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Table of Contents
Background/Inspiration of Barbie Inspired Drink Recipe
Like much of the internet I’ve been eagerly anticipating the Barbie Movie ever since those leaked photos from the set showing Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in the *brightest* clothes imaginable.
While I will have a cocktail based on that specific look, for this Barbie inspired drink recipe I looked back to the original 1971 Malibu Barbie. With her blue swimsuit, pink glasses, and yellow towel, this babe living her life fantastic life in plastic was an instant style icon.
Around the time I was visualizing the recipe I saw someone post about enjoying a Brazilian lemonade. I tried a recipe for myself and instantly knew this would be the base of my beach barbie cocktail.
At time of writing there is still a week before the movie is released to the general public and I literally can’t take it anymore, I’m so freaking excited.
Cocktail Journey for the Malibu Babe Cocktail Recipe: Spiked Brazilian Lemonade
As mentioned above this cocktail is heavily inspired by Brazilian Lemonade (AKA Swiss Lemonade). Lemonade in Brazil is associated with limes due to the fun way translation and words work. I immediately fell in love with the version that uses sweetened condensed milk. I found by using that I got a rich but still light and refreshing cocktails.
While most recipes call for sugar, I found the sweetened milk, flavored vodka, and flavored seltzer provided enough sweetness for me. If you like a sweeter cocktail you can always add some extra sweetener.
Originally this cocktail was going to use Blue pea gin, but in order to get a blue colored cocktail with that the cocktail needs to have a high pH level, which is tricky for a cocktail with limes. I experimented with using egg whites and other ingredients to increase the pH, but the color never became something I was happy with.
I briefly thought about using blue curacao in the cocktail to make it blue, but I didn’t want the extra flavor/sweetness and all I really wanted was the blue food coloring in it. Eventually I settled on just adding some food coloring directly and avoiding the rest of the curacao. I’m aware many cocktail creators frown on food coloring, but bakers use it all the time and I don’t understand the big deal. Plus it’s pretty.
This cocktail
“MaliBlue Babe” Batch Cocktail Recipe Inspired by the Barbie Movie and the Original Malibu Barbie.
Ingredients (makes 4 cocktails)
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup Huckleberry Vodka (for an N/A version, you can substiute with water or apple juice)
- 2 small limes
- Flavored Seltzer (I used Bubly Grapefruit, but all the flavors in the variety pack I got tasted good except the strawberry which had an odd aftertaste)
- Blue food coloring
Directions
- Cut the limes in half and then cut those halves in quarters.
- Add the vodka and limes to a blender and blend until the limes have been completely pulverized.
- Add the condensed milk and a cup of ice and blend until smooth.
- Add drops of food coloring one at time giving a quick blend in between until the desired color is reached.
- Pour evenly into 4 glasses over fresh ice and top with flavored seltzer.
Note: You can strain the cocktail if you want to remove the lime bits, but I liked the texture and flavor unstrained.
To make one cocktail, add 1 oz of the milk, half a small lime cut into quarters, and 2oz of vodka to a bullet blender. Blend until smooth, add a small handful of ice and blend again.
Garnish: Pink sugar sunglasses and sour candy belt “towel“
The “towel” I just bought on Amazon and really liked it. It arrived fresh tasting and the sour pineapple flavor went really well for the cocktail.
Edible Pink Sunglasses Cocktail Garnish
Note: Throughout this whole process ve very careful of protecting yourself and your surfaces. Molten sugar gets *very* hot and crushing candy can be dangerous.
For this I used some lollipop molds and crushed up watermelon Jolly Ranchers. To make one side: sprinkle a nice layer of the crushed candy into the molds and microwave for 10 seconds at a time until the candy starts to melt (keep a very close eye on them, they will go from melted to burnt in about 2 seconds.) Try to keep them even, but I recommend only making a couple at a time). Carefully remove from microwave wearing heat protected gloves, add the sticks and I also gave a small sprinkle of edible glitter for a little extra razzle dazzle. Allow to completely cool undisturbed. (Note: I added the sticks at the end because the kit I ordered had silicone molds rated to over 400 degrees fahrenheit and… plastic sticks that melted pretty readily in a few of my experiments. My apartment will never smell the same again).
*Note: Always be extremely careful with molten sugar. Allow the pops to cool completely before handling
Once completely cool, trim the sticks and make a second batch and press the first batch into them (making sure they’re facing the same way, the molded side will be smoother) and allow to completely cool before handling. Wrap doubled up sprakly pink twist ties around the center to fashion a hook to hang off the glass.
I also put the pineapple candy on a fancy cocktail pick.
I hope you enjoy. Be sure to let me know in the comments what you think of this recipe and if there’s any pop culture you want to see transformed into a cocktail. Follow me on the social media below, I typically post on Instagram first. Cheers!
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