at home.

"Soon May the Wellerman Come" aka "The Wellerman" is a sea shanty originating from New Zealand which has had a recent resurgence in popularity this year thanks to a video of the song which sparked a TikTok sea shanty trend. You can read more about the song here. As the chorus includes the lyrics "soon may the Wellerman come, to bring us sugar and tea and rum," I couldn't help but be inspired to create a cocktail in honor of this shanty.

What was a vague inkling transitioned quickly to a need to craft my own "sugar and tea and rum" cocktail when I saw artist Nikki Dee Miller's design (pictured here; click on the picture for a link to her merch featuring this design).

Keep reading below for the full recipe for my take on The Wellerman.

I just finished listening to the Whispering Lakes storyline (episodes 11-24) of the Tales of Asperran podcast. Tales of Asperran is a D&D 5e actual-play podcast set in the titular homebrew world of Asperran, a setting designed by Mike (the gamemaster). One of my favorite events in this story arc has inspired this cocktail. I will try not to spoil anything in case anyone else is as terribly behind in this fabulous podcast as I am, but I will briefly explain my inspiration and provide full directions to make this cocktail below.

I created my first version of the Araklast Investigations cocktail last year as part of a series of cocktails I crafted to represent each of the player characters in my ongoing Rise of the Runelords Pathfinder campaign. This is the cocktail inspired by my own PC, a psychic detective investigator named Danielle Araklast. Dani is the daughter of a spice merchant who runs her own private investigation service, Araklast Investigations, in her home city of Magnimar. Unfortunately, as part of the events surrounding her latest investigation into a series of apparently ritualized murders, Dani's small one-bedroom apartment/office was burned to the ground.

The Araklast Investigations cocktail draws on the spice of the Araklast family's merchant trade, the coffee and whiskey that are staples for long stake-outs and hours piecing together clues, and the smoke that is all that remains of the physical location of its namesake.

I'm breaking my unscheduled hiatus (life got the better of me the past month!) to revisit my first episode-themed drink for The Dimension Door Podcast. "Dark Midnight" is both the title of Episode 14 and a moniker for the significant NPC which is featured in the episode: Baba Yaga's Black Rider.

For a bit of a Black Rider lore drop & full instructions to make the Dark Midnight cocktail, keep reading below.

There are several components of Episode 24 that combined together to inspire this cocktail: a golden apple, a sweet-talking golden tongued cleric, and a flaming sphere all play important roles in both the happenings of the episode and this drink.

Whether or not you're caught up with the happenings of The Dimension Door Podcast (although you should be!), this cocktail is perfect for autumn. The fresh, crisp apple garnish sets nicely against the warm, aromatic caramelized brown sugar. Hints of cinnamon add to the pleasant scent, and then the drink itself is just-sweet-enough with the flavors of butterscotch and apple blossom set against a backdrop of a slightly-smoky scotch. Drinking it is a bit like sitting by a bonfire and enjoying a caramel apple.

Keep reading for the full recipe and instructions to make this cocktail.

Orgeat (pronounced /ɔːrˈʒɑː or ˈɔːrdʒiət/) is a French term that originated in the Latin phrase hordeaceus, meaning 'made with barley.' It started out as a kind of barley water (a barley oil and water emulsion), but over time to improve the flavor almond, sugar, and other flavors were added. Now, orgeat no longer has anything to do with barley. Instead, orgeat syrup is an almond and sugar syrup, usually flavored with either orange blossom water or rose water. It's non-alcoholic on its own, although you can extend its life by adding a bit of liquor (usually brandy) as a preservative.

Orgeat is an important ingredient for a lot of Tiki cocktails, including the Mai Tai. It can also be diluted with water or soda water for a refreshing non-alcoholic drink (sometimes called orzata). You can also play around with flavors, using different nuts (such as pistachio or cashew) or infusing it with fruit or spices. 

In recipes from as far back as the mid-1800s, orgeat was made with bitter almonds. However, it's far more commonly made with sweet almonds now. This is largely because bitter almonds are toxic, and potentially lethal in large quantities; they contain cyanide.

What I will be providing instructions for here is a pretty traditional orgeat recipe, using almonds and flavored with orange blossom water.

After you've had a chance to listen to Episode 23 of The Dimension Door Podcast, you'll understand just why this episode's cocktail is inspired by hair, domovoi, and hatch chilies.

Hair of the Domovoi is a twist on the Hair of the Dog cocktail that adds an underlying bite of chili heat to the traditional hangover drink. It's as white as the Irrisen landscape where the questers from Taldor have ended up, and combines smoke & heat with cream & sweet in a way that is evocative of the events of Episode 23.

Keep reading for the full directions to make this cocktail.

Just as the most recent episode's drink was inspired by the small Irriseni town of Waldsby, so is this cocktail from Episode 16 inspired by the small Taldan town of Heldren. Whereas for Waldsby we had a hot beverage perfect for the inhospitably cold climate, for Heldren we had an icy, refreshing drink that celebrates the summer season and its flowering, fresh botanicals. The local Dansby farm produces some fine mead for the town (may poor Farmer Dansby rest in peace), so it's only fitting that any Heldren cocktail include mead as an ingredient. The garnish of this drink is also a bit of an homage to the donkey belonging to Vasilisa Morozova (Heldren's local wisewoman). After all, Marigold is a Very Good Donkey.

Keep reading for full instructions to make your own Heldren Highball.

This drink is inspired by the small town of Waldsby, which the characters of The Dimension Door Podcast enter for the first time in Episode 22. Waldsby is a small town in Irrisen which sits just outside of the Hoarwood. I won't say too much about it (this is a spoiler-free zone!), but one thing I can say is that the people of Waldsby are very dependent upon the resources the Hoarwood has to offer for both their livelihoods and their diet. The primary resource to be found within this Irriseni forest is the winteryew, also known as the witch-tree. They depend on winteryew trees for lumber, and on their edible seeds and bark for food.

One way that the inhabitants of Waldsby can warm up​ is by enjoying a nice, hot cup of Winteryew Wassail.