Over the Garden Wall and Cocktails from The Unknown
From Cartoon Network, November 3rd, 2014
Over the Garden Wall and Into Hell
If, in 2014, you missed the original five-night run of Over the Garden Wall on Cartoon Network, no one would be surprised. Partaking in the popular format of the time, each episode was about eleven minutes long, and with ten total episodes being spread out over the November 3rd work week, it didn’t do very well.
Like many great pop culture content, however, it would become a Halloween cult classic celebrated yearly by those who managed to catch the original run or who came across it later, like yours truly. Unfortunately for OTGW, it was a closed-circuit story that made licensing for consumer goods, like toys and clothes, impossible to monetize and therefore not worth revisiting or re-airing. As of September 2024, it doesn’t even have a home on the internet: Cartoon Network scrubbed their webpage of old cartoons, all but illuminating it from the zeitgeist save for in memory and on seasonal streaming platform programming. Currently, as of October 2024, all ten episodes can be binged on Hulu and MAX.
Somewhere lost in the clouded annals of history lies a place that few have seen, a mysterious place called The Unknown, where long-forgotten stories are revealed to those who travel through the wood.
— “The Old Grist Mill”
Ep.1, Over the Garden Wall
Cartoon Network
If you do happen to watch OTGW (and I recommend you do), and you feel as though there’s something more below the surface of the cartoon, then do a Google and find an in-depth plot breakdown of OTGW. There are many out there. In short, two half-brothers, lost in the dark woods of The Unknown, are seeking a way home. This would fall into the plot trope of “a man goes on a journey” overlayed with “man vs. self”, but subverted. What’s more interesting, though, is how it pulls in and uses fairy tale and folklore tropes and motifs as they make sense while finely walking the line of being deep enough for an adult to enjoy and playful enough for children to love, too.
If you do do a Google, you’ll find smart attribution of the plot’s layout to mostly follow that of Dante Alighieri's 14th Century Divine Comedy, specifically the first part, Inferno, in which the eponymous protagonist, Dante, descends into Hell guided by the spirit of Virgil, the ancient Roman poet. Inferno is an allegory and not really a story and, instead, the plot and characters are meant to represent deeper moral and spiritual truths, particularly 14th Century Christian moral and spiritual truths. What gives it that specific distinction of “not really being a story”? Well, no one changes by the story’s end; the lesson to be learned is by you, dear reader, who must know the proper ways to avoid Hell and be a good Christian. In it, Dante passes through the nine circles of Hell, each representing a sin and the punishment suffered for eternity by those souls who had sinned in life. You know, perfectly light-hearted content for the basis of a children’s network cartoon.
Luckily, OTGW doesn’t veer into moral or religious allegory, though the story is still allegorical. Starting with episode 2, each episode loosely correlates to one of the circles of Hell though the plot doesn’t represent a sin nor punishment. What’s interesting about OTGW is that the circle being represented is usually subverted in the plot, which makes the connection to Inferno more difficult to notice and a little more rewarding.
For example, in episode 2, “Hard Times at the Huskin’ Bee”, the pointy, red-hat protagonist, Wirt, and his teapot-pot hat wearing younger half-brother, Greg, stumble on a small farm where everyone is dressed like a pumpkin-headed scarecrow. Their little hamlet is surrounded by pumpkin fields and they’re getting ready for the harvest before the big party. This episode, meant to represent the first circle of Hell – Limbo – is where the unbaptized and pre-Christians dwell unpunished but unable to enter Heaven, its own kind of punishment.
Back at the Huskin’ Bee, Wirt and Greg are sentenced to labor by the town elder, Enoch, for interfering with the harvest. The labor, it turns out, is digging what appear to be graves that Wirt worries are for the two brothers. Instead, the “harvest” is the raising of the dead – skeletons who then don the scarecrow and pumpkin outfit – who Wirt & Greg are “harvesting” by digging them up, a reverse grave. The subversion here is both literal (in the reverse grave) and figurative in that the Limbo of OTGW isn’t a place virtuous pagans are forced to reside without the warmth and love of Heaven but is a place the dead are actively excited to be a part of: laughing, singing and dancing, they look forward to their time in Limbo.
