Enter the Gungeon: Shotga Cola

This Gungeon is a dark and lonely place. Each mistake is recorded and I am constantly brought back to the entrance just to repeat the never ending cycle. Maybe this time I’ll make it a little further. Excellent, another chest! Time to use my trusty lockpick to open… nevermind. The pick jammed the lock. Guess I’ll try to break it open and of course junk again! But wait a second… this one seems to be moving.

Ser Junkan at your service.

What a strange little creature – it seems he might be able to aid me. As I adventure forward through each chamber I continue to gather more junk. It seems Ser Junkan continues to grow in strength. He is now my defender. He continues to boldly fight as the bullets rain down from our foes. Each time one jumps near me he dives to protect me.

Your fight doesn’t end here. We must reach the bottom.

With Ser Junkan by my side, I’ve gotten to the furthest chamber I’ve ever been on. It is pretty hot down here and I’m unsure if I can continue.

Do not fret, young warrior. With me you’ll be able to face any beast…

I must put my trust in Ser Junkan. He is my guiding light.

During our trip to Canada last month, we packed our Nintendo Switch to play when we got back to the hotel after long hikes. My husband picked up Enter the Gungeon for the trip and I watched him play several rounds. Rogue-like games are not for me. I prefer my games to allow me to build up my own character and see them get stronger over time. Enter the Gungeon is a very entertaining game to watch. I get the joy of watching the action happen without worrying about avoiding all the bullets in the game. My husband has been slowly uncovering secret routes to take as he adventures through each of the chambers. He is a gamer that enjoys finding the secrets on his own and not looking them up. I will occasionally look things up on the wiki and know the result but not share them with him. This makes watching his attempts a bit more silly when he comes up with an idea that is just completely wrong.

During each run in the Gungeon you can improve your character by finding random items or purchasing them from the shopkeep. A few of the items are some kind of food or drink and I was really surprised to see them in the game. This week I am taking a look at the Shotga Cola. This item allows your character to run slightly faster in the game. Homemade soda might sound a bit intimidating at first but I promise it is actually quite simple; there is no special machine needed and it can be prepared in advance. All you really need is a syrup base and some club soda. Once you have the syrup made, you can store it in the refrigerator, up to 2 weeks, until you are ready to serve. The addition of the citric acid gives the soda a bit of a sour punch. I really think it is essential to the recipe but can be left out if you want to just have a smooth cola.
Ingredients:
Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 orange, zest and juice
½ small grapefruit, zest and juice
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom seeds, smashed
½ tsp coriander seeds
2 star anise
½ vanilla bean, split in half
3 tbsp browning sauce
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Soda (per serving)
1 ¼ cup club soda
5-7 tbsp of syrup
1 tsp citric acid
ice

Combine the water, sugar, orange zest, grapefruit zest, cinnamon stick, cardamom seed, coriander seeds, star anise, and vanilla bean in a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved and then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and strain into an airtight container. Add the orange and grapefruit juice (should be about ⅔ cup of juice total). Mix in the browning sauce and vanilla extract. Once cooled, cover and store in refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 2 weeks.

To make a serving, combine the syrup, citric acid, and ice in a cup. Pour in the club soda and stir.