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Cocktail History
The Yub Nub is a Star Wars cocktail that was created at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, an attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida and Anaheim, California. This copycat recipe was made in an homage to the Battle of Endor from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, which depicts the original trilogy’s gang fighting the empire alongside the Ewoks, small furry creatures that many fans think resemble teddy bears. Given the moon’s somewhat tropical setting, it makes sense that the drink named for the song sung by the Eworks in the original cut of the movie would use the tiki template, pairing spiced rum with both tangy passion fruit, pineapple, and lime as well as aromatic bitters.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Spiced Rum: This is a type of rum made with sugarcane, spices, and water that has been barrel aged for a long period of time and flavored with spices. We used Far North Spirits Ålander Spiced Rum because it has a delicious spice with notes of caramel and banana. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Caleño Dark & Spicy Tropical Non-Alcoholic Spirit in place of the spiced rum.
Passion Fruit Syrup: This is a sweetener made with passion fruit juice, cane sugar, gum Arabic powder, and benzoic acid. We used Liber & Co. Tropical Passion Fruit Syrup.
Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. We used freshly squeezed lime juice.
Pineapple Rum: This is a type of rum made with pineapple, molasses or sugar cane juice, and alcohol. We used Plantation Stiggin’s Fancy Pineapple Rum because it has a rich rum taste with notes of tropical fruits, citrus, and cloves. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Caleño Non-Alcoholic Dark & Spicy Tropical Spirit and pineapple syrup in place of the pineapple rum.
Aromatic Bitters: This is a food product made with botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. We used Angostura Aromatic Bitters. For a mocktail version of this drink, try All The Bitter Alcohol-Free Aromatic Bitters in place of the aromatic bitters.
Passion Fruit Seeds: These are the crunchy black seeds in tart pulp found inside of a passion fruit.
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 ingredients. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Mini Spoon: This is used to place the garnish. We used one from the Demitasse Stainless Steel Small Spoon Set.
Tasting Notes
The Yub Nub has light aromas of funky rum, a slightly spicy taste comprised of rum mingled with sweet passion fruit and balanced by citrus, and an aftertaste of more deep spice that sticks in the mouth.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: It’s hard not to like a drink like this; Star Wars fans and budding tiki enthusiasts alike will certainly get a lot from it. We tend to like more complexity in our tiki drinks, so we probably wouldn’t make the Yub Nub again for ourselves, but it was fun to get some use out of our new Endor mug.
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: ⭐⭐⭐
“This drink is essentially ‘tiki’ distilled down to its most basic form. I don’t mean that in a bad way, by any means. Obviously, it has to be served to hundreds of people a day at one of the world’s busiest amusement parks, so that’s by design. But when broken down, it’s really just a Daiquiri with a split base of rum, a special syrup, and some bitters. This makes for a flavor that’s only about as complex as the average consumer can enjoy: a little bit of spice, plenty of passion fruit sweetness, and lots and lots of ice to make it feel more full. It’s a tasty drink and nowhere near what the realm of tiki truly has to offer, but it is a great starting point for a novice. And, come on, that mug is pretty amazing.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“This is a unique tiki concoction. I was surprised at how rum-forward it was compared to other drinks we’ve tried from Oga’s Cantina, but Alex pointed out that our brand of pineapple rum probably isn’t as sweet as the one they use. I imagine that would change this recipe a lot, probably for the better, to my palate anyway. This wasn’t my fave of the Galaxy’s Edge bunch and probably wouldn’t request it again in this form, but I do love the Endor mug!”
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.
Add spiced rum, passion fruit syrup, lime juice, pineapple rum, bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a tiki mug or highball glass over fresh crushed ice.
Garnish with passion fruit seeds.
Ingredients
Directions
Add spiced rum, passion fruit syrup, lime juice, pineapple rum, bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a tiki mug or highball glass over fresh crushed ice.
Garnish with passion fruit seeds.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Caleño Dark & Spicy Tropical Non-Alcoholic Spirit in place of the spiced rum, Caleño Non-Alcoholic Dark & Spicy Tropical Spirit and pineapple syrup in place of the pineapple rum, and All The Bitter Alcohol-Free Aromatic Bitters in place of the aromatic bitters to try a booze-free version of this drink.
Shop Glassware & Tools
Find collections of cocktail glassware and bartending tools we recommend for your home bar in our Amazon shop. Note: The Endor tiki mug shown in this post is the original used at Oga’s Cantina. We found one from these sellers on eBay.
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
The Last Variant (Loki): An aquavit cocktail made with honey liqueur, Green Chartreuse, and lime juice
Miruvor (The Lord of the Rings): A gin cocktail made with elderflower liqueur, white tea, honey syrup, and orange flower water
This post contains affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission each time you purchase a product using our links. Product images sourced from Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon affiliate links last updated on 2024-04-19.