I could delve into the deepest parts of the Inferno + OTGW overlap, or even correlate OTGW with the story of Orpheus and Eurydice (in which Orpheus descends into Hell to bring back the soul of his dead wife; in this case, Greg, who descends into The Unknown to help save Wirt), but instead I’d like to touch briefly on how the character-driven story and allegorical nature of OTGW helps deepen and elevate the story as a Bildungsroman, or coming of age story, perfect for the intended and unintended audiences of Cartoon Network.
Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate.
Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.— The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Inferno
Dante Alighieri, 1265-1321
New York :The Union Library Association, 1935
If you’ve never heard of, and have no idea, what a Bildungsroman is, I wouldn’t be surprised. Undoubtedly, you’ve enjoyed a story that is built in the Bildungsroman tradition: from The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin and Wuthering Heights to Ender’s Game and Harry Potter, each are somewhat modern examples. The convention is simple. It concerns itself with a naïve person (Wirt) who either searches for or is sent on an answer-seeking journey. This is often a trope applied to stories made for children and young adults, but doesn’t need to be limited in that way. For example, Neo, from The Matrix, fits into the Bildungsroman convention. With roots set in a character who is either a trouble maker, disruptive, or considered a slow learner (or a dunce), the connection to Wirt’s character, who wears a bright red pointy-hat, like that of a dunce cap, becomes obvious.
By tapping into the myriad folklore and fairy tale tropes, and utilizing familiar story-telling structures, Over the Garden Wall takes an experience that is traumatic and serious to the protagonist and pulls it sideways into The Unknown and light-hearted allegory. The Unknown is a place where ephemera like emotions and abstract questions can be made real in a way that allows for Wirt (and Greg) to interact with them. What does doubt and insecurity, maybe even anxiety and depression, look like? The Beast, perhaps, who can only harvest you to feed his lantern once you’ve given up all hope.
What’s important to keep in mind, along with all the imagery woven throughout, is to not focus on the specific correlations and representations from Inferno because they belie the greatest difference, which is the importance of OTGW’s narrative.
Wirt: GREG?
Greg: YES, WIRT?
Wirt: CAN WE PLEASE STOP PRETENDING WE'RE GONNA GET HOME?
Greg: HUH?
Wirt: CAN WE ADMIT WE'RE LOST FOR GOOD? THAT THIS FOG IS DEEPER THAN WE CAN EVER UNDERSTAND? THAT WE ARE BUT WAYWARD LEAVES, SCATTERED TO THE AIR BY AN INDIFFERENT WIND? CAN WE JUST ADMIT WE'RE NEVER GONNA GET BACK HOME, GREG? CAN WE DO THAT?
Greg: WIRT, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING IF YOU SET YOUR MIND TO IT. THAT'S WHAT THE OLD PEOPLE SAY.
Wirt: WELL, THEN LET'S DO THAT.
— “Babes in the Woods”
Ep.8, Over the Garden Wall
Cartoon Network
While Inferno is strictly an allegory meant to teach readers how to avoid Christian sin and the consequences they’ll face if they don’t, OTGW takes that allegory and, with the addition of a character-driven story, creates a narrativistic metaphor that’s wider ranging than Inferno but also easily overlooked or written off. This is because of how OTGW’s Unknown is designed as a liminal space and perfect for representing Wirt’s character development.
A liminal space is a place that’s transitional, providing a connection for visitors passing through to a new location; it’s not the origin or the destination, but the space between. For Inferno, Hell was a very real place and not one you merely passed through (unless you’re Dante, I guess), so there’s nothing transitional about making Hell itself the point and the only lesson to learn to avoid it. Good point – noted, Dante. The Unknown, on the other hand, is a transitional space between two points that we learn about in ep. 9, “Into The Unknown”. Wirt is also called “a Pilgrim…. a traveler on a sacred journey” in ep. 4, “Songs of the Dark Lantern”, and it’s important to be a traveler in a liminal space because to fail to pass through means you’re stuck. In OTGW, those children who have become stuck in The Unknown become Edelwood trees that the Beast grinds to oil to fuel his lamp, highlighting the danger and risk of becoming “stuck”.
