Inspired by Bilbo Baggins’ description of The Shire, this fresh, earthy cocktail uses frozen and pressed white grapes mixed with peaty Scotch, Boomsma Cloosterbitter, Lillet Blanc, and rhubarb bitters to evoke Middle-earth flavors—complete with a Hobbit-approved “second breakfast” of juicy grapes at the end. (Recipe Below)
Described by Bilbo Baggins (Ian Hom) in the narration of his auto-biography, The Shire is a place of "peace and quiet and good, tilled earth". To capture these happy little hills, we use fresh white grapes two ways, frozen and placed in the Collins glass in place of ice and for its look and texture and fresh, pressed grape juice from the same bunch of grapes. For a fresh, earthy drink, we mixed the grape juice with Scotch for its earthy peatiness, Boomsma Cloosterbitter for its subtly sweet, grassy, herbal bitterness, Lillet Blanc to brighten the flavors and a couple of dashes of rhubarb bitters to give it that fresh Middle Earth flavor that a Hobbit who enjoys "the brewing of ales and the smoking of pipe weed" would make. Like Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), once you finish your drink, you can have a second breakfast of the delicious, juicy and bursting with flavor grapes because a Hobbit's only real passion is for food! The Hobbits will need it, after the party Gandalf convinces Bilbo to leave the ring that has now plagued Bilbo's mind and has asked Frodo (Elijah Wood, Kiran Shah) along with Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) to take the ring across Middle Earth to Mount Doom.
The Shire
1.5 oz (45mL) Scotch
1 oz (30mL) Boomsma Herbal Liqueur
.25 oz (7.5mL) Lillet Blanc
2 cups (400 g) Fresh White Grapes divided /or/ 2 oz (60mL) White Grape Juice and 1 cup Fresh Grapes
3 Dashes Rhubarb Bitters
Freeze 1 cup of grapes over night. In a shaker tin, muddle second cup of grapes to get 2 oz of juice. Combine juice, Scotch, Boomsma, Lillet and Bitters into mixing glass. Fill with ice and stir for 2 minutes. Strain into a collins glass filled with frozen grapes.
-
Johnny Walker Scotch
80 proof/ 40% ABV
Diageo
An unstated aged Scotch whisky and blended for cocktail making. It contributes a light smoke and almost not peat for being a scotch which makes it very approachable. There are notes of toasted spices and oak along with a slight hint of crème brulee.
-
Boomsma Herbal Liqueur
80 proof/40% ABV
Family-owned distillers
A Dutch Chartreuse made from a 15th Century recipe created by monks from the Claerkampster Monastery. Creating this complex cloosterbitter starts with macerating in a neutral grain spirit 17 herbs and 3 spices which includes gentian root for bitterness. After several weeks, it is filtered and bottled. The green color, lightly sweet and complex flavor come from the careful selection of the herbs and spices.
-
Lillet Blanc
34 proof/17% ABV
Pernod Ricard Group
Lillet is a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc wine with 15% of fruit liqueurs flavored with oranges and herbs. Around 1985, the fortified wine was reformulated to reduce the quinine bitterness and balancing sweetness. This allows the spirit to highlight its floral and citrus notes as well as dryness from the Sauvignon Blanc.
-
Rhubarb Bitters
9 proof/4.5% ABV
Fee Brothers
Made with natural and artificial flavors, these Rhubarb bitters bring a lot of lingering flavor to the front of the palate. A light vegetal flavor with hints of fennel and a berry sweet scent. These bitters have almost no color or alcohol content so several dashes will not have any effect on the cocktail color bite or bitterness, which could be surprising for rhubarb.
-
White Grapes
White grapes provide a very clean, sweet and slightly acidic flavor. Freshly muddled or juiced white grapes is the best way to get the most impact from the acidity in white grapes as well as a fresh, vegetal flavor, but if fresh white grapes are not available, consider adding lemon juice for balance.
The Fellowship of the Ring Reimagined Through Two Cocktails: Fresh and Botanical- The Shire and the Fiery and Irresistible- My Precious.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring follows Gandalf, Frodo and Samwise Gamgee as the fate of Middle-earth hinges on destroying the One Ring forged by the Dark Lord Sauron. Beginning in the Shire, this epic fantasy inspires Lord of the Rings–themed cocktails, including The Shire, a fresh, earthy drink made with white grapes, Scotch, Lillet Blanc, and herbal bitters. After Bilbo’s 111th birthday, Frodo and Samwise Gamgee embark on a dangerous journey to Mount Doom, joined by Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Merry, and Pippin to form the Fellowship. Representing the Ring’s dark power, the My Precious cocktail blends tequila, hot honey, lemon juice, Angostura bitters, and aquafaba for a fiery, irresistible drink inspired by Mount Doom. With iconic characters like Gollum, Nazgûl, and Gandalf, extended editions, and epic storytelling, The Fellowship of the Ring remains a must-watch fantasy movie perfect for themed cocktails and immersive movie nights.
If you like this cocktail, you’ll love:
