May The Cocktails Be Ever In Your Favor:  The Hunger Games in Two Cocktails 

It is in the dystopian future and the government's response to a failed uprising is that every year there is a nation-wide survival game in which 12 of the nation's district must give up a boy and a girl from ages 12-18 and only one of the 24 will live to the end.  This controversial vison of the future inspired us to make two cocktails for the movie The Hunger Games named "Girl on Fire" and "Game Twist".  These games are highly anticipated for its entertainment by adults that mostly live in the Capitol and with fear for teens and their parents in fear of being called.   In District 12, the quietly caring, perhaps over-worked-for-his-age son of a baker Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) is called for the boys and the young, sweet and still naïve Primrose Everdeen (Willow Shields) is called.  Her older sister, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) who has been preparing herself for the games, shocks the nation by volunteering as tribute to replace Primrose in her appearance in the Hunger Games.  Immediately earning her the "courage" badge and making District 12 a team to watch.  To prepare for the games, Katniss and Peeta are coached by a previous District 12 survivor (Haymitch Abernathy) who have obvious hang-ups and substance abuse coping methods and Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) a personal relations representative sent by the Capitol.   

Named "Girl on Fire" by Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) District 12's Image Consultant, when his insightfulness into Katniss' character leads him to design District 12 a costumed display embellished with synthetic fire.  Cinna's design is our inspiration for the "Girl on Fire" cocktail.  An equal parts mix of Mezcal, Fireball, Elderflower and Pineapple juice gives the cocktail a nice balance of smoke, sweet and spice with just a hint of floral brightness.  With a little spin, just like Katniss in her dress, we added a touch of lemon juice to add brightness, hot honey to bring on the heat, and saline to bring all of the flavor up.  For some drama, we serve this cocktail in a rocks glass and add several drops of Butterfly Pea Infused Peychaud's bitters, giving the cocktail a black-colored float and garnish with an archery inspired lemon peel with a flaming arrow tip.  Try this cocktail, and, "Thank you for your consideration."  Now to just stay alive. 

Our second cocktail comes with a *spoiler alert* because it is based on a plot to change these annual Hunger Games forever.  This cocktail is based on the spirit that we both live or or both of us die "Game Twist" that Katniss and Peeta throw at the game designer Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley) and the Panem President Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland) forcing them to end the games with two living tributes rather than one survivor/victor since the games began.  That twist came in the form of nightlock berries which Peeta and Katniss would eat together if the President doesn't call off the game.  We feature the berries by placing a pile of wild blueberries at the bottom of a coupe glass to present it just as they were to Crane at the end of the movie.  For the cocktail, to feature the flavor of the berries we shake together Vodka, Amaro Montenegro for it's herbs and botanicals, Peach Schnapps, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup and Saline.  Poured over the berries, it can give you the sense of sweet rebellion won by Katniss and Peeta that day, or dread for the future that President Snow felt and presented to Seneca Crane in a locked room because these kids can't call the shots.