Marc Forgione's Newest Cocktail: The Scorpion Bowl

Yes, that's right — your favorite Iron Chef and Michelin-starred restaurant owner is getting tipsy off scorpion bowls. On Marc Forgione's newest cocktail list for the summer is the everlasting drunken feast, the Scorpion Bowl. 

The whole idea came from Forgione, who had a back-and-forth with his bar team, Matthew Conway and Cary Goldberg (who have earned the Michelin Cocktail Symbol for their work on the cocktail program). Conway said Forgione, who loved the drink when he was younger, claimed it was a classic cocktail. Finally, Conway began to research scorpion bowls to see how they could update the drink. "Marc really likes to find things that evoke childhood, like a Creamsicle," he said. 

So Conway and Goldberg got to work updating the cocktail. Of course, this isn't your typical college-life, Hi-C fruit punch-flavored Scorpion Bowl — think of it as the top-shelf Scorpion Bowl. The Forgione Scorpion Bowl combines the best liquors — Wodka Vodka, Bulldog Gin, and Banks Rum, —  with Sombra Mezcal. The mezcal, a Forgione favorite, balanced out the sweetness from the fresh lime juice, mango juice, house-made pineapple simple syrup, and fresh mint. While "slapped" Thai leaves float around the bowl to create a lily-pad effect (after all, the bowl's a Hawaiin beach scene), in the middle sits a whopping 11-ounce, flaming Bacardi 151 shot in the center hole. Talk about a boozy bowl. The grown-up Scorpion bowl has some smokiness mixed with sweet, tropical flavors, Conway said.

For $49, you can get plenty drunk with four people splitting it — minus the hangover. "I can personally attest to that, because we've had about eight staff members and come in and try the Scorpion Bowl," Conway said. "And they all came into work the next day." 

Other drinks to try by Conway and Goldberg: a mix of Blanco Tequila, celery water, chartreuse, and smoked salt; a rhubarb-infused gin with cherry heering, lemon, and bubbles; and Spring Sangria with demi-sec riesling, apricot brandy, tropical fruit, and lemongrass.