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Cocktail History
The Tarkenian Night Flower is a Star Wars cocktail that was first mentioned in Rebel Dawn, a 1998 Legends-era novel by A. C. Crispin about Han Solo and his Wookie sidekick Chewbacca. Meant to be a recreation of the original from the book, this copycat version made with a delicious combination of gin, huckleberry, elderflower, floral grenadine, lime, and ginger beer was served at Oga’s Cantina’s Life Day celebration in 2021 and quickly became beloved by park goers.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Gin: This is a spirit made with juniper berries, botanicals, and alcohol. The original recipe called for a dry gin, but we used La Crosse Distilling Company Christmas Gin because we knew its unique blackcurrant flavor would add even more complexity. For a mocktail version of this drink, try MONDAY Zero Alcohol Gin and Monin Blackcurrant Premium Syrup in place of the gin.
Huckleberry Syrup: This is a sweetener made with huckleberries, cane sugar, citric acid, and water. We used Monin Premium Huckleberry Syrup.
Elderflower Liqueur: This is a liqueur made with elderflowers, citrus, herbs, sugar, and alcohol. We used Edinburgh Gin Distillery Elderflower Gin Liqueur because it’s high quality and has a fresh, floral aroma and flavor. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Monin Premium Elderflower Syrup in place of the elderflower liqueur.
Hibiscus Grenadine: This is a sweetener made with dried hibiscus flowers, white sugar, and pomegranate juice. We made ours at home using Alex’s stovetop recipe.
Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. We used freshly squeezed lime juice.
Ginger Beer: This is a carbonated beverage made with ginger spice, yeast, and sugar. The recipe at Oga’s Cantina uses LAVA Moscow Mule Mix, but we prefer fresh lime juice and ginger beer in our Mule templates, so we used Q Mixers Ginger Beer.
Candied Hibiscus Flower: This is a hibiscus flower blossom that has been soaked in rich rose syrup. We used The Wild Hibiscus Flower Company Original Flowers in Rose Syrup.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We 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. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Tweezers: This is used to place the garnish on the drink. We used one from the Stainless Steel Food Tweezers Set.
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Tasting Notes
The Tarkenian Night Flower starts off with hibiscus and huckleberry aromas, has an initial taste that’s a delicious amalgamation of the blackcurrant gin, huckleberry’s sweetness, florals, and a small touch of lime for balance, and ends with slightly spicy and fizzy ginger finish.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: Although made using an extremely common template, this has to be one of the best Mule-style recipes we’ve ever tasted. Its damn near perfect mixture of fruity and floral flavors is out of this world, and that’s why the Tarkenian Night Flower earned a full five stars from both of us.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Apart from being absolutely gorgeous, this drink features a flavor that is worth the price tag at Oga’s Cantina. The combination of huckleberry syrup with the florals is outstanding, and the slightly spicy finish of ginger beer is the cherry on top. The almost literal cherry on top thought is the candied hibiscus flower, which sounds exotic but can actually be found on Amazon for relatively cheap (check our product tag above). Overall, the Tarkenian Night Flower was incredibly tasty and is definitely worth a reshake.”
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This recipe was the buried treasure of our Star Wars drinks. It turns out it was a special item on a menu for Life Day, and I just happened to come across it when searching for popular drinks from Oga’s Cantina. It features several flavors that were brand new to me, including huckleberry and candied hibiscus, and I was ready to be blown away at the first taste given I already love the Moscow Mule format. Oh my god, it did not disappoint. Please do yourself a favor and make this incredible recipe! If you can find a bottle, be sure to use the blackcurrant gin too because it really takes the drink to an out-of-this-world level.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from the menu at Oga’s Cantina, a restaurant and bar located at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. The specifications are an estimate based on our best guess for a well-balanced drink as well as reader feedback.
Tarkenian Night Flower
The Tarkenian Night Flower is a Star Wars cocktail that was first mentioned in Rebel Dawn, a 1998 Legends-era novel by A. C. Crispin about Han Solo and his Wookie sidekick Chewbacca. Meant to be a recreation of the original from the book, this copycat version made with a delicious combination of gin, huckleberry, elderflower, floral grenadine, lime, and ginger beer was served at Oga’s Cantina’s Life Day celebration in 2021 and quickly became beloved by park goers.
Ingredients
Method
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Add gin, huckleberry syrup, elderflower liqueur, hibiscus grenadine, lime juice, and cubed ice to a shaker.
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Shake for 10-20 seconds.
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Strain into a lowball glass over fresh cracked ice.
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Top with ginger beer.
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Garnish with candied hibiscus flower.
