Saturn

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Cocktail History

The Saturn is a classic tiki cocktail that was created in 1967 by Joseph “Popo” Galsini in California. Named for the Saturn rocket that sent Apollo into space, the recipe combines several traditional tiki ingredients including citrus, passion fruit, velvet falernum, and orgeat in a frosty, blended format, but instead of rum, it uses herbal gin as the base spirit.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Gin: This is a spirit made with juniper berries, botanicals, alcohol, and water. I used Dancing Goat Distillery Death’s Door Gin.

Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. I used freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Passion Fruit Syrup: This is a sweetener made with passion fruit juice, cane sugar, gum Arabic powder, and benzoic acid. I used Liber & Co. Tropical Passion Fruit Syrup.

Velvet Falernum Liqueur: This is a liqueur made with ginger, lime, almond, cloves, sugar, and alcohol.

Orgeat Syrup: This is a sweetener made with roasted almonds, orange blossom, sugar, and water. I used Liber & Co. Almond Orgeat Syrup.

Lime Peel: This is the peel of a lime that has been rolled and stuck on a cocktail pick.

Cherry: This is a fruit that has been soaked in brandy and rich syrup. I used Luxardo Maraschino Cherries.

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. I used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus, fruits, and vegetables. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.

Blender: This is used to blend up ingredients. I used the Cuisinart SPB-7CH SmartPowder Electronic Bar Blender.

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Pale transluscent yellow color

• Aroma: Citrus and passion fruit with a hint of almond

• Taste: Bright and tangy mix of lemon and passionfruit balanced by the nutty sweetness of orgeat syrup and the smooth herbal undertones of gin

• Finish: Crisp and tropical with a lingering sweet-tart fruitiness and a delicate almond note

Kendall’s Take
“The Saturn is one of those tropical cocktails that caught my eye because it uses gin instead of the rum you usually see in tiki drinks. The combination of citrus, passion fruit, and orgeat still brings plenty of bright island flavor, just with a slightly different personality. It’s a fun change of pace if you like seeing classic tropical ingredients paired with unexpected base spirits. Mix one up the next time you’re craving a summery gin drink with a tiki twist.”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was found in the book Steve The Bartender’s Cocktail Guide by Steve Roennfeldt.