A taste of paradise
Featuring art by rayzones
Smoky neon, headlights on hot tarmac, a wink across the bar; an entanglement with Paradise Killer (Kaizen Game Works, 2020) is a sweet and seductive affair. But those with good sense will know better than to give themselves over to the scenic hills, whimsical whiskeys, and cast of flirtatious characters. Behind the paper-thin illusion of paradise are horrors hidden in plain sight – slavery, forced worship, mass ritual murder; indeed, abduction and exploitation fuel the arcane fabric of the Island Sequences, “utopias” created by and for the elite members of the immortal Syndicate.
The game’s positioning of the player character (Lady Love Dies) as a member of the Syndicate is a devilish invitation to feel the pull of paradise at the same time as recognizing its rotten foundations. In constructing this dichotomy, Paradise Killer’s soundtrack is by far its most potent weapon. The sound of vaporwave – vibrant synth melodies, cheesy echoing drumbeats, a semi-ironic invocation of an idealized past - both evokes and perverts nostalgia, weaponized here to tempt the player to linger a while in this luscious mirage.
Complementing Paradise Killer’s soundscapes are the gleaming, saturated sights of Paradise Island 24: golden sands, technicolor skies, crystal clear waters. Here, the sensual pleasures are so overwhelming, they blend into each other. Sam, the resident mixologist, has figured out how to distill whiskey from the essence of each Paradise Island, each bottle tasting like the island it was brewed on. Places, tastes, sounds and feelings fuse together in a sensuous synesthesia - the magic of ancient gods at work. Listening to the soundtrack, I am transported instantly back to that glistening realm, and against my better judgment, I find myself succumbing to its strange sorcery.
Inspired by the multisensory delights of Island 24, here are ten cocktails for any occasion, my own little slice of paradise. They are more than recipes – they are journeys, images, memories, alternate realities. Most of all, they are an invitation to the worlds I visit when I open the soundtrack and press play. Click on the link next to each drink title to enjoy the matched sounds of paradise.
What you’ll need:
A cocktail shaker (essential)
A good set of glasses (optional)
An unbearable yearning for a past that doesn’t exist (desirable)
Morning
#1 - Metro Kiss (8th Street Rose)
Your heels pound the pavement relentlessly like electronic rhythms; careless guitar notes soar above concrete. A refreshing, icy highball reflected in a pair of sunglasses; life is simpler in the daytime. Grapefruit, lime, a splash of soda. Throw it back and leave it behind (you have a train to catch). Your lipstick on the glass sparkles in the sun.
What you’ll need:
1 ½ oz tequila
1 oz grapefruit juice
½ oz lime juice
½ oz simple syrup
Splash of club soda
Grapefruit twist to garnish
Instructions:
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the tequila, juices and syrup.
Shake well until chilled.
Strain into a highball glass filled with ice.
Top with soda.
Garnish with grapefruit.
#2 - The Seat of Power (EGO 24-7)
The knock of wood, a swirl of whiskey, this simple yet triumphant melody delivered with killer charm. Fantasies flow like unrestrained synthetic harmonies. Rooms locked, discussions closed, requests granted. A song that demands you stay till the end, with a flavor that builds like an empire (make sure to finish every last drop). Have this drink brought to a rival while sitting in the biggest chair you own.
What you’ll need:
2 oz bourbon
0.5 oz lemon juice
0.5 oz simple syrup
1 egg white
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
Orange twist
(Optional) A splash of your favorite poison to garnish
Instructions:
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the bourbon, lemon juice, syrup, egg white and bitters.
Shake well until chilled.
Strain into a rocks glass and add a few ice cubes.
Garnish with orange and poison.
#3 - Ginger Jazz Fizz (GO!GO!STYLE)
The city bustles with joyful chaos, bursts of brassy synth like the rhythmic sparkle of white lines on a highway. Shoulder pads, pinstripes, street signs. A dash of ginger beer provides a moment of cool respite in the red brick shade. Suddenly, the spicy notes of a ferocious saxophone, whirling above the fray. The wild, complex delight of whiskey, Cointreau, and lemon, the infinite zest of a city.
