Fangorn Forest The Lord of the Rings Cocktail Recipe
Fangorn Forest The Lord of the Rings Cocktail Recipe

Fangorn Forest

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Cocktail History

The Fangorn Forest is a Novel Nightcaps original cocktail that was created as part of a series of The Lord of the Rings recipes made in honor of the release of The Rings of Power, a prequel to the original movie trilogy. The drink was inspired by Treebeard, an Ent who was the oldest of the tree-like characters and a “shepherd of trees” from the original trilogy. As a nod to Treebeard’s eccentricity both in origin and dialogue, the cocktail starts with herbal gin and sherry as the base spirits and paired them with black tea, a unique mushroom honey syrup, citrus, and bitters to create a refreshing cooler that represents the ancient peoples of the forest well.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Gin: This is a spirit made with juniper berries, botanicals, and alcohol. I used PARK Distillery Alpine Dry Gin.

Amontillado Sherry: This is a type of medium-dry fortified wine made in Spain with palomino grapes. I used Don Benigno Amontillado Sherry.

Lapsang Souchong Tea: This is a black tea that is smoke-dried over pinewood fire. I used Twinings Lapsang Souchong Black Tea.

Mushroom Honey Syrup: This is a sweetener made with baby portobello mushrooms, honey, and water. I made mine using this stovetop recipe.

Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. I used freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Spruce & Birch Bitters: This is a food product made with spruce, birch, botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. I used Crude Bitters & Sodas “Apothecary” Spruce & Birch Bitters.

Rhubarb Bitters: This is a food product made with rhubarb, herbs, botanicals, and alcohol. I used Fee Brothers Rhubarb Bitters.

Baby Portobello Mushrooms: This is a miniature portobello mushroom.

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. I used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.

Cocktail Pick: This is used to hold the garnish. I used one from the Homestia Stainless Steel Cocktail Pick Set.

Riedel Drink Specific Glassare Highball Glass
Riedel Drink Specific Glassare Highball Glass
All RIEDEL glasses are dishwasher safe; Capacity is 10.94 ounces; glass size is 2.56Lx2.56Wx6.06H (Inches)
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Riedel Drink Specific Glassware Rocks & Highball Set
Riedel Drink Specific Glassware Rocks & Highball Set
This pack contains 8 pieces; Machine-made and dishwasher safe; Rocks Glass Capacity = 10 oz.; Highball Glass Capacity = 10 7/8 oz.
$135.00 Amazon Prime
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Luigi Bormioli Bach - Set of 4 Highball Glasses - Ribbed Crystal 16.5 Oz. Drinking Glass, for Cocktails, Water, Juice, Made in Italy.
Luigi Bormioli Bach – Set of 4 Highball Glasses – Ribbed Crystal 16.5 Oz. Drinking Glass, for Cocktails, Water, Juice, Made in Italy.
Set includes: Bach 16. 25 oz. Beverage/Hiball/Glass, Set of 4; Made with SON. hyx non-leaded crystal
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OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Pairing Knife,Black/Silver,3-1/2-Inch
OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Pairing Knife,Black/Silver,3-1/2-Inch
Sturdy, stainless steel blade; Soft, comfortable, non-slip handle ensures a safe grip; Hand wash with warm, soapy water and promptly dry
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This post contains affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission each time you purchase a product using our links. Product images sourced from Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon affiliate links last updated on 2025-01-22.

Fangorn Forest Cocktail Recipe

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

Appearance: Brown-ish yellow with an ombré effect

• Aroma: Earthy mushroom and tobacco

• Taste: Refreshing yet slightly tart flavor featuring a mashup of tea, gin botanicals, and honey

• Finish: Savory mushroom, sherry, and citrus

Kendall’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kendall’s Take: “Out of the original cocktails inspired by The Lord of the Rings characters, this was definitely my favorite. It has such a unique blend of ingredients that’s not immediately clear what to expect for the drink’s flavor, but I found it to be a tasty mashup of earthy and herbal tastes with mushroom shining the most brightly. The sherry also peeks through a bit but not so much to turn me off since I don’t usually go for the stuff. If you’re looking for a drink with just the right umami flavor, the Fangorn Forest is a winner whether you understand the character reference or not.”

Recipe

Fangorn Forest

The Fangorn Forest is a Novel Nightcaps original cocktail that was created as part of a series of The Lord of the Rings recipes made in honor of the release of The Rings of Power, a prequel to the original movie trilogy. The drink was inspired by Treebeard, an Ent who was the oldest of the tree-like characters and a "shepherd of trees" from the original trilogy. As a nod to Treebeard's eccentricity both in origin and dialogue, the cocktail starts with herbal gin and sherry as the base spirits and paired them with black tea, a unique mushroom honey syrup, citrus, and bitters to create a refreshing cooler that represents the ancient peoples of the forest well.

Prep Time 3 mins Assembly Time 2 mins Total Time 5 mins Difficulty: Intermediate Servings: 1 Calories: 130 Best Season: Any

Ingredients

Method

  1. Add gin, sherry, tea, mushroom honey syrup, lemon juice, bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.

  2. Shake for 10-20 seconds.

  3. Strain into a highball glass over fresh cracked ice.

  4. Garnish with baby portobello mushroom slices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Expand All:
How do I make this cocktail recipe non-alcoholic?

Use MONDAY Zero Alcohol Gin in place of the gin and non-alcoholic sherry flavoring in place of the sherry to try a mocktail version of this drink.

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About The Author

Kendall is the creator of Novel Nightcaps, a mixology blog chronicling recipes she tries from her cocktail book collection.