We’ve saved the best for last! The Zooniverse cocktails have become a traditional advent calendar, treat and this year, thanks to Chris Lintott, we have a fantastic batch of new beverages inspired by our projects. Try them out and have a drink on us this Christmas!

 

 ZOONIVERSE COCKTAILS

Planet 4 Poinsettia (from Meg Schwamb)

In honour of the fans and spiders of Mars, a seasonal outbreak of fizziness :

2 ounces cranberry juice
4 ounces (approx. measure: enough to top up glass) champagne, prosecco, cava, or other dry, sparkling white wine
1/2 ounce orange liqueur (Cointreau would do, but Meg tried the less sweet, rum-based liqueur, Clement Creole Shrubb, and found it worked quite nicely.)

Lintott’s Panoptes Margarita

For those who like their margaritas a bit more complex. Like the software that powers the Zooniverse, there’s a secret ingredient.

Take 8 parts good tequila, preferably Repasado, Shake with 3 parts triple sec and 3 parts fresh lime juice, and a spoonful of liquid from a jar of capers. Serve straight up or on the rocks.

The Ginger Penguin

Take equal parts light and dark rum, and shake with lots of ice. Pour into a glass filled with lots of ice. Top up with ginger beer (there should be as much ginger beer as there is rum). Add crushed ice. Serve on ice. Lots of ice. Perfect for sharing with thousands of your friends.

The Higgs Smash

The whisky smash is an old fashioned cocktail – basically a whisky mint julep.

Take half a lemon and muddle it in a cocktail shaker (basically bash it around a bit). Add 6 mint leaves, as fresh as you can get. Add four parts bourbon to one part simple syrup (sugar dissolved in an equal amount of water), and serve in a tall glass over ice. Head underground, and consume millions of these each second until you feel as significant as 5-sigma.