EXCLUSIVERoss Marquand Reflects On The 'Bittersweet' Ending Of 'The Walking Dead' As He Debuts New Series Finale Cocktail
As AMC's The Walking Dead approaches its series finale, set to premiere on Sunday, November 20, Ross Marquand, who plays Aaron in the hit zombie drama, teamed up with The Sexton® Single Malt to create a special cocktail meant to represent the show's epic end.
"We had a lot of fun coming up with the naming for this and everything. We floated around a few different ideas," Marquand tells OK! in an exclusive interview. "There was a lot of talk about 'Blood in the Water', 'Saving Gracie,' and I feel like 'The Final Showdown' was the most logical choice because it is in fact the last episode and the final showdown for these characters."
The alcoholic beverage featuring smooth Sexton whiskey, fresh fruit juice, agave syrup and red wine — Marquand reveals the incorporation of wine is an "on the nose" representation of all the "blood in the show" — is the perfect finale sip for diehard fans.
"It's a fun, light cocktail that I think a lot of people would enjoy, but it's also got a lot of complexity," the Avengers: Endgame actor says, noting that he's usually a "purist when it comes to whiskey," but he was very "impressed" with the layers of flavors.
"It's gonna be a nice send off to the final episode, which is so insane that we're coming up upon this after all these months of filming, and years and years of planning," he continues. "It's very bittersweet, but we're grateful to be kind of sending it off like a Viking ship lit on fire ... saying goodbye to this beautiful show that's been so important to so many of us for so many years."
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Marquand also comments on how Sexton wants fans to remember to enjoy the simple things in life with their mantra "You Have a Single Life. Drink A Single Malt," noting that idea was largely what drew him to the partnership with Sexton.
The Invincible voice actor believes the message perfectly complements moments in The Walking Dead, specifically in the episode "One More" in which Aaron and Gabriel bond over a bottle of whiskey in the midst of the many dangers of the zombie apocalypse.
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"These two characters are relishing in this fine whiskey that they find in the stock room before they square off with Mays," he continues, referring to a single-episode antagonist played by Robert Patrick. "I think it's just such a beautiful reminder of just how fragile life is. You know?"
"We don't know how long we have on this earth," he adds. "We don't know how long we're gonna see these characters on the show."
Catch the series finale of The Walking Dead on AMC on Sunday, November 20.
