Make A Zelda-Themed Cocktail To Honor The 21st Anniversary Of Majora's Mask

It seems you've met with a terrible fate to end up in so far from Hyrule, hero....Twenty-one years ago this month, Nintendo 64 owners were first able to experience the macabre and introspective quest of Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Plunged into the world of Termina, players were greeted with familiar faces, items, and songs from Link's previous adventure in Ocarina Of Time, but those expecting more of the same from this little gold cartridge were in for a jarring experience. In Majora's Mask, the Legend of Zelda's classic, swashbuckling fantasy takes a backseat to three looping days filled with dread as the horrifying moon looms ever closer to Clock Town. It feels like we've been reliving the same three days of doom and gloom for a while now, and yet it doesn't feel like it has really been 21 years since this game debuted.

Reflecting back on it now, the thing I value the most about bartending is the same thing I love about Majora's Mask: in both adventures, I've crossed paths with different people at their highest and lowest points. Each person's situation is different, but the interpersonal, contained way you interact with them is what makes Majora's Mask such a uniquely emotional experience. When the calamity of the moon falling is averted, all of the residents of Termina get to let go of their worries and celebrate. That is exactly the kind of hope beyond the despair that I continue to look toward, but in the meantime, Zelda fans far and wide can each enjoy the shared experience of making this cocktail.

A toast to looking out for each other, even at the end of the world. Happy 21st birthday, Majora's Mask!

The land of Termina is trapped in limbo, as the moon looms ever closer to Clock Town. Even the once tranquil waters off the western coast have become hostile from a great evil located deep within the nearby Great Bay Temple. This is where our cocktail quest resides. Our goal will be to comb across the region to reunite Lulu with her lost Zora eggs. But it's dangerous to go alone. Take these:

• 1 oz. gin (I used Bombay Sapphire)
• 1.5 oz. Hpnotiq
• 0.5 oz. lemon juice
• 2 oz. ginger beer
• Kiwi bursting boba

Add the lemon juice to a shaker with ice. (Size of the fruit will vary, but about half a lemon's worth should be correct.) I recommend rolling the lemon on a flat surface with light pressure from your palm for easier juicing with less ripe lemons.

Next, add 1 ounce of gin and 1.5 ounces of Hpnotiq to your shaker. (The Great Bay waters have been unusually warm since Skull Kid started meddling, and since baby Zoras are sensitive to temperature, the ice in the shaker will help cool things down.)

Once those three ingredients are in the shaker, shake like the moon over Termina, minutes from crashing on the final day. Strain out the ice and any lemon seeds and pour into a martini glass. If you'd like a bottle for your cocktail (like in the picture above) I recommend the potion shop in the southern swamp.

Now, stir in 2 ounces of ginger beer. For this cocktail, and in general, I prefer ginger beers that are more spicy than they are sweet (I'd recommend Fever Tree or Summit). Hpnotiq is already pretty sweet on its own, so the stronger ginger taste will help balance it out.

Looking at the murky Great Bay waters we have replicated in a glass, it is now time to add kiwi boba to represent our Zora eggs. Because of the heartbroken tone of Majora's Mask, this drink is designed to be more sour than it is sweet, so I only added seven boba for authenticity. If you'd like to sweeten the drink more to your taste, you can add, and burst, as many as you'd like. (If you are grieving about eating our little Zora eggs, there is nothing the Song of Healing can't soothe.)

There you have it, hero. This chapter of your quest is complete and you may now savor the reward of your journey—a beautiful, delicious cocktail you made yourself!