top of page
A protein shake box tipped over on a bar leaking a bit onto a coaster. Atop the coaster is a milky white drink with a foamy top and salted rim.
A light blue tropical drink cartoon with a straw and a citrus wheel

“I do a lot of glute workouts” - Craig Cahn from Dream Daddy


Inspiration

Craig, oh Craig. You truly are a masterwork of an individual. Being as proteinaceous as Craig is in Dream Daddy, it made total sense to create a beverage befitting of a “Gym Bro” (a brother, or close male friend, who frequents the gym). In addition to taking as inspiration Craig’s workout habits for his beverage, his children also provided a bit of fuel for the proverbial dumpster fire that became his cocktail.


Craig has three children, namely River, the youngest, and Hazel and Briar, the twins. The ‘river’ of the drink is represented as the flow of protein shake oozing from the tipped-over container in the photo above. His daughter Hazel is represented as the choice of sweet hazelnut liqueur. Finally, Briar’s name starts with the letter ‘B’ and naturally, so does butterscotch liqueur. Now, you may be wondering “did he really pull that logic for a cocktail recipe?”

Yes. Yes I did. And “dare”, I say, “it kinda worked?”


I feel like I must preface this workshopping segment by sharing that I tried to really step into Craig’s mind for this beverage. I thought perhaps “what would he do if he were trying to create his own pre/post-workout beverage?” (which canonically wouldn’t be alcoholic since that isn’t a smart idea in any context) I don’t quite recall whether Craig is specifically educated in chemistry or even gastronomy for that matter, but I figured he might try to make a sort of boozy lemonade with his protein shakes. With that said *deep breath, then out*, here we go.



Workshopping

Protein Shakes… and Mis-Shakes

Leading up to this drink I tried a number of spirit combinations with protein shakes. Using a vanilla protein shake as my base, I experienced combinations of flavors ranging from a potentially used band-aid to minty-ish bubblegum. Wondering about some other combos? A summary of the testing can be found on our YouTube channel.


Another thing about protein shakes. They seem to contain the same elements that would cause milk or cream to curdle! Considering that my college pals (who frequented the gym more than I) would buy whey protein by the pound for their own shakes, I probably should’ve seen this coming. Upon channeling my inner-Craig Cahn, I found that my original cocktail combination curdled. This combo, which I’ve dubbed Craig’s Protein Mixture, included hazelnut liqueur, butterscotch schnapps, vanilla protein shake, and lemon juice. To create your own mixture, please consider the following combination:

  1. Combine one protein shake (about 11 oz) with 3 oz (88 ml) lemon juice, 1 oz (30 ml) hazelnut liqueur and 1 oz (30 ml) butterscotch schnapps

  2. Allow the mixture to curdle and strain through a coffee filter.

If you follow these steps, you too can have a clarified protein shake (that has an oddly creamy mouthfeel). The final cocktail actually got foamy with the inclusion of this mixture, and I would suppose that’s a result of the residual proteins remaining even in the clarified solution.


The Dadquiri

Now that we had a mixture that basically acted as a whey-washed vanilla syrup, I further channeled my dad-energy into a cocktail inspiration fit for a father! Combining rum, citrus, and sweetener, you have yourself a daiquiri. Take that combo and make a few substitutions, and you’ve got a dad-quiri! 😏


The only note I’ve got here on workshopping is that the vanilla flavor from the protein shake had a bit too much of that artificial stickiness for the final product. Adjusting with a bit of vanilla syrup made it a little better.


Oh, and one more thing: electrolytes. If I were a gym-going begetter, I’d pack something to restore my body’s ions. You might choose a Gatorade, but for this cocktail, I went with salt on the rim of the glass. Yea, this is more typical of margarita-style drinks, but it felt right for the occasion. If you’re unsure whether this will fit in your own drinks, but it feels right, you can always half-rim the glass to give your imbiber the choice of whether they agree with you or not.



Flavor Analysis

I’d describe this as a “cold tartness” with a stickiness that permeates the mouth plus a little vanilla. When served cold, it’s a bit like lemon sherbet, if lemon sherbet came in a plastic wrapper that didn’t require refrigeration (artificial preservatives). If sipped from the side of the glass with salt, it’s overwhelming in my opinion, but I wouldn’t let that stop you if you already made it this far.

Craig's Protein Mis-Shake

Craig's Protein Mis-Shake

  • 1.5 oz (44 ml) White Rum (Bacardi)
  • 1 oz (30 ml) Craig Protein Mixture
  • 1/4 oz (7 ml) Lemon Juice
  • 1/4 oz (7 ml) Vanilla Syrup (Torani)

Method: Shake & Strain

Garnish: Half-rimmed with Electrolytes (Salt)

More drinks inspired by: Dream Daddy

Guided Recipe in 60 Seconds: YouTube

Watch Us Mix this Recipe Live!

Comments?

Did you try the recipe? Got a comment or rating? Share it with us in our Discord community!

bottom of page