Beetlejuice Cocktail

Halloween is fast approaching so today I wanted to present a fun little cocktail.   This potent potable is inspired from Beetlejuice, the 1988 Tim Burton classic.

Deb from Kahakai Kitchen is hosting this month for October’s Food ‘n Flix.   You can see her announcement post here.

If I had seen this film in the late 80s, I have forgotten so it was a nice way to spend a lazy Saturday morning in October.

Everyone (except for Catherine O’Hara and Robert Goulet) looked like they were about twelve, especially Winona Ryder (who was actually seventeen at the time).

See, Alec Baldwin looks like he’s not even shaving yet.

And, did anyone else think Michael Keaton was channeling Jack Nicholson?

Here’s Johnny!

The special effects were of a 1980-ish quality and one could easily surmise that this was an early Tim Burton film.  (His first was actually Pee Wee’s Big Adventure; this was his second feature film.)

The colors and sets were definitely Burtonesque.  Some of the colors chosen for Delia’s remodeling reminded me of Kahlo’s Casa Azul (from last month’s Food ‘n Flix round).

The environment of “sand worm land” reminded me of a Dali painting.

As for the food inspiration, there wasn’t a lot.   But, hey,  it’s the month of Halloween—scary cupcakes and gross dismembered finger appetizers abound.  I felt sure that the Food ‘n Flix members would let their creative juices flow.

Here are the literal (and not so literal) food references from Beetlejuice:

• L.L. Bean:  This reference is made to describe the decorating skills of the deceased couple, the Maitlands.  (I am hoping someone makes something out of beans!)
• Chinese Take-out:   Cantonese or Szechuan?  (This might inspire some wormy noodle guts.)
• Charles brews himself tea in his constant attempt to relax in the idyllic Connecticut countryside.  (I couldn’t think of anything frightening about a soothing cup of tea.)
• One of the characters in the purgatorial waiting room obviously met his demise from choking on a large chicken bone.  (A dangerous chicken dish perhaps?)
• Betelgeuse uses a Zagnut candy bar as bait to obtain a meal.  (What about a cupcake with peanut brittle, cocoa and coconut?)
• Delia preps veggies for a dinner party.  I identified garlic, shallots, a turnip, a tomato, herbs, and artichokes.  (The turnip might make a frightening dish.)
• The dinner party table features white wine, some crazy looking prawns, and a Coca-Cola for Lydia.  (Attacking shrimps, anyone?)
• The dearly departed Adam and Barbara control the guests and make them sing and contort to “The Banana Boat Song.”  (What about a banana split with beetle sprinkles?)
• Then there’s Betelgeuse’s meals of flies, beetles, and assorted other vermin.  (See above.)
• Betelgeuse conjures a carton of Minute Maid orange juice in his charade game with Lydia.  (Hmmm….)
• There’s what appears to be a decanter of brandy and a tray of lemon wedges by Ortho at the blood red bar.  (Hmmm…)

I was definitely inspired by the last two items mentioned above, the orange juice and brandy.  I tried to think of something that would be appropriate for a Halloween cocktail party or something one could sip while watching this fun film.

Beetlejuice Cocktail
from Eliot’s Eats

1 oz. brandy
2 oz. fresh orange juice
1 oz.  fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz. amaretto

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add brandy, juices and amaretto and shake well. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with whatever scares you the most:  gummy worms, plastic spiders, lychee eyeballs, or beetles.

This cocktail is versatile.  I made three different drinks to test out the recipe and variations.

Variation #1:  Use Licor 43 instead of the amaretto.

Variation #2:  Swap in Frangelico in lieu of the amaretto.

The amaretto version is the sweetest.   The Licor 43 version is a bit tarter.  I don’t know if my favorite is the amaretto version or the Frangelico one.   More testing is needed.

For other Beetlejuice inspired cocktails, check out this article about Beetle House in NYC.

For some other Halloween-themed cocktails you might like the following:

Hocus Pocus Pumpkintini

Good Zombie Voodoo Cocktail

Vampire Blood Cocktail

A Good & Spicy Bloody Mary

(Hmmm…..the majority of these cocktails were inspired by previous FnF feature films.)

Thanks for hosting such a fun film, Deb, and Happy Halloween to all!

Join Food ‘n Flix next month when Caroline Makes hosts Burnt.  (Love Bradley Cooper!)

Deb also found another fun Tim Burton event to share and I am passing on the love as well.  I’m linking this Burtonesque cocktail to #Burtoween, for Fandom Foodies, hosted by Carrie at Witchy Kitchen. You can get the details for this event and see of all the fun Burtoween dishes here.