You surely already know by now, but it bears repeating: live music venues and bars are in trouble. As some of the first businesses to close when the pandemic struck in full force, venues will be some of the last to reopen, and while bars in some places are faring marginally better, it’s incredibly difficult to pay bills and keep staff employed when it’s unsafe to allow in only a fraction of your normal capacity.
Lucky for you, drinking is recession-proof. To that end, to help out some of our favorite metal venues and bars around the country and bring visibility to this important issue, Metal Injection and MetalSucks have teamed up to on Metal Cocktail of the Week, a series which features one cocktail each week concocted by one of the venue or bar’s resident hesher mixologists. What’s more, we’ve partnered with Metallica’s Blackened Whiskey to present the entire series, which will consist solely of delicious beverages you can make with the most metal whiskey of all.
We’re also giving away some fun Blackened swag! Read on to find out more.
Today’s recipe comes from Brooklyn metal mecca Duff's, the destination metal bar for local headbangers and touring bands alike. Duff's drips metal history, with memorabilia stacked wall to wall, floor to ceiling and even ON the ceiling, and has been providing us with inspiration (and alcohol) since before this website's inception. The cocktail comes from the bar's proprietor himself, Jimmy Duff, and features a whole host of different spirits mixed with Blackened for a delightful concoction he's dubbed "The Orion," likely because it'll send your head into the stars. Jimmy says that while "it's a bit fussy" he promises "it does taste good." Here's how to mix it up:
"The Orion"
1.5 parts Blackened Whiskey
.5 parts sweet vermouth
.5 parts dry vermouth.
1 bar spoon Fernet Branca
3 dashes orange bitters.
Stir and strain over ice in a collins glass. Top with seltzer.
Check back next Monday for another Metal Cocktail of the Week Powered by Metallica’s Blackened Whiskey. Previous entries in the series so far:
Come and Take It Live's "Black Flizz"
Elmyr’s “Master of Pickles”
Saint Vitus Bar’s “Garage Daze”
Grill 'Em All's "Whiskey Mosh Pit" BBQ sauce
GWARbar’s “Balzerac“
B-Side Tavern’s “Fade to Black“
As part of our partnership with Blackened on this series, we’re giving away a Blackened drum head and a Yeti Blackened-branded cooler (pictured below), everything you need to keep your drinks cold and your grooves hot. Sign up using the form here:
