Happiness in Liquid Form | An Earthy Tiki Cocktail Recipe Inspired by Alfie Templeman’s Hit Song

Name: Happiness in Liquid Form - An Earthy Tiki Cocktail Recipe
Prep time: 3 min
Ingredients: 1 oz aged rum; ½ oz mezcal; ¾ oz pineapple-ginger juice*; ½ oz lime juice; ¾ oz passion fruit syrup**; 2 drops hemp bitters; 2 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters; 1 spritz peppermint hydrosol (optional)

by corrie.pennington / April 13, 2021

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The Happiness in Liquid Form cocktail recipe is the perfect balance of fruity and earthy and it practically demands to be sipped on outside in the summer sun. It combines zesty lime, sweet pineapple, tropical passionfruit, and spicy ginger with smoky mezcal and aged rum.

Looking for the perfect summer cocktail recipe? Happiness in Liquid Form is the perfect balance of fruity and earthy and it practically demands to be sipped on outside in the summer sun. Read on to hear more about the inspiration behind this drink.

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If you didn’t know, Instagram is poppin’ with cocktail recipes. Before starting Girl & Tonic, I was unaware that such a world existed. At first, I was worried when I realized there were so many other cocktail accounts on IG. I mean… competition. Lots of it. But I soon learned that the #drinkstagram community is incredibly supportive. I’ve “met” some truly amazing people on it.

Some of those awesome people and I are in a group DM where were ask for advice on recipes, photography, and share photos of our pets and midcentury furniture (these are my people, y’all!). One of them, @soundtrackmydrink, came up with the idea to do a song swap– each of us picked a song and then that song was secretly given to another member of the group. The task was then to create a cocktail based on that song. Brilliant, yes? Also a great test of our creativity.

I was given @turnstylepoet‘s song of choice: Happiness in Liquid Form by Alfie Templeman. As soon as I heard the beat, I knew I had to go the tiki route. I mean, if you listen to the song, it sounds like summer.

The beat of the song is peppy. It makes you want to dance or at the very least, drive with the windows down. A quintessential summer song, imo.

To match the summer disco vibes in Happiness in Liquid Form, I knew I wanted to use some traditional tiki flavors. Rum. Pineapple. Passionfruit. Lime. I also wanted to add a little earthiness to the mix since the song almost demands to be listened to outside with grass beneath your feet and the sun warming your skin. Enter smoky mezcal and the hemp bitters.

Beneath the upbeat tempo are some tortured lyrics, though. Alfie can’t figure out why his feelings are unrequited. To match his bitterness and cynicism, I added the ginger. It’s an underlying spiciness that doesn’t compete with the rest of the drink’s bright summer flavors. But it’s there.

Finally, to complete this Happiness in Liquid Form cocktail recipe, I added a spritz of peppermint hydrosol to match the initial happy-go-lucky mood of the song.

I realize this drink seems a little more complex than some of my recipes in the past, but it’s really not difficult to make. You can skip the peppermint hydrosol and the hemp bitters and still have a truly tasty drink. If you can’t find a pineapple-ginger juice blend, simply muddle a slice or two of fresh ginger in your cocktail shaker. Or add half a teaspoon of ginger paste.

If you make this Happiness in Liquid Form cocktail recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram. I love seeing y’all’s reshakes! And stay tuned for next month’s newsletter because I’ll be including a list of songs and recipes from the other #drinkstagrammers who participated in this fun challenge!

Ingredients for the Happiness in Liquid Form Cocktail Recipe

1 oz aged rum
1/2 oz mezcal
3/4 oz pineapple-ginger juice*
1/2 oz lime juice, freshly squeezed
3/4 oz passionfruit syrup**
2 drops hemp bitters
2 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
1 spritz of peppermint hydrosol, optional

*If you can’t find a pineapple-ginger juice blend, simply muddle a slice or two of fresh ginger in your cocktail shaker. Or add half a teaspoon of ginger paste.

**My passionfruit syrup is quite sweet but other brands can lean more tart. Adjust this amount to your liking.

How to Make the Happiness in Liquid Form Cocktail

Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well, about 20 seconds. Strain into a glass that’s filled with crushed ice. Spritz the glass with peppermint hydrosol. Garnish with a lime wheel and pineapple leaves.