But here is where the importance of the story being added to the allegory transforms OTGW into an elevated, narrativistic metaphor about facing The Unknown despite fear and being able to come through to the other side changed (luckily, in this story, it is “for the better” though not all Bildungsromans have to end that way). And, again, re: seems obvious, it has to be said because the story elements, the narrative itself, buries this metaphor, making it not only more difficult to parse in all its complicated glory but also creates the added capitalistic-layer of entertainment, meaning OTGW, as something to be consumed, is more easily seen as something for kids and readily dismissed by adults. Literally, these layers create an obfuscation that’s like not seeing the forest from the Edelwood trees. And yet the reason so many people still pour over OTGW a decade later is because of these layers and this deeper, hidden metaphor applicable to both children and adults: in its 110-minute run-time, OTGW joins the allegory of Dante’s Inferno with the narrative elements of a Bildungsroman to create a coming-of-age story fit for both children and adults about stepping into The Unknown, facing their deepest fears embodied in The Beast, and coming through to the other side, changed for the better, with help from those who love them.
And there it is, what’s seminally important about Over the Garden Wall, or any Bildungsroman, which isn’t about the specific plot it contains but generally how the trope calls to you in your life, in its own way, showing you the Pilgrim you might become and the Beast of your own making you may best along the way. The metaphor found in Over the Garden Wall is that the person you want to become lies on the other side of a dark and terrifying place that can only be reached through a difficult, life-changing journey through The Unknown. And that’s a Rock Fact.
Cocktails from
The Unknown:
Pilgrim of
The Unknown
The Butcher: I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE! YOU'RE A PILGRIM!
Wirt: WHAT? WHAT, LIKE THE -- THE GUYS WHO EAT TURKEY AND CRANBERRY SAUCE?
The Butcher: NO, YOU'RE A PILGRIM!
Wirt: A PILGRIM?
The Butcher: YOU'RE A TRAVELER ON A SACRED JOURNEY.
The Master: YOU'RE THE MASTER OF YOUR OWN
DESTINY.
The Baker: THE HERO OF YOUR OWN STORY!
Wirt: A PILGRIM…
The Baker: TELL US YOUR FEATS, PILGRIM!WHAT OTHER CHALLENGES HAVE YOU OVERCOME?
— “Songs of the Dark Lantern”
Ep.4, Over the Garden Wall
Cartoon Network
The Pilgrim of The Unknown walks a shaded path through the dark forest, faces the Beast, and comes out the other side changed, improved. We’ve all journeyed our own dark forests, our own Unknowns, and many now are facing the journey towards sobriety, whether intermittently or permanently, so this drink is an homage to those Pilgrims. And whether you’re celebrating Sober October, have forgone alcohol altogether, or want something flavorful and fun, this is the drink for you.
Built with an orgeat made from the leftover seeds and “guts” of a carved pumpkin, this drink has a dark, nutty sweetness that’s balanced against the slight bitterness of pink grapefruit juice and the spice of chai tea. You can batch this for a get together, or trick-or-treat night, and it can be served warm.
Pilgrim of The Unknown
2.5oz Chai Tea (2 bags per 8oz; other teas, like a Rooibos, work too)
1.5oz Fresh Pink Grapefruit Juice (Natalie’s Organic will do)
1oz Pumpkin Guts Orgeat*
Add all ingredients to a shaker tin with ice.
Shake for 10-15 seconds.
Pour into a mug and top with crushed ice, and garnish with a quartered grapefruit wheel, cinnamon stick, and cinnamon powder.
*Pumpkin Guts Orgeat:
Pre-heat your oven to 300F. Separate pumpkin seeds from the stringy guts pulled from a carved pumpkin. Roast seeds for 18-24 minutes, tossing every 6 minutes until browned. Roast pumpkin flesh for 15-20 minutes or until soft and slightly golden brown around the edges.
