Shake with ice, serve with dread

ARKHAM, 1935 — The Miskatonic University Theatre Department held opening night of The King in Yellow yesterday evening. It was a bold choice, given the long-standing academic consensus that the play should never be staged, spoken aloud, or thought about for longer than nine consecutive seconds.

But really, what’s an evening of existential collapse without an afterparty?

Somewhere backstage, where the lights still flicker and the dressing room mirrors haven’t yet stopped whispering, there’s always someone who knows where to find a bottle, a glass, and a momentary distraction from cosmic dread. Call it survival. Call it tradition. Call it Tuesday in Arkham.

Last Call in Arkham is almost ready for its debut on the solo RPG stage, though the assistant director vanished sometime after Act II. Everything’s fine. Really. While we sort that out, have a drink from our Secret Menu. The King in Yellow may devour minds, but that’s hardly an excuse for poor hospitality.

Corpse Reviver

Harry Craddock, The Savoy Cocktail Book, 1930

• ¼ wine glass lemon juice

• ¼ wine glass Kina Lillet

• ¼ wine glass Cointreau

• ¼ wine glass dry gin

• 1 dash Absinthe

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass

Wake the Dead

• 1 oz orange syrup

• ½ oz fennel syrup

• Juice from ½ orange

• ½ c green tea

• Splash of yuzu

Shake with ice, strain & serve

Orange Syrup

• 1 c water

• 1c sugar

• Skins from 3 oranges

• ½” knob of ginger, peeled and crushed between two spoons

• 1 star anise

Bring ingredients to a boil.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Refrigerate overnight then strain.

Fennel Syrup

• 1 c water

• 1 c sugar

• 8 oz of fennel (bulb & greens)

Place in blender and run until smooth. Refrigerate overnight then strain.