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A Stranger Things Upside Down cocktail in a tall highball glass, deep red-purple raspberry liquid with a pale cloudy top layer, fresh raspberries and a sprig of thyme, dark moody bar background.

Stranger Things: Upside Down Cocktail Recipe

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Calories: 96kcal
Prep Time: 4 minutes
Total Time: 4 minutes
A cocktail for a Stranger Things rewatch, a Halloween pre-game, or any night that calls for something that looks as strange as it tastes good. Vodka, raspberry liqueur, lemon, and sugar syrup shaken hard and topped with soda to create a two-tone inverted look: deep red below, pale foamy head on top. Drop three raspberries through the foam and they settle into the red layer like something from the Upside Down itself.
The flavour is a Raspberry Collins in disguise. Tart, bright, not too sweet. The drama is the visual. The Stranger Things crowd orders it for the look; the bartenders who make it come back for the taste.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz Vodka Chilled
  • 0.75 oz Raspberry Liqueur Chambord or similar
  • 0.5 oz Lemon Juice Fresh
  • 0.25 oz Sugar Syrup
  • 2 oz Soda Water Chilled, for the top
  • 3 Fresh Raspberries For the float
  • 1 Thyme Sprig For garnish

Instructions

Build the Base:

  • Add vodka, raspberry liqueur, lemon juice, and sugar syrup to a shaker with ice.

Shake:

  • Shake hard for 12 seconds. You want it cold and slightly aerated for that hazy-top Upside Down look.

Pour:

  • Strain into a tall highball glass over fresh ice.

Top:

  • Gently top with 2 oz of cold soda water. Pour slowly down a bar spoon if you want the layers to stay more distinct.

Garnish:

  • Drop three fresh raspberries in. They sink through the foam and settle in the red layer for the Upside Down effect. Add a small sprig of thyme. Serve.

Notes

Shake it hard. The slightly foamy head on top is what gives the drink its Upside Down visual. A gentle stir won’t do it. Shake like you mean it for 12 seconds over ice.
Chambord, or a budget raspberry liqueur? Chambord is the classic choice and tastes noticeably better, but a mid-range bottle like Giffard Framboise or even DeKuyper works fine for the visual. If you’re making these for a party, go budget; if it’s the centrepiece of your rewatch night, grab the good stuff.
Top with soda slowly. For a sharper layer between the red and the pale head, pour the soda water over the back of a bar spoon. For a more blended, hazy look, pour straight. Both are legit; the hazy version actually feels more ‘Upside Down.’
Sub the thyme for rosemary if thyme isn’t in the house. Rosemary reads more Christmas, thyme more witchy, and for Stranger Things we want witchy.
When to drink it. Stranger Things rewatches. Halloween parties. Eerie-themed bar nights. Anywhere you want a cocktail that makes people stop and ask what’s in it before they sip.

Estimated Nutrition:

Calories: 96kcal (5%)
CourseBeverage, Cocktail, Drinks
CuisineBeverage, Cocktail, Drinks
KeywordBeverage Recipe, Cocktail Recipe, Drink Recipe

How to make a Stranger Things Upside Down

Four minutes, one shaker, one highball. The trick is the shake (makes the foamy head) and pouring the soda slowly so you get the two-tone inverted look.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz Vodka. Chilled. Any decent vodka.
  • 0.75 oz Raspberry Liqueur. Chambord ideally, any mid-shelf raspberry liqueur works.
  • 0.5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice. Non-negotiable.
  • 0.25 oz Sugar Syrup. Adjust to taste.
  • 2 oz Chilled Soda Water for the top.
  • 3 fresh raspberries for the float.
  • 1 sprig of thyme for garnish.

Instructions

  1. Build the base: vodka, raspberry liqueur, lemon juice, and sugar syrup in a shaker with ice.
  2. Shake hard: 12 seconds. You want it cold and slightly aerated.
  3. Pour: strain into a tall highball over fresh ice.
  4. Top slowly: 2 oz cold soda water, poured down a bar spoon for a sharper layer.
  5. Garnish: drop 3 raspberries in, add a thyme sprig, serve.

Three notes worth knowing

The shake makes the look

The pale foamy head that sits on top of the red base is what gives this drink its Upside Down feel. You only get that foam from a hard, proper shake. 12 seconds, ice, full force. A stir won’t cut it. A half-hearted shake gives you a clear top and a boring drink.

Chambord vs a budget raspberry liqueur

Chambord costs around $35 for 750ml and tastes noticeably richer and fruitier than the $15 alternatives. For a single cocktail on a rewatch night, go for Chambord. For a batch at a Stranger Things party, Giffard Framboise or DeKuyper Razzmatazz at half the price works. The visual is identical.

Pour the soda slowly for layers

Soda water poured straight into the drink mixes everything into a uniform hazy pink. Poured slowly over the back of a bar spoon, you get a clearer pale top and a darker raspberry base, which is the look you want. Either way the drink tastes the same; the spoon trick is purely for the camera.

When to drink an Upside Down cocktail

Stranger Things rewatches, obviously. Halloween parties where you want something with a colour story. Themed cocktail nights. Anywhere a drink that looks unsettling in a good way earns points. Not an afternoon sipper; this drinks like a Raspberry Collins, so think evenings.

If you want the full themed bar setup, pair it with our other Stranger Things cocktails for the full Hawkins vibe.