The Lioness: A Cersei Game of Thrones Cocktail

SPOILER ALERT. You either love her or you hate her; there is no in between. In my opinion, Cersei Lannister has developed into perhaps the most easily-hated of all the GoT characters (except perhaps her own son, Joffery, who completely got what was coming to him). She brings to mind a ruthless lioness protecting her family at whatever the cost. The Lioness, a Cersei Lannister Game of Thrones cocktail, is as golden and complex as the formidable Queen of the Seven Kingdoms herself.

Amanda, a dear friend, requested a gin-based Cersei cocktail, and I am certainly not one to deny my friends their cocktail cravings. I was hung up on a golden color, as an homage to Cersei’s formerly luscious locks, and the Lannister house colors are red and gold. It needed to be balanced and not too sweet or too tart. Voila, freshly-squeezed orange juice.

This gin-based cocktail gets its color from Cara Cara orange juice (a reddish-orange similar to blood orange but not as deeply pigmented). In all honesty, I envisioned blood orange juice for this, for all the obvious connotations. I couldn’t find any blood oranges. If you can find them, squeeze a few for this cocktail and marvel at its deep color. I figured Cara Cara oranges would work. Heck, even navel oranges are fine.

If you’re as GoT obsessed as I am, check out the rest of the Game of Thrones cocktail series: The Little Hero (Jon Snow), The White Walker with Johnnie Walker, Wildfire,and the Mother of Dragons (Danaerys).

The premiere of the last season of Game of Thrones is tomorrow evening, and I know I am not the only one who cannot wait to see that map on my television screen again. What will you be imbibing tomorrow evening? Share in the comments!

“The things we love destroy us, every time.”

Cersei Lannister