It is #EnigMarch, and each day the excellent EnigMarch people post a prompt word; then puzzle nerds try to design puzzles around that word. (Today's word is mix.)
Mixology is the study of cocktails. You might think the words and phrases below are just nonsense, but they're actually cocktails. Each has a secret extra ingredient mixed into it until it's nearly unrecognizable. Hopefully you can recognize them nonetheless. (If you don't know cocktails, don't worry; there's a relevant menu below.) Combine the secret ingredient to find out what some people think the most important component of cocktails.
| A | remains private | VESPER MARTINI |
| _ | his life force | |
| _ | that man can | |
| _ | log time | |
| _ | train him | |
| _ | disco era | |
| _ | fizzling | |
| _ | remains with us | |
| _ | insalutary | |
| _ | nitrogen | |
| _ | atomism | |
| _ | tool companies | |
| _ | your whiskers | |
| _ | airsquid |
Menu: Manhattan, cosmopolitan, daquiri, gimlet, gin fizz, irish coffee, martini, mimosa, negroni, rusty nail, sidecar, vesper martini, whiskey sour, white Russian
Yes, this is pretty much the same gimmick I used on Pi Day. My first thought was that MIX is Roman numerals, but I used those just a few days ago. Then I thought of this gimmick. And then I was tired of thinking, so I'm re-using it, so there.
Hints and solution, rot13'd:
Fbzr bs gubfr qevaxf ner rnfvre gb nantenz guna bguref. Znxr n dhvpx cnff gb fcbg rnfl barf. Gura nabgure fybjre cnff jvgu gur qevaxf lbh unira'g pebffrq bhg.
Urer'f gur chmmyr qngn:
n : erznvaf cevingr : irfcre znegvav
y : uvf yvsr sbepr : vevfu pbssrr
p : gung zna pna : Znaunggna
b : ybt gvzr : tvzyrg
u : genva uvz : znegvav
b : qvfpb ren : fvqrpne
y : svmmyvat : tva svmm
z : erznvaf jvgu hf : juvgr Ehffvna
n : vafnyhgnel : ehfgl anvy
g : avgebtra : artebav
g : ngbzvfz : zvzbfn
r : gbby pbzcnavrf : pbfzbcbyvgna
e : lbhe juvfxref : juvfxrl fbhe
f : nvefdhvq : qndhvev
