I’m a huge fan of the cocktail-blogging community. I love the enthusiasm, the obsessive attention to detail, and the sense of excitement about discovering new combinations of flavors. I’ve learned a lot from them.

But let’s face it: most cocktails are pretty boring.

There is a great deal of attention paid to the classics: how to make them properly, how to make them well, how to tweak them just a little bit. This is all good stuff, but there’s only so much you can do with a martini or an old fashioned.

The problem is that cocktails are inherently conservative. Bartenders want to be able to reproduce drinks consistently and predictably; customers want drinks that taste like other drinks they’ve had before; and nobody’s going to order anything they can’t pronounce or don’t recognize.

So when I stumbled across some articles on steampunk costumes and realized that I could use this aesthetic sensibility as a lens through which to view my drink-making hobby, everything suddenly made sense.

Here, then, are seven classic cocktails that can be radically improved by applying the principles of steampunk costuming:

The steampunk movement has been around for decades but has only recently gained popularity, as seen in the rise of steampunk-themed events, bars, and even coffee shops. Steampunk fashion features elements of science fiction and fantasy mixed with Victorian-era romanticism. This article gives you seven classic cocktail recipes with a steampunk twist: they all include the ingredient “steampunk bitters,” an herbal tincture made with celery seed, fennel seed, cardamom pods, and allspice berries. As the article explains, “adding one or two dashes of these potent bitters to a drink will help accentuate its natural flavors.”

The most common steampunk accessory is the “weapon,” a ray gun or blunderbuss fashioned from a canister of propane, a flashlight, and some brass fittings. It’s sort of like a costume piece for people who haven’t thought about their costume. But there’s another way to incorporate steampunk into your wardrobe—the cocktail.

These seven recipes are an easy way to add a bit of fun to your next party, even if you’re not hosting a steampunk-themed bash. Or they might be the start of your new steampunk obsession; remember, it starts with just one cocktail.

Before we get to the drinks, though, let me answer the question on everyone’s mind: What is steampunk? It’s a style that combines Victorian-era clothing and technology in often whimsical ways (think Jules Verne meets Lady Gaga). The fashion is all about velvet vests, lace cravats, and bustles, while the gadgets are composed of gears and clockwork parts. You can see more at Steampunk Fashion: A Quick Introduction if you’re intrigued by this aesthetic.

Below are seven classic cocktails that I’ve adapted to include the bitter tincture known as absinthe. This licorice-fl

Steampunk isn’t just about the clothes you put on your body, or the gears you glue onto every surface in your house. It’s also about the liquids you put in your mouth. Here are some delicious cocktails that can be made better by a liberal application of steampunk.

1. The Clockwork Orange: This is a simple variation of the classic Screwdriver cocktail. Combine one part orange juice with two parts vodka, and add a dash of Angostura bitters to give it a nice brownish-red color. Serve with an orange slice garnish, and for extra authenticity, fashion the garnish out of clockwork.

2. Steampunk Fizz: Start with a simple Gin Fizz recipe (one part gin to two parts citrus juice and one part simple syrup), and add two dashes of bitters and a drop of food coloring (rose-tinted for preference) to give it that rusty hue that’s so reminiscent of steam engines from the Victorian era. Top off with seltzer water and stir gently; serve with a small clockwork butterfly perched on the rim of the glass to show how delicately you have stirred it.

3. Tonic Water: This is actually just tonic water, which was invented by British colonialists in

One of the things I love most about steampunk is the endless array of drinks and foods with which we can decorate our costumes. The old-fashioned world of steampunk is an excellent background for a variety of tasty treats, sweet and savory. In this series, I’ll be using a simple steampunk-inspired decorative touch to upgrade some classic cocktails.

For this first installment, I decided to go with a Victorian-era favorite: absinthe. Though it’s been banned in the States for about 100 years, absinthe has recently been reintroduced thanks to its lack of hallucinogenic properties (as originally claimed).

Absinthe has a complicated flavor that ranges from bitter to sweet depending on the ingredients used in its creation. The French term for this layered taste is ‘de la fee verte,’ which translates to ‘the green fairy.’ It’s often diluted with water and served in a special glass, allowing you to control how much of the drink’s flavors you want to taste.

Nothing says “steampunk” quite like a steampunk costume. The good news is that it’s never been easier to look like a character in a Jules Verne or H.G. Wells novel with a little help from the modern age of 3-D printing and Etsy.

With that in mind, we’ve assembled our top picks for DIY steampunk gear, costumes and accessories that are ready to wear on Halloween or at your next steampunk convention. We’ve even thrown in some tutorials for those who want to take their costumes to the next level by building their own.