“By the way, I, the wild Darunia, turned out to be the great Sage of Fire! Isn’t that funny, Brother?” - The Sage of Fire Darunia, The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time

Inspiration

DARUNIA!! DEAR BROTHER OF DEATH MOUNTAIN! I come to you with a wondrous gift befitting of you, the chief of the Gorons AND Sage of Fire! A beverage I bring to you knowing that you’ll be able to stomach its bitter strawberry flavors multiplied by a spicy pepper twang (not quite unlike how I imagine a bomb flower would taste). Brother! Share this drink with me!

Workshopping

Infusion of Fire

• 16 oz (473 ml) Campari

• 384g Strawberries

• Infuse for 7 days, then strain.

Following our Spritz of Forest, Darunia gets a crimson red spritz reminiscent of his home in Death Mountain. I got the idea for this particular infusion partially while workshopping the Death Mountain cocktail. Whereas Death Mountain features strawberry paired with dark rum, the infusion of fire puts strawberry in bitter orange Campari. Strawberry Campari is hardly a specialty infusion if I’m being honest. It’s used in several different cocktail recipes and I just really wanted to make it for myself. Speaking of which, use this “infusion of fire” in recipes like a Strawberry Negroni or top it with soda water for a strawberry Campari spritz!

To make this, simply chop up some strawberries, leave them in the Campari, and strain them out when you’re ready. This infusion does have a bit of a shelf-life to it. As it sits, some additional clumps can come out of the solution and the color may darken and become less vibrant. Use within a month for peak freshness.

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 Fire here)

The Spritz of Fire

Strawberry Campari tastes great on its own, and topping it with a bit of soda water ain’t bad either. Does it really represent a Sage of Fire though? Not without a bit of a kick it doesn’t. To make this spritz a bit more in line with the fiery depths of the Fire Temple, I whipped up a quick red pepper simple syrup. To make this, simply take red pepper flakes (the ones you can find at pizzerias) sprinkle them into some 2:1 simple syrup, and let infuse. I left mine for 48 hours. The addition of the syrup added a much-needed sweetness to counteract the Infusion of Fire’s remaining bitterness. It also managed to bolster the flavors of strawberry present even after the addition of soda water on top.

Flavor Analysis

The characteristic bitter-sweetness of Campari with a noticeable burn on the tongue. Light in texture and cool, a subtle strawberry tartness is mildly perceptible beneath the burn.