top of page
A bubbling orange drink with a cinnamon stick in it sits in a tall curved glass with ice. The glass has a an orange emblem on it depicting a yinyang-type symbol.
A light blue tropical drink cartoon with a straw and a citrus wheel

“But isn’t that funny? That a person like me could turn out to be the Sage of Spirit!” - The Sage of Spirit Nabooru, The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time


Inspiration

I didn’t know Nabooru for long, but what I could get from our limited interactions was that she’s a bit of a freedom fighter. She actively opposes the reigning Gerudo King, Ganondorf, and does all she can to infiltrate the stronghold of his followers. Reflecting both the sandy dunes of the Gerudo Valley and Nabooru’s defiance, the Spritz of Spirit integrates the spice of cinnamon and honeycomb. The ordered structure of the honeycomb melted down, smoothing out an Arak liqueur to create the base of the drink. Something about destroying the structural integrity of a honeycomb gives me defiant vibes. Like, “rage against the Demon King”, ya know?



Workshopping

Infusion of Spirit

  • 16 oz (473 ml) Arak Liqueur

  • 36.2g (about 8 small sticks) Cinnamon Sticks

  • 150g Honeycomb + Residual Honey

  • Combine together, and then heat until the honeycomb melts.

  • Shake the mostly liquid mixture, then refrigerate and infuse for 7 days.

  • Strain and bottle.


The penultimate sage spritz (succeeding the Spritz of Shadow) is the Spritz of Spirit. While exploring the Spirit Temple during our playthrough of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time I was sipping on a New Year’s Sour cocktail that used a spirit called arak (technically I mixed it with an Arak liqueur). Arak is a historically old spirit normally distilled from grape and anise seed originating from the Levantine region of the Middle East. The Gerudo Desert seemed to have that Middle Eastern vibe to it, so I wanted to see if I could find a combination of flavors that would pair with this bottle of Arak liqueur I had.


I wish I could remember where the idea of combining cinnamon and honey came from (it’s a common combo I know, but I feel like I pulled inspiration from somewhere specifically). I’d had some honey syrup in that Arak cocktail I made, so I figured I’d try taking things a step further. They sell these whole honeycombs at my local Whole Foods, so I dropped the cash on one of these containers and just put the whole damn thing into the Arak liqueur with a few cinnamon sticks. I hoped for the best and heated up the whole mixture until the honeycomb began to fall apart. What came out of that bottle seven days later was much better than I ever could’ve expected.


This infusion is probably the best cinnamon liqueur I’ve ever had. Honey sweetness and spicy cinnamon notes. I don’t think I’ll ever use Goldschäger again! I’d throw this into some coffee, mix it into a hot toddy, or even sip it neat.


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 Spirit here)



The Spritz of Spirit

The infusion tasted so damn good on its own, I thought at first that I’d just splash some soda water into it, and call it a night. A piece of me thought that I’d be betraying my mixological instincts if I didn’t at least try adding something else to it. Cue the inclusion of prosecco! With just soda water, the spritz was nice but felt bland and watered down. With prosecco, the flavors felt much brighter!



Flavor Analysis

Pointed and cinnamon forward, this sweet spritz has a waxy aftertaste reminiscent of Red Hot cinnamon candy. The flavor fades into an air almost like a potpourri of dried fruits and spices.

Spritz of Spirit (for Nabooru)

Spritz of Spirit (for Nabooru)

  • 2 oz (59 ml) Cinnamon and Honeycomb Infused-Arak
  • 3 oz (88 ml) Prosecco

Method: Build over Ice

Garnish: Cinnamon Stick

More drinks inspired by: The Legend of Zelda

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