"Raises max MP by 1, and enhances magic and summon power. Also deals good physical damage." - Description of the Crabclaw keyblade from Kingdom Hearts

Inspiration

Sora sealed the keyhole that was draining the ocean. Thank goodness! Nah, not really. Evidently, keyholes in Atlantica don’t function like drains do. Well, I suppose what we can do instead is at least take as inspiration for this keyblade’s drink the ocean that Atlantica calls home. For this drink, I tried an infusion that I’ve been meaning to mix with and found that an interesting combo ties this drink’s inspiration together. The quick infusion is with nori or dried seaweed. Shockingly, the umami and briny notes of the seaweed infusion pair well with the flavor of orange, which works particularly when paired with an orange garnish. This combo certainly caught me off guard, and it seemed almost magical to me that it worked at all! Guess it makes sense. After all, this keyblade does favor magic usage.

Workshopping

Ocean Vibes - Seaweed Infusion

Through the proverbial seagrape vine, I found Jim Meehan’s (@Mixography on Insta) method for infusing nori, or dried seaweed, into spirits. It seemed too simple to be true, but give this a try with your spirit of choice, and you’ll see what I mean. To put it simply, put some nori squares in your spirit and then remove them after about 90 seconds. That’s basically it!

I’d slept on trying this for the longest time, but when I began workshopping a drink themed to “Under the Sea”, I had to give it a try. I knew that nori was a bit savory, and I wanted to see how it paired with another savory ingredient that I recently tried for the first time Amontillado sherry. I was blown away. The sherry, which has prominent notes of savory roasted nuts and deep fruity tones evolved to lean even more into those salty notes and absolutely stank of seaweed body (I mean this in a good way, I promise. I’m a huge fan of fish, sushi, and most things that stink from the sea).

Some Crabs, Are Orange

I had my seaweed-infused Amontillado sherry, now I needed the rest of the drink. I don’t think it made much sense at the time, but I reached for a bottle of Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao because my logic told me it would work. In a collaboration post between @Mixography (Jim Meehan) and @HighProofPreacher (Jordan Hughes), Jim uses apple brandy that’s been infused with nori and pairs it with celery-flavored ingredients to create the appropriately named Celery & Nori cocktail (by @donbert or Don Lee). Did you know that Jim Meehan and Don Lee opened PDT together?? (I swear I’m going somewhere with this and not just nerding out).

Anyways, if Don and Jim put nori in apple brandy, then surely a nori-infused sherry would work with a cognac-based dry curaçao. Do you see the logic? It’s okay, please allow me to explain further.

• nori + apple brandy.

• Brandy and cognac are in the same family.

  • Now we’ve got nori + apple cognac (simple substitution).

• Well, I didn’t have an apple cognac, so this cognac-based orange liqueur will do.

  • See here: nori + orange cognac (another substitution).

• Almost there, I promise. I already had a nori infusion that I needed to work with something.

  • nori sherry + orange cognac (substitution?).

• Is this how math works? No. Did it work anyway? HECK YEAH IT DID

Twisted logic aside, the nori-infused Amontillado sherry and dry curaçao paired so interestingly, and all I wanted was to deepen that flavor pairing. I threw in some elderflower liqueur, often called “bartender’s ketchup” to see if it’d work. It did, and I felt that I’d done enough deep diving for that night’s workshopping session.

Putting the Crab on the Claw

Having found that dry curaçao paired so well with the nori-infused sherry, it became clear to me that the crab on the Crabclaw would be made out of an orange. I’m lucky to have stumbled across the cutest implementation of cutting an orange into a crab thanks to @EnjoyCookingwithAL on YouTube. Full credit on the garnish goes to them! I took the approach and used a clementine for the actual photoshoot just to keep the drink as the main focus.

I’ve seen discussed a bit of philosophy on how to choose a garnish in the cocktail world. I’m a fan where possible to include a garnish that shares a bit of info about the cocktail visually. Since the drink includes an orange-flavored ingredient, the orange fruit felt appropriate. Even though the crab motif alludes primarily to the drink’s name, I feel that it also foreshadows the presence of an ocean-based flavor like that of the seaweed nori. Got a thought on how to garnish drinks? I’d love to hear it discussed in our community Discord channel where we talk and share about all things drinks and cocktails. If you’re looking for the link to join up, it’s at the bottom of every recipe page. No pressure, we’ll be here when you’re ready! 😁

Flavor Analysis

Something of a toasty and savory orange experience in a glass. Sweet orange greets the palate and shortly transforms into a savory air that finishes with roasted fruit notes.