The method
How to make it
Build in a heatproof glass: vodka, peppermint schnapps, cranberry juice and a splash of grenadine.
Add ice, stir twice, done. The base drink is a sweet-mint cranberry thing that has no right to work, and yet.
For the show: float a half ounce of the highest-proof rum you have on top, over the back of a spoon.
Light the float with a long match, let it burn for five seconds, then blow it out completely before it goes anywhere near a face.
Let the rim cool for a ten count before serving. Fire is garnish, not a challenge.
The serve
How to present it
Dim the lights before you light the drink, that five-second blue flame is the whole reason this cocktail exists. Serve it at Halloween or trivia night. Never slide a lit drink across a table, walk it over like an adult with insurance.
Make it yours
Swaps & variations
No peppermint schnapps? Butterscotch schnapps turns it weirdly into candy and people love it. Skip the flame entirely and it is a perfectly friendly vodka cranberry with a cool name. There are rumors the original called for cough syrup, our lawyer and our palate both say no.
In the glass
From every angle
Keep pouring