Combine 2oz (1/4c) Water & 6oz (3/4c) Maple syrup and microwave until steamy but not boiling. Combine it along with 1oz (1/2c) of Roasted Pumpkin Seeds and 2oz (1/4c) Roasted Pumpkin in a blender and blend for 30-60 seconds. Allow to steep for 10 minutes in the blender. Using a nutmilk bag, or other fine-mesh strainer, separate the orgeat from the solids (you may need to squeeze the bag to coax the most liquid from it). Do not use a coffee filter on the first strain because it will clog to a complete stop after so very little has strained. Refrigerate for up to 2 months.
To Serve Warm:
Don’t shake drink with ice, instead make fresh hot tea and combine with other ingredients in a mug or tea cup.
Batch Recipe - Makes 1L or 34oz
17oz Chai Tea (5 tea bags in 20oz water)
10oz Fresh Pink Grapefruit Juice
7oz Pumpkin Guts Orgeat*
Combine all ingredients then bottle and refrigerate until needed.
To serve warm, add fresh brewed hot tea with other ingredients in a crock pot set on low and ladle into glasses. You can garnish the batch in the crock pot with dried grapefruit and orange wheels floated on top.
Bluebird’s Curse
Wirt: SO, HOW DID YOU BECOME A BLUEBIRD?
Beatrice: (SIGHS) HEY, WHAT'S THAT?
Wirt: DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT.
Beatrice: HMM.
[ WIND BLOWS ]
Beatrice: THERE'S A BREEZE COMING OUT OF HERE.
Wirt: OH, YEAH. WHOA!
Beatrice: WHAT?!
Wirt: A SECRET ENTRANCE! SO, ABOUT YOUR DARK SECRET.
Beatrice: HEY, HOW ABOUT YOU TELL ME YOUR DARK SECRETS INSTEAD, HUH?
Wirt: MY SECRETS ARE TOO SECRET. HEY, LOOK. LIGHT.
Beatrice: WHOA. NOW WHO'S AVOIDING THE QUESTION?
Wirt: YOU.
Beatrice: FINE. I THREW A ROCK AT A BLUEBIRD, AND IT CURSED ME AND MY FAMILY, AND NOW WE'RE ALL BLUEBIRDS. HAPPY? NOW YOU GO.
Wirt: WHOA. Y-YOUR WHOLE FAMILY?
Beatrice: YEAH.
Wirt: IS THAT WHY YOU'RE GOING TO ADELAIDE'S -- TO FIX THINGS?
Beatrice: THAT WAS THE PLAN, BUT -- (SIGHS) YEAH, THAT WAS THE PLAN.
Wirt: IT'LL ALL WORK OUT.
Beatrice: ALL I KNOW IS I AM NEVER GOING BACK TILL I CAN MAKE THEM HUMAN AGAIN. I'D DO PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING.
— “Mad Love”
Ep.5, Over the Garden Wall
Cartoon Network
Bluebird’s Curse is an intertwining interpretation of two lesser-known cocktails: the Kir Cocktail and the Prince Henry. Built with thyme-infused aged tequila, dry vermouth, gentian liqueur, and a milk-clarified Bluebird syrup, the real curse is that one won’t be enough.
The Bluebird syrup is made with blueberry preserves, simple syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and lemon. It’s then added to a small amount of whole milk which curdles from the lemon’s bite. Strained through a fine mesh, the syrup comes out a rich, transparent blue-purple. The transformation of the syrup through the clarification process is for Beatrice, herself altered but focused – her goals, and morals, defined clearly.
Bluebird’s Curse
2oz Thyme-Infused Anejo Tequila*
0.75oz Bluebird Syrup**
0.75oz Dry Vermouth
0.25oz Gentian Liqueur (Saler’s)
2 drops Saline
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, then add ice.
Stir for 20-30 seconds or until chilled.
Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a sprig of thyme.
