Strange brew: Iconic fictional alcoholic beverages

Listening to Mr. Fox (George Clooney), from this popular 2009 Wes Anderson stop-motion animated comedy film, tell it, Bean's Alcoholic Cider just might be the greatest thing ever made by man. He states: 'This is some of the strongest, finest alcoholic cider money can buy — or that can even be stolen. It burns in your throat, boils in your stomach. It tastes almost exactly like pure, melted gold.' Sounds pretty enticing. That's if we're still standing after a few tastes.

Brockman's has actually been a quite popular fake beer brand for several years. A member of the fictional Bilson Brewing Company family, Brockman, described as a "Premium Dark Lager," has appeared in popular television shows such as Angel (1999-2004), Lie to Me (2009-11), It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005-present) and the Matt Damon film Invictus (2009). If there's one beer on this list that might be worth trying in real life, Brockman would get our vote.

Now, within the realm of the Harry Potter movie franchise, the effects of butterbeer vary on who is actually drinking this popular beverage. It's been known to knock house-elves on their behinds if too much is consumed. However, it seems to not have much, if any, effect on witches and wizards. Meanwhile, Harry and his pals seem to enjoy it without doing any real harm. Of course, the big question surrounding J.K. Rowling's version of butterbeer is what it actually tastes like. Butterscotch seems to be a popular answer.

It can be argued that Duff is the famous fictional beer out there. And why not? Homer and his pals seem to love the stuff more than life itself. Duff also apparently goes well with Homer's favorite sweet: donuts. Fans of Duff, in Springfield and beyond, should journey to Duff Gardens, a Disneyland/Busch Gardens theme-park spoof on the show. Try the "beer goggles" for that authentic drunken experience. Now, back to reality. Duff started as a fictional beer, but its recognizable label has been slapped on real-life beer bottles and cans without the proper authorization, which has led to numerous legal battles.  

Movie fans of a certain age, and especially in Canada, know that Elsinore Beer is the preferred choice of the slacker McKenzie brothers — Doug (Dave Thomas) and Dave (Rick Moranis) — from this beloved 1983 cult-classic comedy film. When they put a mouse in a bottle of Elsinore and blame it on a local liquor store in an effort to receive free beer, they end up working at the company's brewery. That's when the fun really begins. If this movie doesn't make you want to crack open a beer, we don't know what will.

Another alcoholic gem from The Simpsons. First, it's important to give credit where credit is due since Homer introduced bartender Moe Szyslak to the Flaming Homer, a drink that included various remaining contents of near-empty alcohol bottles, cough syrup and fire (originally cigarette ash). Liking the idea to boost business, Moe stole Homer's concept and started selling the Flaming Moe, which became very popular, much to Homer's anger. Of course, no right-minded person in real life should drink something like that.

The Seinfeld gang was never much for consuming alcohol. However, during early seasons of the legendary sitcom, Hennigan's Scotch has a rather prominent recurring role, most notably when Kramer (Michael Richards) demonstrates that Hennigan's is a odorless drink — while Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) notes he's been using it as a paint thinner. Meanwhile, Hennigan's proves to be the fuel that initiates a romantic encounter between George (Jason Alexander) and his office's cleaning lady. Of course, the booze causes George to throw up and lose his new job. 

Popular amid the Lord of the Rings universe. It's been called as an energy drink for elves. What on the surface looks like wine has also been described as warm and fragrant, but apparently more potent. According to Tolkien Gateway, Miruvor is the "nectar of the Valar and made from Yavanna's flowers." Do we have all that down? OK, now for the gist of things. When the elves needed a little boost or pick-me up, they'd go straight for the Miruvor.

When Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his droogs were looking for a little enhanced refreshment, they would head over to the Korova Milk Bar. Their drink of choice was the barbiturate-laced milk, which tuned them up for a night of mischief, debauchery and certainly something illegal. Now, Moloko Plus is not technically an alcoholic drink, but according to A Clockwork Orange lore, can also be served with amphetamines, synthetic mescaline and even a variety of hallucinogens, thus making it worthy of a spot on this list.

