Though it may sound like a nightmare, the ghoulish vision that came to Zac Siejko in his sleep turned out to be a dream come true.
The Eat Street Social bartender had spent two years tinkering with a fiery cocktail, but he never got it quite right. A recent snooze, however, brought the idea to life. His subconscious imagined an overproof liquor, dyed black with charcoal, and set ablaze as it was poured into the glass.
When he woke up, he tried it, and it worked: a golden punch that turns dark when the final ingredient is added — a flaming stream of liquor, so hot it burns blue.
The Ghoulish Seduction, as Siejko's cocktail is called, is the latest over-the-top food to be featured in our Outta Control video series. Watch past videos about a meter-long bratwurst here and a hot dog topped with hot dish.
This new drink is only ghoulish as far as the color. The seduction comes in the form of a sweet pineapple-vanilla and citrus base that's reminiscent of an upside-down cake. Added to that are two kinds of Scotch, giving the drink a barbecue smokiness that's apt for a drink that's about to be set on fire.
Finally, a mix of overproof rum, green chartreuse, and activated charcoal (an over-the-counter detox pill) combine to make a flammable, milky black elixir that changes the drink from day to night.
"I wanted something to fit into the realm of Spooktober," Siejko said.
His creation, on the fall menu at Eat Street Social (18 W. 26th St., Mpls.), has exploded in popularity ahead of Halloween. Siejko recently made 20 of these too-hot-to-handle drinks in a single night, about as many as the orders he gets for Old Fashioneds.
That's no small feat for a $16 cocktail.
"It's the most expensive drink ever at Eat Street Social, and probably in Minnesota," said Siejko, an alum of the bar at La Belle Vie. But it's also the only drink of its kind in the state, Siejko believes.
Plenty of bars will do a flaming drink, where a high-proof liquor near the top of the glass burns off. But the Ghoulish Seduction is a so-called "blue blazer." That's where the high-proof liquor is set afire before it hits the glass, making a light show of sorts as it's poured in.
"I've definitely singed the hairs off my knuckles," he said.
The restaurant is known for its rotating cocktail menu, where saline solutions and roasted garlic simple syrup all have homes in inventive drinks. Siejko can't get too comfortable with his fall hit; he's already thinking about his next concoction for the winter, a drink inspired by banana bread.
To see more photos and videos from our food series, follow us on Instagram at @outtacontrolmn or visit us at startribune.com/outtacontrol.
