Yippie Ki-Yay
Bold and fiery like John McClane himself, this Manhattan-style cocktail combines American rye, hot honey, Campari, and sweet vermouth to capture the gritty intensity, sharp wit, and explosive action of Die Hard’s iconic hero. (Recipe Below)
Based on the pure action of John McClane, using his line that says it all, "Yippie Ki Yay" which embodies the battle between John McClane as the American, and Hans Gruber the foreign assailant. This cocktail is a Manhattan style cocktail which is pulled from John being NYPD. The base spirit in this cocktail is the American Rye Whiskey. We went with Locke and Co.'s Aspen Aged Rye because we loved the woody notes and biting character like the scene where John is dragging himself under the conference table trying to dodge bullets and get the bad guy. Campari is an herbal, bitter liqueur that enhances the wood notes in this rye and the bitterness John McClane's mouth must have had while he tells his aggressor, "Thanks for the advice" as he shoots through the table. The Hot Honey, and we made it HOT (recipe below) adds a bit of a sting as you drink it and definitely brings up the heat in your mouth adding a sense of danger and action to this drink. The Sweet Vermouth does not stand out, but it is necessary in bringing in some much needed acidity and a gentle fruit which brings all of the flavors together. Serve this in a chilled rocks glass with a sphere, and don't forget the candy glass (recipe below) as a show-stopping way to garnish this cocktail.
Yippee Ki-Yay
1.5 oz (45 mL) Rye
.75 oz (22 mL) Campari
.25 oz (7.5 mL) Sweet Vermouth
.5 oz (15 mL) Hot Honey
Dropper Saline
Candy Glass
In a mixing glass, combine 1.5 oz Rye, .75 oz Campari, .25 oz Sweet Vermouth, .5 oz of Hot Honey, and a heavy dropper of Saline. Fill with ice and stir for 2 minutes. Strain into the chilled rocks glass with a sphere and garnish with the candy glass shards.
Cocktail recipes and instruction videos are created by Boozy Movies, LLC
-
Aspen Aged Rye
Country: United States
ABV: 90 proof/45%
Brand: Locke + Co. Company
Spirits Type: Rye Whiskey
Taste: Sweet banana's foster, crisp, woodsy botanicals, lingering rye and heat
Price Category: $$
Awards: Gold Medal: 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
This rye has the warmth and spicy bite of a typical rye with a mid palate flavor of banana's foster and a very pronounced fresh wood, hay and citrus flavor.
-
Campari
Country: Italy
ABV: 48 proof/24%
Brand: Campari
Spirits Type: Amaro, Aperitif & Vermouth
Taste: Cinnamon, Clove, and Bittersweet Citrus
Price Category: $
Campari is made with a secret blend of bitter herbs, spices, fruit and citrus peels steeped with water and a neutral grain alcohol. After infusion it is blended with sugar, artificial food dye and additional spices to achieve its signature flavor of a grapefruit bitterness with hints of warming spices.
-
Martini Rosso Sweet Vermouth
Country: Italy
ABV: 30 proof/15%
Brand: Martini & Rossi
Spirits Type: Amaro, Aperitif & Vermouth
Taste: Sweet, Rich Herb; Fruit; Tobacco
Price Category: $
Naturally burgundy in color. This fortified wine that has been redistilled with additional herbs and spices resulting is a fresh, strong flavored wine with notes of bittersweet orange and fresh herbs. The sweetness provides a richness in flavor and slight caramel in flavor.
-
Hot Honey
Easy to make at home, hot honey syrup is a great way to add the flavor of heat that is already balanced by a floral sweetness.
4 oz (120 mL/113.5 g) Honey
4 oz (120 mL/113.5 g) Water
1 Tbs (30 g) Red Pepper Flakes
Pinch Salt
In a saucepan, combine Honey, Water, Red Pepper Flakes and Salt. Place on medium low heat and stir to combine. Allow to come to a slight boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer on low for 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Fine strain into a syrup container. Store in a cool, dark place.
-
Saline
Saline 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.
2 oz (60mL) Distilled or Purified Water
1 Tbsp (15g) Fine Sea Salt
Combine in a jar and shake vigorously. Once salt is dissolved, pour into a dropper bottle.
-
Candy Glass
To Make Candy Glass:
1 cup (200g) White Granulated Sugar
4 oz (120mL) White Corn Syrup
2 oz (60mL) Water
Pinch Cream of Tartar
.5 oz (15mL) White Vanilla
Combine everything but the vanilla in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, place a candy thermometer in the pan and do not stir. Allow to boil until the thermometer reaches 290F. Remove from heat and quickly stir in vanilla and then quickly pour onto a baking sheet prepared with a silipat or parchment. Allow to cool for 2 hours and break up into glass. Store in a cool, dry place.
Yippee Ki Yay at Nakatomi Plaza: Die Hard, Cold-Blooded Cocktails, and the Fight for Christmas Cinema
Die Hard detonates the holiday movie genre from the inside out, with Bruce Willis’s John McClane arriving in Los Angeles not for festive cheer, but for the uneasy wreckage of a marriage that’s already slipping through his fingers like spent shell casings. What follows is the ultimate corporate Christmas party gone violently off-script, as Hans Gruber and his impeccably tailored crew seize Nakatomi Plaza, leaving McClane barefoot, isolated, and improvising survival tactics through vents, glass, and sheer stubbornness. The cocktails inspired by this standoff mirror that duality, beginning with “Hans,” a crystalline, cold-blooded blend of kummel, dry Riesling, lemon oleo saccharum, and rhubarb bitters that drinks with the precision and restraint of a man who never raises his voice unless it matters. Its counterpart, “Yippee Ki Yay,” is a Manhattan gone feral — rye whiskey, Campari, hot honey, and vermouth colliding in a bitter, burning rush that feels like crawling through broken glass just to reach the next floor of the fight. And like the film itself, these drinks remind us that beneath all the debates, explosions, and glass-shard poetry, Die Hard endures because it understands the simplest truth of action cinema: sometimes love, survival, and holiday spirit all look exactly like refusing to stay down.
Cocktail recipes and instruction videos are created by Boozy Movies, LLC
If you like this cocktail, you’ll love:
If you like this movie, you’ll love:
