Dungeons and Dragons Movie: Cocktail Recipes for Each Character Class
By Peyton Whittington Published March 2023
Tabletop gaming has a lot of rules (#1: DM is god), but only one that all players universally recognize: every session must be accompanied by snacks and plenty of drinks. But what if you swapped your regular adventuring grog for something truly unique, like a role-playing game (RPG) themed craft cocktail?
It’s time to gather your adventuring pals, fill up your tankard with something delicious and roll for initiative. In honor of the upcoming movie release of “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” ABC Fine Wine & Spirits has mixed up 12 cocktails for each tabletop RPG character class that the whole party can enjoy. Just don’t let the barbarian have too much, ok?
Bard’s Song of Rest
There is perhaps nothing funnier than getting into a tavern brawl or a scrap with some goblin raiders and…deciding to whip out a lute.
But hey, that’s exactly what our beloved bards do. These players use word and song to manipulate the world around them, inspiring their allies and harming their foes. They are masters of music and charisma (and probably the most likely party members to try to seduce the fire-breathing dragon guarding the treasure). Therefore, this is a colorful, sweet, bright cocktail for everyone’s favorite musical merry-makers.
The Recipe:
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1 ounce Empress 1908 Gin
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1 ounce Costa Del Sole Limoncello
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1 ounce Lillet Blanc
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¾ ounce lemon juice
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½ ounce simple syrup
Add gin, limoncello, Lillet Blanc, lemon juice and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon peel carved into the image of a quarter note.
Cleric’s Divine Intervention
If nuns could pack a punch in the real world, they’d be clerics. Clerics wield their mighty power in service of a deity or deities, never straying from their mission of religious piety. Invoke the spirit of the devout cleric with this smoky, dry cocktail that utilizes the smoke of a palo santo stick to imbue the drink with divine flavor.
The Recipe:
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Palo santo
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2 ounces Croft Extravagance Port
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1 ounce Martini Dry Vermouth
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½ ounce lemon juice
Light a stick of palo santo and place a wine glass over it to smoke the glass. While the glass is smoking, add port, vermouth and lemon juice to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into the smoked glass. Garnish with a twisted lemon peel and the smoldering palo santo stick.
Wizard’s Spellbook
There are many different types of magic-casting classes in the world of tabletop gaming, but what distinguishes them is where their magic comes from and how they happen upon it. Wizards wield magic solely because they commit themselves utterly to its study. We have to admit, we admire the dedication.
To pay homage to the wizard’s diligence and self-discipline, this is a drink that “magically” changes color because YOU add the secret ingredient to this powerful potion: a pinch of butterfly blue pea powder.
The Recipe:
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Butterfly blue pea powder
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1 ½ ounces Palms Coconut Rum
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2 ounces pineapple juice
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1 ounce cream of coconut
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½ ounce lime juice
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Pineapple frond
Fill a Collins glass to the top with pebble ice. Spring a pinch of butterfly blue pea powder on top. Then, add rum, pineapple juice, cream of coconut and lime juice to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into the glass and watch as it changes color. Garnish with a pineapple frond.
Rogue’s Sneak Attack
Rogues are sneaky and dexterous. They prefer to lurk in the shadows and strike once where it counts instead of coming at their foes head-on. The spirit in this drink blends into the rest of the drink’s sweet, fruity flavors, reflecting how rogues can blend into a crowd when they need to.
The blood red maraschino cherry garnish represents that fatal moment where you realize, just a moment too late, that a rogue has been following you all along.
The Recipe:
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1 ounce V5 Vodka
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½ ounce lemon juice
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½ ounce lime juice
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2 ounces club soda
Add liqueur, vodka, lemon juice and lime juice to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a tall glass over ice. Garnish with a maraschino cherry skewered with a cocktail pick.
Druid’s Wild Shape
Druids are definitely those kids who would cry whenever someone squashed a bug. They commune with the earth to wield their power and are, in turn, utterly devoted to nature and its preservation. This drink is light, floral, earthy and herbal: everything our flower child druids would love best.
The Recipe:
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1 ounce Fiorente Elderflower Liqueur
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½ ounce lemon juice
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1 ½ ounces club soda
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Thyme sprig
Add non-alcoholic spirit, liqueur and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass. Top with club soda. Garnish with a sprig of thyme.
Fighter’s Action Surge
Fighters are THE character class. They’re the jack of all trades, the most reliable party members, the stamina-filled warriors. They know how to take a beating, and they know how to dish it out, too. This drink is simple and strong, just like them; if apple isn’t your flavor, you can switch it out for any flavored spirit you want. After all, fighters are endlessly customizable!
The Recipe:
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1 sugar cube
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2 dashes aromatic bitters
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Few dashes of water
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2 ounces Cooper’s Mark Apple Bourbon
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Green apple wheel
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Cinnamon stick
Add sugar cube, bitters and water to a rocks glass and muddle until sugar is dissolved. Add ice and bourbon and stir. Garnish with a green apple wheel skewered with a cinnamon stick.
Barbarian’s Rage
Barbarians are fueled by rage, utilizing their brute strength to fight for what they believe in. This is a spicy, smoky cocktail to signify their fury in battle, but with a sweet, bubbly side (because, let’s face it, most barbarians are big teddy bears deep down).
The Recipe:
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½ ounce lime juice
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1 ½ ounces Los Rijos Silver Tequila
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4 ounces ginger beer
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Mint leaves
Add lime juice, mezcal and tequila to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a copper mug or rocks glass over ice. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with a lime wheel and a mint leaf.
Monk’s Stunning Strike
Monks live secluded from society, toiling tirelessly to improve their bodies and minds, rarely adventuring outside of their cloisters except to challenge themselves and their mental fortitude. This austere, saketini cocktail suits their vibe but still packs a punch (just like a monk).
The Recipe:
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1 ounce Soto Junmai Daiginjo Sake
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2 ounces Grays Peak Gin
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Cucumber ribbon
Add sake and gin to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a cucumber ribbon.
Sorcerer’s Metamagic
Sorcerers have big main character energy. Their magic comes from within; it’s something innate, whether they have a magical bloodline, they were exposed to some magical substance or something totally unexplained. The aesthetic of the layered grenadine in this cocktail calls forth the image of the well of magical blood in sorcerers that can spring forth unexpectedly and chaotically if improperly managed.
The Recipe:
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2 ounces Mayorazgo Silver Tequila
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½ ounce grenadine
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3 ounces orange juice
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Orange peel
Fill a tall Collins glass with ice. Add tequila, grenadine, mango juice and orange juice to the glass in that order. Garnish with two maraschino cherries and an orange peel fan.
Warlock’s Eldritch Invocation
Warlock sounds like a sinister word, but not all warlocks are evil. To be a warlock simply means that your magic comes from another party. These magic wielders have made pacts with fey, demons, elementals or any other magical creature willing to grant them magical ability in exchange for their servitude. For some, the bond means a life of intense service; for others, it just means the occasional errand.
In this cocktail, bubbles are added at the very end of the creation process to signify the magical life force poured into the warlock by its patron. The garnish represents the bond between the warlock and patron, separate but united by mutual understanding.
The Recipe:
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2 ounces Balfour Street London Dry Gin
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1 ounce Chambord Raspberry Liqueur
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½ ounce lemon juice
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¾ ounce cranberry juice
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2 ounces tonic water
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Blackberries
Add gin, liqueur, lemon juice and cranberry juice to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass over ice. Top with tonic water. Garnish with two blackberries and a lemon peel.
Ranger’s Feral Senses
Rangers are stealthy hunters who fight on the edges of society to make sure that the monsters and untold horrors of the borderlands don’t make their way into society. Not unlike druids, they come to know nature intimately due to the amount of time they spend wandering the woods in search of foes. This rose hip-infused vodka cocktail is herbal and balanced; the perfect sip for sitting in a tree for hours to stake out your next target.
The Recipe:
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1 ½ ounces rose hip-infused vodka*
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2 ounces hibiscus tea
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Dash of orange bitters
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2 ounces tonic water
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Dried rose hips
*Rose-hip infused vodka
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1 cup 1941 Craft Vodka
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2 tablespoons dried rose hips
For rose vodka: Add vodka and dried rose hips to a container and let steep for 1-2 days. Once the liquid is deep pink and fragrant, strain the liquid into another airtight container.
For cocktail: Add vodka, hibiscus tea and orange bitters to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a glass over ice and top with tonic water. Garnish by sprinkling dried rose petals over the top of the drink.
Paladin’s Divine Smite
Paladins are a lot like clerics in that they’ve dedicated their life to the worship and service of a deity. The main difference is that paladins are tanks with the ability to utterly destroy their enemies in a single swipe. They’re often the goody-two-shoes of the party and tend to be a bit self-righteous. So, a smoked sage bourbon cocktail seems fitting. We love you, even when your rule-following nature bugs the heck out of the morally neutral party members.
The Recipe:
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2 sage leaves
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1 ounce honey sage simple syrup*
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¼ ounce fresh lemon juice
*Honey sage simple syrup
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1 cup water
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1 cup honey
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Handful sage leaves
For syrup: Add water, honey and sage leaves to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Let syrup cool and strain into an airtight container.
For cocktail: Light a sage leaf on fire and place a rocks glass over it to smoke the glass. Then, add a large ice cube to the glass and pour in bourbon, honey sage simple syrup and fresh lemon juice. Stir to combine. Garnish with a sage leaf.
Gearing up for your next game night? No adventuring session is complete without a trip to your local ABC Fine Wine & Spirits for the ingredients to make these drinks and whatever else the party may need. Or, order online and never miss your turn to roll to attack.