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Cocktail History
The Short Stormtrooper is a Sips From Scripts original cocktail that was created in honor of May the 4th, also known as Star Wars Day. The recipe was inspired by Luke Skywalker, the young hero and eventual Jedi Knight in the original Star Wars movie trilogy that was released in the 1970s and 1980s. The recipe’s backbone comes from a unique dragon fruit syrup and a base of mezcal, both of which were chosen to pay homage to the Krayt Dragon and desert landscape seen on Luke’s home world of Tatooine. It then adds citrus, tropical bitters, and soda water, as well as blue curaçao to turn the drink a color similar to that of Luke’s hand-me-down lightsaber from Episode IV: A New Hope.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Mezcal: This is a spirit made in Mexico with agave, sugar, and alcohol that is aged in an underground pit lined with wood. We used Creyente Mezcal Joven because it has pleasantly smoky notes with a hint of fruit. For a mocktail version of this drink, try MONDAY Zero Alcohol Mezcal in place of the mezcal.
Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. We used freshly squeezed lime juice.
Blue Curaçao: This is a liqueur made with oranges, sugar, spices, blue food coloring, and alcohol. We used Bols Blue Curaçao. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Monin Premium Blue Curaçao Syrup in place of the blue curaçao liqueur.
White Dragon Fruit Syrup: This is a sweetener made with white dragon fruit slices, white sugar, and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s sous vide recipe.
Toasted Coconut, Pineapple, & Allspice Bitters: This is a food product made with coconut, pineapple, allspice, botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. We used Crude Bitters & Sodas “Tropi-500” Toasted Coconut, Pineapple, & Allspice Bitters.
Soda Water: This is a type of water that has been infused with carbon dioxide gas under pressure. We used Topo Chico Sparkling Mineral Water because it’s light, essentially flavorless, and refreshing.
Orange Peel: This the peel of an orange that has been cut into a strip.
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.
Peeler: This is used to remove the garnish peel from the citrus. We used the OXO Good Grips 2-Piece Peeler Set.
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Tasting Notes
The Short Stormtrooper starts with smoky mezcal aromas, follows with a well-balanced mixture of mezcal, orange, and exotic fruit along with some sour citrus, and ends with more fruity orange notes enhanced with touches of pineapple and agave.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: We both loved the flavors that this drink featured, namely the dragon fruit’s bright watermelon-like taste which juxtaposed well against the mezcal’s slightly aggressive smokiness. We think the combo offered by The Short Stormtrooper is the perfect thing to embody Luke’s first time leaving home to fight the Galactic Empire alongside the rebels.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“When dreaming this drink up, I was trying to think of something to parallel our Darth Vader cocktail; while that one was red, bitter, and dark, this one needed to be light, airy, and, of course, blue. I found a recipe that I was able to riff on and ended up introducing a dragon fruit syrup. From there, we added a dash of tiki bitters to complement the mezcal and topped it up with soda to match the style of its father. While the drink is bright and refreshing like I said, the mezcal base gives it a depth and a slight earthiness, which hints at the ever-present darkness that resides within Luke, courtesy of his father.”
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Meant to be the light side to our Darth Vader cocktail’s light side, as Alex said, this sweet and smoky recipe is quite good, and it’s definitely a far cry from the usual ‘blue milk’ drinks you see inspired by Luke Skywalker. I’m not big on mezcal but loved it as the choice of base spirit as a nod to Luke’s origin on the desert planet Tatooine. And even though the blue curaçao is a little kitschy, it adds the right amount of citrus flavor and wouldn’t be quite as striking without it. Give this one a try alongside his father’s drink to see if you’d be on the light side or the dark.”
Recipe
The Short Stormtrooper
The Short Stormtrooper is a Sips From Scripts original cocktail that was created in honor of May the 4th, also known as Star Wars Day. The recipe was inspired by Luke Skywalker, the young hero and eventual Jedi Knight in the original Star Wars movie trilogy that was released in the 1970s and 1980s. The recipe’s backbone comes from a unique dragon fruit syrup and a base of mezcal, both of which were chosen to pay homage to the Krayt Dragon and desert landscape seen on Luke’s home world of Tatooine. It then adds citrus, tropical bitters, and soda water, as well as blue curaçao to turn the drink a color similar to that of Luke’s hand-me-down lightsaber from Episode IV: A New Hope.
Ingredients
Method
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Add mezcal, lime juice, blue curaçao, white dragon fruit syrup, bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
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Shake for 10-20 seconds.
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Strain into a highball glass.
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Top with soda water.
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Stir gently for 3-5 seconds.
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Garnish with orange peel.