What you’ll need:
2 oz whiskey
½ oz Cointreau
1 oz fresh lemon juice
¾ oz honey syrup
Splash of ginger beer
Chili flakes and lemon zest for garnish
Instructions:
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine whiskey, Cointreau, lemon juice, and honey syrup.
Shake well until chilled.
Strain into a highball glass filled with ice.
Top with ginger beer.
Add a sprinkle of chili and garnish with lemon.
Afternoon
#4 - Beachcomber’s Breeze (Breeze With U)
Palm fronds sway as seagulls slice through blue sky. The sand sears your toes like the sudden heat of rum in your throat. A scent like coconut on the wind. The swishing synths curl around you as you dive under, breaking the surface to the exuberant strum of guitar. The tap of a cowbell as salt sparkles off your face. A glass of tropical spirits waits on the shore.
What you’ll need:
2 oz coconut rum
1 oz pineapple juice
½ oz lime juice
Splash of dark rum (optional)
A spray of sea salt
Pineapple slice and cocktail umbrella for garnish.
Instructions:
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the coconut rum and juices.
Shake well until chilled.
Strain into a highball glass filled with ice.
Float the dark rum on the top of the drink by pouring it over a spoon.
Top with a spray of salt.
Garnish with a pineapple slice and a cocktail umbrella.
#5 - Club Orchard (Last Dance XX)
A tumult of riotous sounds can only be accompanied by a cacophony of flavors – pineapple, cranberry, lime. Orange zest like a sharp trumpet, an explosion of swirling color mingling with brass and electronic drums, a driving whistle cutting through the air as though ecstasy were a sport. Spill it on the floor as you spin, spin, spin. Just don’t stop.
What you’ll need:
1 ½ oz vodka
½ oz triple sec
1 oz cranberry juice
1 oz pineapple juice
½ oz lime juice
Fresh cranberries and orange zest (for garnish)
Instructions:
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the vodka, triple sec and juices.
Shake vigorously. Then shake the cocktail mix as well.
Strain into a highball glass filled with ice.
Garnish with cranberries and orange zest.
Somewhere In-Between
#? - Twilight Rush (17:00 ~ Under Red Skies)
Did you know that there is exactly 30 seconds between the end of the day and the beginning of twilight? It’s true! Quickly, mix a drink and slug it back! This one can be made and consumed in less than 30 seconds, while speakers crackle and reality bends to make way for the coming night. It’s purple – the most in-between color there is.
What you’ll need:
½ oz crème de violette liqueur
Sugar
Wedge of lemon
Instructions:
Wipe the lemon around the rim of a shot glass and dip it into sugar.
Add the liqueur and lemon juice.
Knock it down and prepare for the night.
Evening
#6 - Sunset Serenade (Leaving)
Orange fading into red with the falling evening. A splash of bitters for the regret, a drop of honey for the joy. Each steady drum beat signals finality; it’s nearly time to say goodbye. The sumptuous lick of a cymbal like the last sip from a liqueur-drenched rim. You raise your glass: a toast, to better days. The warmth of the fading light twinkles through you (or is that the vodka?).
What you’ll need:
1 ½ oz vodka
4 oz orange juice
½ oz grenadine
½ oz honey syrup
Dash of Angostura bitters
Instructions:
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the vodka, orange juice, syrup and bitters.
Shake well until chilled.
Strain into a highball glass filled with ice.
Pour the grenadine in and stir gently to create a sunset effect.
Drink while reminiscing with an old friend.
#7 - Penny Lemonade (Headlights on the Shore)
A drink for when you need to believe in forever. Blue curacao that shimmers like their eyes in the twilight. Sip this one gently, to the sound of lackadaisical synth and the crackle of dreamy static. Tonight, you have all the time in the world. A sizzling guitar cracks open the steamy evening. A cooling drink is in order.
