According to the Hollywood Reporter, the promotion Beetlejuice juice drink served at AMC Theaters that boasts an attached MacGuffin bar can set you back about $31, depending on your state’s alcohol tax laws.
The 24-ounce “Sandworm Slayer” cocktail is described as “a mix of blue and black raspberry juice” on the rocks, “with [an undisclosed] premium vodka.” The drink is filled with six sour worms (presumably Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers) and is served in a plastic cup, if you plan to bring the concoction to the theater. Here’s what it looks like, as delivered:
I bought an AMC BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE themed drink. It costs 31 dollars… pic.twitter.com/xSHnCuo60D
— Andrew Woods (@JimJarmuschHair) September 8, 2024
As the store notes, the green drink is usually sold at a very low price, but in some ways the scary price of $21. The unlucky customer above bought his Sandworm Slayer in the state of Illinois, which “brought the price of the drink down to $28.25, plus tax.”
At its expense, many have noticed that the cocktail (even if it tastes incredible, which they seem to appreciate) does not look good, making little effort to evoke a Tim Burton film in terms of theme or presentation. First, why is that so blue green? Much like Beetlejuice itself, Sandworms are black and white striped annelids with red eyes and two sets of green colored lips. There are a few ways to represent this as an elegant cocktail that is almost certainly worth the $20-30 price tag.
In one, a layered cocktail—dark syrup with white liqueur to evoke the creature’s flesh, is served with two maraschino cherry eyepots. Dust a tall glass with raw sugar, and your drink already looks like a worm. If that’s too difficult, serving a black and white striped straw with your cocktail can go a long way. Make a drink a green one instead of blue, and you already have more Beetlejuice –ahead of AMC’s confusing Sandworm Slayer. Hell, you can even represent a true worm head with an extra bomb shot. Not to mention what could be done with a drink meant to evoke Lydia’s red wedding dress, or the original “Day-O” musical number from the film.
The disappointment of AMC’s ridiculously expensive drink pairing isn’t so much a capitalist drive, as it is a failure of genius on the part of the theater. Since the company just got a brush with death, itself, you’d think it’d be thinking about grave issues. Or at least alcohol.
Have you tried Sandworm Slayer? Is it are you trying? Let us know in the comments below.
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