Our Mister Rogers episode got us thinking about the other shows that raised us, the ones that taught kids to read, to be kind to their neighbors, and to save the world before bedtime. Those kids are old enough to drink now. Here are five cocktails for them, each built on a solid classic so it actually tastes good, not just clever.
The Page Turner, for Reading Rainbow (1983–2006)
For 23 years, LeVar Burton invited kids into a book, then sent them off to find more at the library with his famous line: “But you don’t have to take my word for it.” Reading Rainbow won more than two dozen Emmys and a Peabody, and it’s a big reason a lot of us still love reading. This drink is a cozy sour for curling up with a book: apple brandy, maple, and lemon, with a little cinnamon on top.
The Page Turner
Ingredients
- 2 oz apple brandy
- 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice
- 0.5 oz maple syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
Garnish
A dusting of cinnamon
Instructions
- Shake everything with ice.
- Strain into a chilled coupe.
- Grate a little cinnamon over the top.
The Elwood City Fizz, for Arthur (1996–2022)
Marc Brown’s aardvark and his friends in Elwood City ran for 25 seasons, making Arthur the longest-running animated children’s series in American history. It taught a generation that having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card. The drink is a bright, honeyed gin fizz, light and bubbly enough for a weekday afternoon.
The Elwood City Fizz
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz gin
- 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice
- 0.75 oz honey syrup (equal parts honey and warm water)
- 2 oz soda water
Garnish
A lemon wheel
Instructions
- Shake the gin, lemon, and honey syrup with ice.
- Strain into a highball glass over fresh ice.
- Top with soda water.
The Townsville Tonic, for The Powerpuff Girls (1998–2005)
Sugar, spice, and everything nice, plus an accidental dose of Chemical X: that’s how Professor Utonium made Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup in Craig McCracken’s cartoon. This gin and tonic follows the recipe. A spiced syrup brings the sugar and spice, a splash of grapefruit brings everything nice, and a few drops of Campari are the Chemical X.
The Townsville Tonic
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz gin
- 0.5 oz fresh pink grapefruit juice
- 0.25 oz spiced simple syrup (simmered with cinnamon and clove)
- 4 oz tonic water
- 1 bar spoon Campari
Garnish
A pink grapefruit wedge, a lime wheel, and a sprig of mint, one for each girl
Instructions
- Build the gin, grapefruit, and syrup over ice in a tall glass.
- Top with tonic and stir gently.
- Float the Campari on top.
The Pikachu Punch, for Pokémon (1997– )
Pokémon premiered in Japan in 1997 and hit American TV in 1998, and kids have been trying to catch ’em all ever since. Pikachu, the electric mouse, became one of the most recognizable characters on Earth. This is a party punch, bright yellow, with a gingery jolt of electricity. It makes about eight servings.
The Pikachu Punch
Ingredients
- 12 oz white rum
- 12 oz pineapple juice
- 4 oz fresh lime juice
- 4 oz ginger syrup
- 12 oz chilled ginger beer
Garnish
Pineapple wedges and lemon peel cut into lightning bolts
Instructions
- Combine the rum, pineapple juice, lime juice, and ginger syrup in a punch bowl and chill.
- Just before serving, add a large block of ice and the ginger beer.
- Ladle into ice-filled cups.
Notes
For ginger syrup, simmer a cup of sliced fresh ginger in a cup of water for 15 minutes, strain, and dissolve a cup of sugar in it.
The Brooklyn Boarding House, for Hey Arnold! (1996–2004)
Arnold, the football-headed kid who lived with his grandparents at the Sunset Arms boarding house, wandered a city called Hillwood that creator Craig Bartlett built from pieces of Seattle, Portland, and Brooklyn. So the drink is the Brooklyn, a classic from the early 1900s that’s the Manhattan’s slightly bitter, slightly cherry-tinged cousin. It’s a cocktail for grown-ups, like Arnold always was.
The Brooklyn Boarding House (a classic Brooklyn)
Ingredients
- 2 oz rye whiskey
- 1 oz dry vermouth
- 0.25 oz maraschino liqueur
- 0.25 oz Amer Picon or another orange-bitter amaro, such as Ramazzotti
Garnish
A brandied cherry
Instructions
- Stir everything with ice until well chilled.
- Strain into a chilled coupe.
For the show that started this, read about the episode below, where a Raleigh bartender tried to stump ChatGPT with the silliest Mister Rogers song he could find.
Listen to the episode
“Won’t you be my bartender with Johnny Berry” is Season 1, Episode 3 of Drinking With Robots. Rob talks Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood with Johnny Berry of Whiskey Kitchen in Raleigh. Listen above, on Buzzsprout, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Drinking With Robots is sponsored by Remedy Cocktail Company, makers of handcrafted cocktail bitters.