The Wild Thing cocktail, inspired by Ricky Vaughn’s fiery rise in Major League, blends bold, nostalgic flavors like Fireball, Screwball, and habanero bitters into a spicy-sweet drink that tastes like Cracker Jacks and hits as hard as his fastball. (Recipe Below)
Wild Thing , the nickname and walk out song for Ricky Vaughn one of the pitchers of a team that looks pretty bleak with the fan-stands looking bleaker still. Sometime into the season, the manager has Ricky outfitted with glasses which improves his pitching accuracy significantly. This quickly makes him the hottest pitcher to enter Cleveland, Ohio. Hot is what we were going for in the Wild Thing cocktail and a couple of obvious spirit choices just like the humor in this movie. Equal parts Fireball Whiskey, Screwball Whiskey and Nixta Corn Liqueur start off this cocktail. Can you see where we’re going with this? We finish it off with a little bit of Creme de Cacao, Pineapple Juice for a little bit of sweet acidity, and to bring the heat, Habanero Bitters. The result is a spicy, sweet cocktail that tastes like a box of cracker jacks. Serve it in a rocks glass garnished with a white sphere to look like a baseball. So you can take a drink and sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”, then take another drink and slide into “Wild Thing”.
Wild Thing
1 oz (30mL) Fireball Whiskey
1 oz (30mL) Screwball Whiskey
1 oz (30mL) Nixta Corn Liqueur
.5 oz (15mL) Crème De Cacao
.5 oz (15mL) Pineapple Juice
2 Dropper Saline
1-2 Dashes Habanero Bitters
White Sphere
In a mixing glass, combine 1 oz Fireball Whiskey, 1 oz Screwball Whiskey, 1 oz Corn Liqueur, .5 oz Creme de Cacao, .5 oz Pineapple Juice, and 1-2 dashes of Habanero Bitters. Add ice, stir for 2 minutes. Strain into a chilled rocks glass with a white sphere.
White Sphere
Using a low-fat dairy or non-dairy milk, fill large cocktail sphere molds. Place in freezer for 12-24 hours until frozen solid. unmold and store in freezer until ready to use.
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Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey
66 proof/33% ABV
Sazerac Company
A blended Canadian whisky with sweeteners and cinnamon flavoring added to produce a syrupy sweet and bright cinnamon flavor.
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Screwball Peanut Butter Whiskey
70 proof/ 35% ABV
Screwball Spirits, LLC
A flavored American Whiskey made by redistilling whiskey (specific mash bill not available) with peanut and sugar added. The result is an amber colored whiskey that is syrupy sweet and tastes strongly of peanuts similar to mixing peanut butter with honey.
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Nixta Corn Liqueur
60 proof/ 30% ABV
Casa Lumbre Spirits
Made with Cacahuazintle maize grown in a volcano valley. It tastes and smells like sweet cornbread and has a silky texture without too much sweetness. A unique, buttery liqueur with a slight savory flavor which makes it a delicious addition to a cocktail.
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White Creme De Cacao
30 proof/15% ABV
DeKuyper/Fortune Brands
A sweet liqueur made by redistilling alcohol with pure cocoa. This liqueur tastes lightly of chocolate and slight vanilla notes.
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Pineapple Juice
4-6% Acidity
Similar to Lemon Juice in acidity, but significantly more natural sugars which leaves a naturally balanced juice if freshly pressed. It is highly recommended to test the sweetness of the juice before adding additional sweeteners.
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Salt/Saline
Salt is a great flavor booster. It can balance sweetness and bitterness, smoothing out a cocktail. It can also enhance citrus flavor and acidity without the need for more acid. It is most commonly used in rimming cocktail glasses, but a sprinkle in the cocktail shaker can really impact a cocktail. Make it into a saline solution to enhance stirred cocktails.
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Habanero Bitters
14.2 proof/7.1% ABV
Fee Brothers
Lots of spice and a little bit of the garden in these bitters. A dash or two will do you to help distribute flavor throughout your mouth as well as a kick to your cocktail.
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