ORIGINAL — Lady Macbeth

May 13, 2010 (Day 103) — Lady Macbeth

“Out, damn’d spot! out, I say!—One; two: why, then
’tis time to do’t.—Hell is murky.—Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier, and
afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our
pow’r to accompt?—Yet who would have thought the old man to
have had so much blood in him?” — Lady Macbeth, Macbeth Act 5, scene 1, 26–40

With these lines, Lady Macbeth laments her ever-soiled hands after killing of King Duncan. It’s no secret. I’m a theater geek. I even took a whole semester on nothing but Shakespeare while an undergrad. Unfortunately, Macbeth wasn’t among those we studied. Our professor had an affinity for the lesser works of Shakespeare — those less quoted by popular culture.

But what does “Macbeth” have to do with a cocktail? There is a cocktail called the Hamlet, which is vodka, Campari and orange juice. And this inspired me. Campari makes a great pair with citrus, as evidenced with the Bicyclette. And I loved how the Bicyclette used a sweet white wine to balance the bitterness of the Campari.

So, I took the basic recipe of the Hamlet and played around with what sounded good to me. So we have the Lady Macbeth.

2 oz vodka

2 oz Campari

2 riesling

1.5 oz fresh lime juice

3 oz tonic water

Pour vodka, Campari, riesling, and lime juice into a cocktail shaker and shake for 30 seconds. Pour into a goblet. Top with tonic water. Sip while listening to some pompous-ass classical music. If you’ve got a puffy shirt, bust that bastard out.

Why in a goblet? It’s freaking Shakespeare man! You HAVE to drink from goblets. It only makes sense. And why Lady Macbeth? You see that gorgeous red color? Out damn spot! You’re sipping on blood.

And, if I can brag about my own creation, this is one damn tasty drink. The sweetness of the riesling, coupled with the bitterness of the Campari and the sourness of the lime is a perfect balance. The vodka simply adds an extra oomph to the drink.