Want to take your game night from good to great? How about adding some flavor with some thematic recipes?

Follow our new series, Cocktails, Cooking, & Cardboard, for an easy guide to epic game nights!

This month, we will be playing Small World, eating “Pillaging” Pulled Pork Waffles, and drinking Whiskey Slaughters.

In Small World, there are endless possibilities of races and powers, several of which are over-the-top and kooky. Pillaging Skeletons and Dragon-Riding Halflings reminded us of one of our crazier waffle recipes: the Pulled Pork Waffles. Yeah. I know. But hear me out.

When I first sampled these waffles at the shop, my manager, Walter, and co-worker, Shannon, both gave me some serious side-eye. No way that would taste good! I had to talk them into their first bite, convince them to trust me. A few bites in, side eye became wide eyes as they begged for seconds – and thirds!

Like a successful, but odd, power and race combination, Pulled Pork Waffles combine classic, independently delicious flavors in a unique way. Pair them with a classic cocktail, like the Whiskey Slaughter – our play on a Tennessee Whiskey and Whiskey Sour – and your game night will be a “bloody” good time!

The Cardboard: Small World

Have you ever wanted to conquer a continent with a band of marauding trolls or dragon-riding amazons? In Small World, you may just get your chance.

Designed by Philippe Keyaerts and published by Days of Wonder©, Small World has been a staple in many collections for almost ten years.

In Small World, you and up to four of your friends take on each other in this game of land domination. Choose your army, lay waste to the opposition, and collect your rewards.

Like our recipes, Small World may look complex on the outside but it is fairly simple at its core. This game has the feeling of an epic strategy war game but takes less than two hours to play and only a few minutes to learn. With almost limitless combinations of abilities and warbands, you will never play the same game twice. Be the player with the most gold to win it all! It’s a world of S-laughter after all!

The Cooking: “Pillaging” Pulled Pork Waffles

For the waffle:

The base of your Pulled Pork Waffle is a cornbread waffle. You can use a cornbread mix, such as Krusteaz© or Jiffy©. Waffle makers are versatile in that you can put a variety of different batters in them and they will cook wonderfully!

For a homemade mix, follow this easy recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 2/3 cups milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:

1 – In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and sugar.

2 – Stir in the milk and eggs.

3 – Add the butter and stir again.

4 – Pour the mixture onto the hot waffle iron and cook until lightly browned. I find that a waffle iron that can cook at 400 degrees or higher makes for the perfect cornbread waffle.

5 – Cut into quarters and plate with the pointed, “stabby” side up.

For a crispier waffle (which I suggest), add a tablespoon or two of oil.

For the toppings:

Pulled Pork

We used a smoked pulled pork from Costco© and it did not disappoint! You can also smoke your own pork shoulder or put it in a slow cooker. Cook until the meat easily pulls apart with a fork, about 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

BBQ Drizzle

We used KC Masterpiece©, because Kansas City BBQ is the best in our humble opinion. But you can use a sauce of your choice. We put the sauce in a squirt bottle for presentation, but you can plate up however you want. 

Slaw

Again, there are several options. We like a ranch slaw, but you can also make an easy, traditional coleslaw dressing.

For our ranch slaw:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup prepared ranch salad dressing
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
3-3/4 cups coleslaw mix

Directions

1 – Combine first four ingredients in small bowl. Save half for later.

2 – Mix in fresh coleslaw mix.

3 – Use set-aside dressing as drizzle for the waffle.

Crunchy Onions

Use your favorite brand! Ours is French’s Original Crispy Fried Onions © . You can also spice up your waffle with crunchy jalapenos.

Pickles

Use your favorite brand of pickles. We also suggest using jalapenos or sweet pickles as a variant to this recipe.

Top your waffle as follows:

1 Cup Pulled Pork

⅓ cup BBQ Drizzle

½ Cup Slaw Mix

⅓ Cup Slaw Dressing Drizzle

⅓ Cup Crunchy Onions

3 Pickle slices/ 1 pickle spear

The Cocktail: Whiskey Slaughter

Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey ©
1-ounce triple sec
1-ounce lemon juice
4 ounces lemon-lime soda
3 spoonfuls of maraschino cherry juice and 2-3 cherries
Lemon slice
Optional: Orange Bitters

Directions

1 – Chill the glass while you mix the drink – place a few pieces of ice in a rocks glass and place in the freezer.

2 – Put a handful of ice in shaker.

3 – Mix in the whiskey, triple sec, and lemon juice.

4 – Shaken, not stirred.

5 – Pour into the rocks glass. (You can serve this drink straight up or on the rocks).

6 – Top with soda.

7 – Spoon in maraschino juice and cherries. Top with lemon slice.

The Whiskey

You can use your favorite whiskey for this drink, or substitute the whiskey with a full-flavored bourbon. Since we based this drink off of a combination of a Whiskey Sour and Lynchburg Lemonade, we suggest Jack Daniel’s as the whiskey of choice. The combination of the smoky sweetness of the whiskey, tartness of the lemon, and the sparkling freshness of the soda makes for a refreshing drink that pairs well with a variety of food.

The Triple Sec

Even simple drinks like this should not be downgraded with a weak triple sec. We suggest that you always choose a superior brand, like Cointreau or Marie Brizard.

The Lemon Juice

As with the triple sec, we suggest using the best for this cocktail. Fresh lemon juice gives this drink a lively, more pronounced taste. If you don’t want to squeeze lemons every time you make this drink, you might consider adding a homemade sour mix as a staple in your bar.

The Lemon-Lime Soda

You can choose your favorite lemon-lime soda for this drink: Sprite, 7-U or Sierra Mist. You can even use a lime-flavored sparkling water if you want a less sweet, lower-calorie drink. For a contrast to the sweet and sour, use or add orange bitters to your drink.

Small World is a great game because of its accessibility – it is easy to teach and plays quickly while still feeling weighty. Pair this with the above recipes and you’ll certainly conquer game night!