David T Smith shows you the cocktails you are looking for when enjoying a tipple on Star Wars Day
Today is the fourth day in May (May 4th for our cousins across the pond), which is also known as Star Wars Day - “May the Fourth Be With You”. To celebrate, we’ve come up with some intergalactic cocktails using the Boutique-y Gin range.
Jawa Juice
A cocktail inspired by the desert-dwelling junk traders of Tatooine. In a galaxy, far, far away “Jawa Juice” is rumoured to be a bitter alcohol fermented in Bantha hides; thankfully, this drink is far more palatable.
The Ingredients
30ml Pan-Pacific Gin
30ml chilled coffee
180ml cola
2 honeydew melon balls
The Garnish
Make two honeydew melon balls using a melon baller, carefully place on a cocktail stick and place in the glass.
The Method
Add ice to a Gin Tonica glass (ideally a short-stemmed one, given the jawas’ short stature), then the melon balls, followed by additional ice. Add the gin and chilled coffee (it works particularly well if these have already been mixed together) and top-up with the cola.
The Taste
Pan-Pacific Gin from the folks at Gin Farallon has a lovely, bright citrus element from its yuzu, whilst schisandra berries add a sweet jamminess. The coffee in this drink adds a balancing hint of bitterness and the cola adds length, sweetness and complex botanical flavours. Finally, the ginger from the gin lingers on the finish.
Canto Bight
As seen in The Last Jedi, this self-indulgent oasis is set amongst an otherwise barren desert landscape. Canto Bight is a sumptuous and extravagant playground for the rich, famous and fabulous, and this cocktail would fit right in.
The Ingredients
25ml Yuletide Gin
100ml sparkling wine
2-3 dashes truffle bitters
The Recipe
Add to a champagne flute glass in this order: Yuletide Gin, chilled sparkling wine and, finally, the truffle bitters.
The Taste
A decadent and effervescent drink - exactly what the inhabitants of an inter-stellar Monte Carlo would sip whilst gambling at the luxurious tables of the grande casino. The spice of the Yuletide Gin works well with the dryness of the wine, the gold flakes dance amongst the bubbles in a rather glamorous way, and the truffle bitters add an extra splash of decadence.
Dagobah
Appearing for the first time in Episode V Dagobah, is a swamp planet populated largely with indigenous wildlife. The film’s atmospheric scenes make it a great inspiration for cocktails. Greensand Ridge’s Salt Marsh gin inspired by a similar environment was an obvious choice for this drink.
The Ingredients
35ml Salt Marsh Gin
10ml Midori (a Japanese-melon liqueur)
120ml cloudy apple juice
A thin ribbon of cucumber peel
The Garnish
Before adding any ingredients, line the glass with the cucumber peel. A vegetable peeler is the perfect tool with which to make the ribbon.
The Recipe
Fill the cucumber-lined glass with ice, before adding the gin and juice (it works better if they have already been mixed). Add ice and carefully pour the Midori down the inside of the glass to create the “Midori sink”.
The Taste
A flavoursome drink with the gin adding pleasant, leafy, herbal notes along with some light floral notes that contrast neatly with the succulent crispness of the apple juice. The Midori adds yet more fruitiness, a touch of sweetness, and a luminous green glow towards the bottom of the glass.
Yuzu the Force Luke
Picture the scene: you’re flying your starfighter, “S”-foils locked in attack position, and you suddenly have the urge to turn off your guidance computer, all whilst you're trying to destroy the most terrifying battlestation in the galaxy. After having your life saved by a scruffy-looking nerf-herder and saving the day, you deserve a well-earned drink!
The Ingredients
50ml Yuzu Gin
25ml dry vermouth
100ml sparkling water
3 dashes of orange bitters
1 pineapple ring
3 red grapes
The Recipe
Fill a wide-brimmed hi-ball glass with ice, then add the gin, followed by the vermouth and then the sparkling water. Finish off with a few dashes of bitters and lightly stir.
The Garnish
Take a tinned pineapple ring and - after the drink has been made - place it a-top the glass. Add three red grapes to a cocktail stick and serve on the side. The grapes represent proton torpedoes and the pineapple ring, the thermal exhaust port, allowing you to recreate this classic scene from the movie.
The Taste
A very dry drink with the bright zestiness of the yuzu working well with the dry vermouth and clean crispness of the sparkling water. The orange bitters add a delightful aromatic flavour. For a sweeter drink, substitute the sparkling water for tonic water or even sparkling lemonade.
The Peter Cushing
A dedication to the actor who played Grand Moff Tarkin (the chap in charge of the Death Star). So great was Tarkin’s power, he not only out-ranked Darth Vader, but also commanded the battle station wearing his slippers.
This cocktail, in honour of the gentleman and the actor, Peter Cushing, is made from completely vegetarian ingredients (he was a patron of the Vegetarian Society).
The Ingredients
50ml Shortcross Estate-foraged Gin
25ml Stone’s Ginger Wine
The Method
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
The Taste
Smooth, but complex, with notes of juniper, coriander, and a light note of black pepper that integrates well with herbal notes and gentle warmth of the ginger wine. The flavour develops more as you sip, with gentle berry notes and ginger building and lingering, and adding a delicate, but not overwhelming sweetness. The finish also builds with notes from the gin, including a greener, herbal juniper flavour. Sophisticated and delicious.
DTS
All images provided by Sara L Smith