Take one look at this va-va-voom cocktail, topped with so much meringue-like foam it makes the mouth water, and you’ll understand its social-media-inspired name. But the Mega Viral – a frothy, floral cocktail-milkshake hybrid – is more than just a pretty IG pic, offering notes of Mandarin orange and sweet green melon, as well as a touch of earth, with a complex taste and luxurious mouthfeel. Its inventor at Tempe cocktail bar Drop Dead Gorgeous, mixologist Arlene Magaña, says she wanted to bring “the theatrical elegance of the Ramos gin fizz and the punchy charm of the modern green melon sour” together in the same glass. Talk about blowing up the algorithm.
To make it at home, add 1 ½ oz. pisco, ½ oz. tequila, 1 oz. melon liqueur, ¼ oz. yuzu juice, ¾ oz. lemon juice, 1 oz. lemongrass syrup, ¾ oz. heavy cream, 1 oz. egg white and 2 dashes orange bitters to a blender jar with ¼ cup of pebble ice. Blend on high for 45 seconds, then pour into a Collins glass. Gently pour about 1 ½ tsp. tonic water over a spoon into the center of the cocktail to lift the foam. Let the cocktail rest and rise a moment. The foam will firm up. Dust with matcha powder and start counting your new followers.
$16
Drop Dead Gorgeous
740 S. Mill Ave., Tempe
480-397-1046, ddgbar.com