When talking about the most potent drink on this list, we'd likely go with The Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, created by former Galaxy president Zaphod Beeblebrox. According to the Guide, the effects of this drink are like 'having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick.' In real life, fans of this cult-classic franchise from television, film and literature, have come up with their own recipes to emulate this concoction, which Beeblebrox warned consumers to 'never drink more than two Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters unless you are a thirty-ton mega elephant with bronchial pneumonia.'

In the spirit of Duff, which has resulted in a rivalry between the two popular animated beers (which we learn might actually be the same product), Pawtucket Patriot is proudly brewed in Quahog, R.I. It's Peter Griffin's favorite beer, and he even ends up working at the brewery, which proves not good for anybody involved, but highly entertaining. In many ways, Pawtucket Patriot beer is kind of like another Family Guy character. It's enjoyed plenty of screen time and plot points.

Spoofing one of the many Samuel Adams beer commercials throughout the years, we get another gem from Dave Chappelle's early 2000s comedy sketch show. And, apparently whenever a bottle of Samuel Jackson is ordered to the table, the actual, iconic actor will be in your face to promote his beer — whether patrons like it or not — between swigs. That would seem amusing to start, but could get a little bothersome in a hurry.

By-the-book and insecure Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley) is now running the bar that Sam sold to a big corporation. Cheers employees Woody and a pregnant Carla are wearing uniforms. Ultimately, Rebecca hires Sam as a bartender, due to his legacy as a Major League Baseball player. Meanwhile, the Cheers gang finds a genius way to get rid of stuffy bartender Wayne. Enter the Screaming Viking. And make sure the cucumber is slightly bruised. Other than that, we don't know the recipe, but apparently it's undrinkable.

'If you've got a big thirst. and you're gay. Reach for a cold, tall bottle of Schmitt's Gay.' That tagline pretty much says it all from this classic SNL sketch featuring house-sitting buddies (brilliantly played by Chris Farley and Adam Sandler), who find themselves in an all-male paradise. The original version of the sketch features Van Halen's "Beautiful Girls" in the backdrop, and though it doesn't really make sense with the theme of the piece, still adds to the overall hilarity. 

One of the most recognizable fictional beers — and companies — in television history. And in pop culture as a whole, for that matter. Milwaukee's Shotz Brewery is the fictional employer to the beloved television duo of Laverne DeFazio (Penny Marshall) and Shirley Feeney (Cindy Williams). But, Shotz beer bottles and display decorative neon signs are also pretty prominent throughout the iconic series, notably during the legendary opening theme song. 

When Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) ran the The Snake Hole Lounge, the prize of his drink menu was Snake Juice, presumably a pre-made version of an energy drink with alcohol. Think of it as taking Red Bull and vodka to the next level. It was so potent that even stoic pillar Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) got drunk. Not to mention, Leslie (Amy Poehler) and Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) were so hammered from Snake Juice that they endured their first fight as friends. Fellow parks employee Donna Meagle (Retta) described the drink as "rat poison." And the next-day hangover? Well, let's not go there. 

Also known as the Vesper martini. Novelist Ian Fleming introduced this sophisticated cocktail for his iconic James Bond character via Casino Royale in 1953. Named after double-agent — and one of Bond's love interests — Vesper Lynd, the drink consists of, according to Fleming: 'Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet.' Most recently, Daniel Craig's Bond can be seen with one from 2008 film version of Casino Royale.

This is a creation of the seemingly incompetent Randy Wharmpess (Will Forte). He is a colleague of Marshall (Jason Segel), whom the latter fires for his poor performance track record. However, the time off allows Randy to start his own beer brewing business. Wharmpess, despite its comically-sounding name, turns out to be a success. During the run of the show, we see the main characters drinking different varieties of the beer, including Wharmpess Gold, whose label features a beer matron resembling Robin (Cobie Smulders).