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Cocktail History
The Tatooine Sunset is a Star Wars cocktail that was created by Cassandra Reeder and was first published in her book The Geeky Bartender Drinks: Real-Life Recipes for Fantasy Cocktails. According to the author, it’s an interpretation of what the companion book Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know lists as one of the top five drinks served at Chalmun’s Spaceport Cantina on Mos Eisley. She explains that she intentionally chose tequila as the base spirit and paired it with other ingredients that are inspired by desert plants and, when carefully layered, form the colors of a vibrant sunset similar to those seen on Tatooine in the Star Wars movies. She also garnished the recipe with two cherries as a nod to the planet’s two moons.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Tequila Blanco: This is a spirit made with unaged agave and water. We used El Jimador Tequila Silver because it has a light and palatable agave flavor with notes of grapefruit and apple. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Agave Blanco Spirit in place of the tequila.
Blue Curaçao: This is an orange-flavored liqueur made with citrus, sugar, spices, blue food coloring, and alcohol. We used DeKuyper Blue Curaçao Liqueur because it has a potent orange flavor and blue color. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Monin Non-Alcoholic Blue Curaçao Syrup in place of the liqueur.
Pomegranate Juice: This is the liquid juice of a pomegranate. We used POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice.
Grenadine: This is a sweetener made with pomegranate juice and white sugar. We made ours at home using Alex’s stovetop recipe.
Orange Juice: This is the liquid juice of an orange. We used freshly squeezed orange juice.
Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. We used freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Cherries: This is a fruit that has been soaked in brandy and rich syrup. We used Luxardo Maraschino Cherries because they’re high quality and delicious.
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.
Mixing Glass: This is used to hold the ingredients while they’re being stirred. We used the Viski 17 oz Cocktail Mixing Glass.
Bar Spoon: This is used to stir ingredients. We used the Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon.
Julep Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is stirred. We used the A Bar Above Julep 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
When not mixed, the Tatooine Sunset features the prominent aromas and flavors of tequila and orange at first. Once mixed, the drink is very fruity with flavors that are largely indistinguishable from one another, with mostly just noticeable citrus from the orange juice and curaçao.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: Our palates are more developed than the average imbiber’s, so we aren’t likely to whip this one up again because the taste was a bit uninteresting. But it was great layering practice! Just look at those colors.
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.
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Geeky Bartender Drinks: Real-Life Recipes for Fantasy Cocktails by Cassandra Reeder.
Add grenadine and pomegranate juice to a mixing glass.
Stir for 5-10 seconds.
Slowly pour into a lowball glass filled with cubed ice.
Add orange juice and lemon juice to mixing glass.
Stir for 5-10 seconds.
Slowly pour into lowball glass without stirring.
Add tequila and blue curaçao to mixing glass.
Stir for 5-10 seconds.
Slowly pour into lowball glass without stirring.
Garnish with cherries.
Ingredients
Directions
Add grenadine and pomegranate juice to a mixing glass.
Stir for 5-10 seconds.
Slowly pour into a lowball glass filled with cubed ice.
Add orange juice and lemon juice to mixing glass.
Stir for 5-10 seconds.
Slowly pour into lowball glass without stirring.
Add tequila and blue curaçao to mixing glass.
Stir for 5-10 seconds.
Slowly pour into lowball glass without stirring.
Garnish with cherries.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Agave Blanco Spirit in place of the tequila and Monin Non-Alcoholic Blue Curaçao Syrup in place of the 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:
The Last Variant (Loki): An aquavit cocktail made with honey liqueur, Green Chartreuse, and lime juice
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
Spirits Lifted (WandaVision): A peppered gin and vodka cocktail made with vermouth, paprika tincture, smoke & salt bitters, and cocktail onions
The Crown of Gondor (The Lord of the Rings): A stout beer and red wine cocktail made with winter herb syrup, rosemary, and thyme
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
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