*Thyme-Infused Anejo Tequila:
Combine 8oz of Tequila with 10g of Thyme, twigs included. Allow to infuse for 6-12 hours, then taste. If left too long, a deep woody note will come through from the branches. Alternatively, you can use 4-5g of just the leaves if you want to take the time to strip them from the branch.
**Bluebird Syrup:
Combine 3oz Blueberry Preserves (or Jam/Puree), 3oz Simple Syrup (1:1), 2oz Fresh Lemon Juice, 2oz Sweetened Condensed Milk. In a microwave safe container add 3oz of Whole Milk and microwave until steaming but not boiling (two 30s bursts and stirring should do). Add Blueberry mix to milk and stir. Allow to curdle and cool in the fridge for an hour or two, or overnight if need be.
Pour through a fine mesh strainer, like a nut milk bag; a coffee filter will be too tight for this and will clog and not work. The first bit of liquid to pass through will be cloudy because the curds haven’t settled as a filter yet; simply add it back on top of the filtering syrup and allow it to drip undisturbed in the fridge. This may take some time! Don’t stir or otherwise bother the process. The curds are edible (and tasty), and you can use other “milks” if you prefer, like 2% or Coconut milk (but not coconut cream).
The Beast
Come, wayward souls
And wander through the darkness
There is a light, for the lost and the meek
Sorrow and fear are easily forgotten
When you submit to the soil of the earth
Grow, tiny seed
You are called to the trees
Rise till your leaves fill the sky
Until your sighs fill the air in the night
Lift your mighty limbs
And give praise to the fire— “Come Wayward Souls (ft. Samuel Ramey)”
Over the Garden Wall Original Soundtrack
The Beast is dark, dry, and its flavor profile is reminiscent of the deep forest. The cocktail is emboldened by a flavorful cube of ice made from the rendered liquid of mushrooms, beets, and blackberries. Like the oil that keeps the Beast’s lantern lit, derived from Edelwood trees who are, themselves, the hopeless souls of children lost forever in The Unknown, this Beastly Ice Cube feeds the cocktail’s dark heart.
Are you brave enough to handle The Beast, child? Or have you already given up hope…
The Beast
1.5oz Walnut Oil Washed Rye*
0.5oz London Dry Gin
0.33oz Nocino or Walnut Liqueur
0.33oz Amaro Sfumato Rabarbaro
0.33oz Dolin Genepy des Alpes
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, then add ice.
Stir for 20-30 seconds or until chilled.
Add a large Beest Cube** to a chilled rocks glass.
Strain the cocktail into the rocks glass over the Beest Cube.
*Walnut Oil Washed Rye Whiskey:
Combine 6oz of Rye Whiskey (90-100 proof) with0.75oz of Toasted Walnut Oil. Allow to infuse at room temperature for 6-10 hours (or sous vide at 135F for 2 hours) then place in the freezer to solidify oil. Pour rye through coffee filter to remove solid walnut oil. If Oil doesn’t solidify, transfer to a ziplock bag and allow to separate again; poke small hole in bag and allow whiskey to trickle out into a container, closing hole when the oil layer is nearly at the bottom.
**Beest Cube - makes 2 cubes:
Combine 2.5oz Mushroom Stock, 1.5oz Blackberry Juice, 1.5oz Beet Juice, and 0.5oz Crème de Cacao White then fill two large square ice cube molds and allow to freeze overnight. Beest Cubes will be a little tacky but entirely solid, and will add an evolving sweet, earthy, umami flavor profile to the cocktail as it melts.
-To make Mushroom Stock: microwave 12oz of water until boiling and add 6g of dried mushroom (I used Porcini) and allow to steep at room temperature for 30 minutes.
-To make Blackberry Juice: blend one pint of Blackberries then pour through mesh strainer, stirring pulp to get all the liquid you can.
-To make Beet Juice: peel one beet and quarter; wrap each quarter in foil and place on a baking sheet also lined with foil. Roast in the oven at 350f for one hour. Blend with 1/4c water and pass through a mesh strainer.