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Cocktail History
The My Only Hope 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 Princess Leia, a main character in the original Star Wars movie trilogy that was released in the 1970s and 1980s. The concept for the drink was built around a sous vide star fruit syrup as a nod to starblossom, an edible fruit that grew on Leia’s home planet of Alderaan. It then calls for a base of vanilla-flavored rum and spicy French brandy and pairs them with lime for balance as well as a ginger kick in homage to Leia’s feisty demeanor.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Dark Rum: This is a type of rum made with sugarcane, spices, and water that has been barrel aged for an extended period of time. We used Ron Cihuatán 8 Year Indigo Rum because it has sweet notes of vanilla, dark chocolate, coffee, hazelnut, and artisanal dulce de leche. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Caleño Non-Alcoholic Dark & Spicy Tropical Spirit in place of the rum.
Star Fruit Syrup: This is a sweetener made with star fruit juice, white sugar, gum Arabic powder, and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s sous vide recipe.
Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. We used freshly squeezed lime juice.
Armagnac: This is a type of brandy made in Armagnac, France with distilled white wine. We used ODVI Armagnac because it’s fresh, fruity, peppery, and mild with notes of peach and prune. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Escape Mocktails Non-Alcoholic Cognac Alternative in place of the brandy.
Ginger Liqueur: This is a liqueur made with ginger root, spices, herbs, sugar, and alcohol. We used Domaine De Canton Ginger Liqueur because it has a delicious ginger spice. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Monin Premium Ginger Syrup in place of the ginger liqueur.
Star Fruit Slice: This is a slice of the carambola fruit that looks like a star when cut.
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.
Cocktail Pick: This is used to hold the garnish. We used one from the I-MART Stainless Steel Cocktail Pick Set.
Tasting Notes
The My Only Hope starts with aromas of star fruit and slight vanilla, and it has a mostly sweet taste that features exotic star fruit on the forefront and finishes with hints of the ginger’s spice detectable on the tongue along with the lingering flavor of vanilla and sweet star fruit after the swallow.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: As you can see from our ratings, we both absolutely loved how this drink turned out; Kendall even called it her favorite of our Star Wars recipes. The sweet and spicy ingredients meld together incredibly well, and the exotic flavor of the syrup makes the drink especially unique.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Kendall did a lot of heavy lifting when it came to conceptualizing this recipe with her suggestion of star fruit as the showcase ingredient. From there, we built a pretty simple Sidecar-like recipe with a touch of ginger liqueur (for Leia’s feisty personality, as she suggested) and a split of smooth rum and Cognac to signify her class. The drink ended up being even tastier than we predicted because the combination of starfruit and ginger was especially impeccable. As enthusiasts know, many cocktails are simply made once to get an idea down or to prove a point, but this is one that we are absolutely going to be making again and again, and not just because it’s inspired by our favorite movie series.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Of our original Star Wars cocktail, I think I’m going to have to call this one my favorite. It’s so delicious and incredibly unique thanks to the starfruit syrup. I had the idea to use that exotic fruit as a nod to starblossom from Alderaan, Leia’s home planet, and wow, does it make this recipe. Although not the cheapest ingredient, I highly recommend whipping up a batch of the syrup so you can try it in this drink made in honor of our princess.”
Recipe
Add rum, star fruit syrup, lime juice, brandy, ginger liqueur, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with star fruit slice.
Ingredients
Directions
Add rum, star fruit syrup, lime juice, brandy, ginger liqueur, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with star fruit slice.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Caleño Non-Alcoholic Dark & Spicy Tropical Spirit in place of the rum, Escape Mocktails Non-Alcoholic Cognac Alternative in place of the brandy, and Monin Premium Ginger Syrup in place of the ginger liqueur to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Cocktails from Movies & TV Shows
If you like this cocktail recipe, here are a few others inspired by movies and shows we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Tatooine Sunset (Star Wars): A tequila cocktail made with blue curaçao, pomegranate juice, grenadine, orange juice, lemon juice, and cherries
Stick ‘Em in a Stew (The Lord of the Rings): A potato vodka cocktail made with tomato juice or Bloody Mary mix, carry juice, celery bitters, Worcestershire sauce, saline solution, a meat stick, a canned potato, a cocktail onion, a baby carrot, a cherry tomato, thyme sprigs, and celery salt
Butterbeer (Harry Potter): A stout beer and spiced rum cocktail made with evaporated milk, butter, margarine, vanilla extract, brown sugar, whole cloves, whole allspice berries, cinnamon sticks, whipped cream, and nutmeg
Miruvor (The Lord of the Rings): A gin cocktail made with elderflower liqueur, white tea, honey syrup, and orange flower water
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