Is This The Strongest Cocktail In The World?

There are two things that seem to be fairly consistent with the Aunt Roberta cocktail: the ever so unverifiable folklore and the fact that this drink has a lot of alcohol in it. Is it really the strongest cocktail you can order? It is known as the "world's deadliest cocktail" after all. (If a stronger alternative is out there, perhaps no one lived to tell about it.) The Aunt Roberta clocks in at nearly 40% ABV, and the traditional recipe shakes up a staggering 8 ounces of this top shelf soup in chilled stemware. That is higher alcohol by volume than heavy hitters like the Rusty Nail at roughly 33% ABV, a classic dry martini at 32%, and the Long Island iced tea, whose alcohol content can range between 18% and 22%.

The only way to truly know if you'll like this extra-boozy beverage is to mix one up and taste it. Start with chilling your favorite cocktail glass, or two as it has been mentioned this is not a drink to sip alone. Next add 2 shots of absinthe, 1 shot of Brandy, 3 shots of vodka, 1.5 shot of gin, and 1 shot of blackberry liqueur to a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain and serve. This is the bare bones recipe for an Aunt Roberta. However, there is a theme of mixologists adding citrus peels as a garnish for aromatics and drama, as well as cutting back on the absinthe that is said to overpower the rest of the spirits in the mix.

The legend is that in the 19th century a young, Southern girl of many unfair hardships ran away to become a bootlegger and came up with this drink. Some versions of the story go as far as to name her Roberta McCain, place her in Alabama, and assert that her recipe was taken to New York by a raccoon hunter by the name of Billy Joe Spratt after Roberta allegedly passed away in 1886 at the age of 32. The grimmest side of this lore is that auntie's namesake drink is said to have claimed the lives of dozens of drinkers making it the deadliest drink in the world, they say. However, we haven't come across any indications that historians can show these people existed, and early documentation of this recipe has proven elusive. It seems that the earliest records of this cocktail show up only on the internet and start around the 2000s.

Shaking up this beverage at home can be a fun, folklore-filled event to stir up a buzz with your closest boozy buddies. The mere fact that it contains absinthe (a drink that is also mired in myths) could make this a unique experience to share, as it was banned in the U.S. for nearly 100 years. The best part is that you can make it the way you like. With all the stories flying around this cocktail, one of them might as well be the tale you tell. Build the drink how you see fit, garnish it with sweetness, and add a pop of color with a few red cherries. Make it fun, make it one of your own cocktail recipes, and serve or drink it responsibly always.