To explore the overlap between the worlds of drinks and music, we challenged bartenders to translate a song of their choice from a given era into cocktail form. Here, Derek Brown takes on grunge.
In creating this drink, Brown explains: “Violet Eyes is inspired by the Meat Puppets’ song of the same name…. I might have taken the easy route here and chosen the literal over the conceptual [by] using violet honey, [which] melds well with the floral characteristics of Singani … and burning a rose bud, which is taken directory from a lyric in the song: Plastic master, smoke drifts from a rose.
“I suppose the one conceptual aspect is that the song itself feels very layered and bit more polished than some of the Meat Puppets’ other, more raw-sounding songs. The cocktail is also very layered and takes a spirit that can feel a little raw at times … and renders it as elegant.”