What you’ll need:
2 oz gin
1 oz blue curacao
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup
Splash of lemonade
Instructions:
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the gin, blue curacao, lemon juice and syrup.
Shake well until chilled.
Strain into a highball glass filled with ice.
Top with a refreshing splash of lemonade.
#8 - Final Call (End of the World)
Everything is ending; everything is beginning. As the ground shakes and the air fills with discordant blasts, why not watch the world end with a drink in hand? A melancholy mixture of dark rum and bright, zesty overtones, ominous throbs of bass underneath major chords. A flitting synth; a sprig of mint. Not goodbye – ‘see you later’. A complex chord of sweet, sour, bitter; things have been left undone, but that’s how it has to be. Maybe you’ll catch me sipping a drink on a different street, in a different life.
What you’ll need:
2 oz dark rum
½ oz lime juice
½ oz simple syrup
Dash of Angostura bitters
Mint sprig for garnish
Instructions:
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the rum, lime juice, syrup and bitters.
Shake well until chilled.
Strain into a highball glass filled with ice.
Garnish with mint.
Sip while saying your goodbyes.
Midnight
#9 - Unholy Sundae (Lady Blue)
The lights dim as neon pulses through shadow. The ground heaves with a full-bodied thrum rich as caramel, velvety as cream. Tapping cymbals and swollen bass notes caress you like a lover’s touch. Sweet, slow contortions as smoke fills your eyes and liqueur coats your lips. The beat distorts, plunges, sound pulsing through liquid; you swirl through the decadent sensations of chocolate and rum. Salt on your skin, sweat on your glass. You are the night.
What you’ll need:
1 ½ oz spiced rum
½ oz dark chocolate liqueur
½ oz heavy cream
1 oz salted caramel syrup
Caramel sauce and dark chocolate shavings for garnish
Instructions:
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the rum, liqueur, cream and caramel syrup.
Shake well until chilled and frothy.
Strain into a chilled glass filled with ice.
Drizzle some caramel sauce on top and make sure to spill some.
Garnish with dark chocolate shavings.
#10 - Moonlight Makeout (Knife & Crystal)
An unstoppably catchy rhythm, a high, metric chime like the announcement of a toast. There is champagne in the air. Decadence, youth, honeyed laughter. Mischief is made, bitter plans whispered behind half-full glasses. The partygoers spill into the street and play footsies under the stars. Something will come of this night.
What you’ll need:
4 oz brut champagne
2 oz golden rum
1 tsp. honey
Dash of orange bitters
Edible glitter or silver dust for garnish
Instructions:
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the rum, honey and bitters.
Shake well until chilled.
Strain into a highball glass filled with ice.
Top with champagne.
Garnish with glitter or silver dust.
The Next Morning
Mouth dry, head pounding, you wake up to reality. The night before is a series of smoky snapshots already fading - rapturous laughter, thrumming basslines, the rush of blood in your veins. You remember falling into a bush and you think you may have tried to summon a god. The night ended at the Opulent Ziggurat (though you’ve forgotten how you got there), and then down to the shoreline to wash your hands clean…
There’s nothing like a dalliance with Paradise Killer, but don’t be surprised when you wake up with a frightful hangover. The tantalizing dream of the Paradise Islands holds up only as long as you agree not to gaze at it too directly, not to question your own complicity. But every dream must end. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the fate of the Island Sequences, broken at their core and doomed to fail. Island 24, too, is coming undone, the ground rumbling under your feet, the fabric of reality breaking apart. Perhaps you’ll feel wistful as you look back at this place of neon starlight and romantic possibility, or maybe you’ll cheer as it implodes into nothingness. Either way, be sure to send it off with a toast.
Kat (she/her) makes video essays on Youtube critically analysing games and how they make her feel. She also writes articles on Medium and has written for Into the Spine and Uppercut!. Follow her on Twitter @pixel_a_day and support her on Patreon.
rayzones (they/the/it) is a queer disabled artist who also makes games as part of lowpolis. You can check their stuff out on itch.
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