Bottoms Up :: Black Licorice Delight

If you know me at all, (or if you’ve read my “Essentials”) you know that I have a penchant for black. So when I sat down to brainstorm a fun Halloween cocktail, I was overcome by an onset of inspiration from Lord Licorice himself to create a drink that’s dark and sinister… Hence: the Black Licorice Delight, featuring black jumbo ice cubes and a black sugar rim. Keep reading for the recipe, and even if you’re not so into the licorice flavor, the dyed ice & sugar can be incorporated into nearly any cocktail to make it Halloween-appropriate.

Ingredients:

• 4 parts Pernod® licorice liqueur
• 3 parts blackcurrant cordial
• 8 – 10 parts water
• black food coloring or icing coloring
• 1 cup sugar

Instructions:

1. Fill a pitcher with water, and add black food coloring in small increments until water reaches desired blackness.
2. Pour black water into ice tray (I love this King Cube Ice Tray), and allow to freeze completely.
3. While ice is freezing, pour 1 cup sugar into a bowl. Add 1/4 tsp. black food coloring to the sugar and use a fork to mash until fully incorporated.
4. Dip the rims of your glasses into water, and then into the black sugar. Don’t put too much water on the rims, as it’ll cause the sugar to drip (which is nice and on-theme, but extremely messy). Add 1 or 2 cubes of black ice to each glass.
5. In a separate pitcher (I used a large mason jar) combine the Pernod, blackcurrant cordial and water, and pour over ice cubes.