

“As I expected, you have come. I am Impa, one of the Sheikah.” - The Sage of Shadow Impa, The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time
Inspiration
Impa, ever lurking, ever watching, hiding amongst the shadows protecting Hyrule royalty… Makes sense that she’s the Sage of Shadow! Like shadows, the Spritz of Shadow shares the appearance of darkness. The drink acknowledges the location of the Shadow Temple and hometown of Ocarina of Time’s Impa, namely Kakariko Village and its neighboring graveyard. A dark infusion of black peppercorn and the herb of remembrance rosemary serve as the base of this drink. The deep purple hue of sparkling grape juice brings the bubbles and makes palatable the usual sting of the peppercorn-forward infusion.
Workshopping
Infusion of Shadow
22 oz (650 ml) Gin
55.7g Whole Black Peppercorns
11.2g Rosemary
Infuse for 7 days, then strain.
Quenched by our Spritz of Water, we introduce the spritz for the Sage of Shadow, Impa. For Impa, I really wanted to create a dark-colored spritz to embody her role as a sage. I’ve made some attempts in the past at black drinks with either dark spirits or with activated charcoal. This time I’d go by way of the infusion with a spice I’ve yet to mix with, black peppercorn. I believe I was recollecting the Admiral Bobbery drink inspired by Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door, which uses pink peppercorns. If I used pink peppercorns to make a pink syrup, could I use black peppercorns to make a spirit black? It worked out, and my goodness did it make a potently spicy spirit!
At this point, the spirit was dark enough for the shadows it represented, but I wanted to add a complementary flavor so that it didn’t just stink of pepper. As I researched flavor combinations I came across rosemary among other options such as sage, oregano, and parsley. I learned while researching that rosemary is considered the “herb of remembrance” since it’s been used as a symbol for memorials and other special events throughout history. I had no idea! This was a perfect connection for the Sage of Shadow since the Shadow Temple is located in the graveyard behind Kakariko Village. With all the poes (ghosts) that are bound to be lurking around at night, I’m willing to bet there’s some Zelda equivalent of rosemary strewn across at least some of the graves.
I’m not yet sure what else to use this infusion for. Perhaps accenting an old fashioned as bitters or in a spicy martini variation. There’s at least one instance of a pink peppercorn negroni that this might go well in, but this ratio is so potent on flavor (definitely because of the seven-day infusion time) that it might overpower anything you use it in!
By the way, I prepared this infusion and the others during their own livestream seven days before the cocktails debuted! (Get it? Seven days, for seven spritzes and for the seven years Link was asleep in the Temple of Time! ~ Anyways, if you want a visual guide, watch us make the Infusion of Shadow here)
The Spritz of Shadow
Now that the Infusion of Shadow was done, the difficult part was making it into a palatable spritz drink! This infusion is powerful, so the final recipe has less of it than compared to the other sage spritzes. As a means to dilute that peppery spiciness, I added a bit of lemon juice and mostly sparkling grape juice. Turns out that pepper and concord grape go surprisingly well together!
What I found here was a bit of a reminder on how some flavors combine with others. I’ve found that certain flavors seem to coalesce in different parts of my mouth. Certain types of spicy I feel more in the throat, others on the tongue, and some on the top of my palette. Interestingly, the bulk of the grape flavor was a tangy sweetness in the front of my mouth, and the herbaceous spice of the infusion hung around in the top of my palette. The flavors play well with each other, but they don’t seem to be mixing if that makes sense. They appear to occupy two mutually exclusive places in my palette. Not sure if this is a legit phenomenon or something that was more ephemeral. Honestly, it felt kinda spooky. Pretty appropriate given the inspiration I suppose!
Flavor Analysis
Light on grape flavor, heavy on the spice, and balanced refreshingly despite the contrast. A subtle herby note reminiscent of the rosemary lingers and the characteristic burn of peppercorn (a forceful yet pleasant one).
Spritz of Shadow (for Impa)
Spritz of Shadow (for Impa)
- 1 oz (30 ml) Rosemary and Black Peppercorn Infused-Gin
- 0.25 oz (7 ml) Lemon Juice
- 3 oz (88 ml) Sparkling Grape Juice
Method: Build over Ice
Garnish: Rosemary Sprig
More drinks inspired by: The Legend of Zelda
Guided Recipe in 60 Seconds: YouTube
Watch Us Mix this Recipe Live!
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