One of the best cocktail bars in Washington, DC is Silver Lyan, the only American outpost of award-winning British maestro Ryan “Mr Lyan” Chetiyawardana’s cocktail empire. The bar, located in an underground vault of a bank-turned-chic downtown hotel, is renowned for its elaborate techniques and cleverly referential cocktails—one recent drink was designed to mimic a half-smoked drink, Washington’s , D.C. Signature Chili Dog and its thematic menus.

During the summer, the bar unveiled its new menu, dedicated to the exploration of taboos. On this menu, we find drinks dedicated to cannibalism, nipples, unspeakable words and prohibited substances.

For example, there’s the Banned in Boston, which consists of Patrón reposado tequila, papaya amazake, Froyo cornflake, white cocoa absinthe, and silver pepper blend. Even if you don’t know most of the ingredients, all you need to know is that they’re all part of a high-level story in a glass.

The drink was inspired by the so-called forbidden fruit effect. As a post on the bar’s Instagram feed explains: “Several psychological studies have shown that limiting access to something only makes it more desirable – the more you tell people they can’t have something, the more they want it – and the appeal of this thing. inaccessible has been exploited by savvy marketers for centuries. So, several ingredients in the cocktail come from substances that were banned or associated with the Garden of Eden, where Eve was tempted to eat a fruit from a particular tree after being told not to.

Papayas, for example, are the official state fruit of Missouri, and it is in Missouri that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe the Garden of Eden existed. The papayas in the drink, however, come from a farm in Ohio and are combined with mango, banana, koji rice and vodka. And that’s just part of the drink.

The Froyo cornflake, meanwhile, is a nod to John Harvey Kellogg, a progressive leader in the late 1800s and early 1900s who advocated sexual abstinence, insisting that it had benefits for health. For the drink, cornflakes and whole milk are combined in cereal milk, then added to Greek yogurt, which is then garnished with peppercorns.

If this seems extremely elaborate, fear not; the drink itself is creamy and fresh and covered in delicious and unexpected flavors. It’s so unusual and so good that it’s not hard to imagine the drink being, well, banned in Bostona mid-20th century expression that reached meme status referring to the New England town’s historic propensity to ban books, music, films, and other artistic works with supposedly objectionable content.

The good news? Banned in Boston is available for consumption in Washington, DC

The article DC Cocktail Bar Tackles Taboos appeared first on Reason.com.