Wedding Planner's Cocktail

From Star Trek: Strange New Worlds...

 

Well, look, I've never met a Star Trek series I didn't love. It's my comfort show, something to watch when I'm feeling down. And Strange New Worlds is no exception. It really captures the spirit of the older Trek series, with their serialized format that could swing from a playful holodeck episode, or a silly romp where everyone’s turned into tribbles or something, to a deeply moving, sometimes heartbreaking exploration of loss and resilience in the very next installment.

 

Of course, the many things that makes Star Trek so compelling are the quirks and dynamics of the crew. One of the things that has tickled me about SNW is Captain Pike’s love of food and cooking. He's certainly a captain after my own heart. Sisko cooked so Pike could flambé... or something. Maybe the other way around because prequel? Anyway,  I fully intend to try my hand at some of Pike's creations in the future.

 

But this drink didn’t come from Pike’s seriously impressive kitchen. It appears in “Wedding Bell Blues,” the second episode of season three, an installment absolutely packed with standout cocktail moments. And of course, watching Starfleet officers dance to WHAM! was the perfect skewered olive on top of the dirty martini.

 

The cocktail itself is served to Spock (who truly needed a stiff drink just then) by a reality-bending entity known only as The Wedding Planner, brought to life with delightful mischief by Rhys Darby. The show never describes its flavor, but the striking look of the drink was irresistible, so I had to try recreating it.

 

The vivid blue-green color, and what seemed like a crushed dragon fruit rim, plus the lush green vibes of the wedding, made me think tropical flavors. So I built a rum-based drink with notes of passionfruit, almond, and citrus. It’s vibrant and just mysterious enough to fit Spock’s surreal moment. Speaking of surrealist Trek foods, check out my Deanna Troi cake (aka Cellular Peptide Cake... with mint frosting). 

Ingredients:

 

For the drink:

• 2 ounces white rum
• 1 ounce passion fruit puree
• 1/2 ounce blue curacao 
• 1/2 ounce lime juice  
• 1/2 ounce orgeat
• Pinch of white or teal edible luster duster 

 

To garnish:

• Honey or corn syrup, for the rim
• Dragon fruit (pitaya) powder, for the rim,
• Orange peel 

 

 

Directions: 

1.  Cut a small slit in the center of the orange peel to help it grip the rim more securely. Set aside.
2. To a shallow bowl or plate, add the dragon fruit powder. Brush the side of the serving glass with honey or corn syrup. Press the brushed side of the glass into the dragon fruit powder, slightly rocking it to make sure the powder sticks to the syrup. Set the glass aside while you prepare the drink
3.  To a cocktail shaker, add the rum, passion fruit puree, blue curaçao, lime juice, orgeat, and luster dust.
4. Add ice and shake for 10 to 15 seconds until well chilled.
5. Strain into the serving glass.
6. Garnish with the orange peel, using the slit to secure it to the rim of the glass.
7. Prepare for wedding bells.

 

 

Serves 1 heartbroken Vulcan 

 

 

Non-Alcoholic Version: If you don't do alcohol, here's my list of general swapping suggestions.  In this case, I'd recommend getting a commercial nonalcoholic rum substitute, like Ritual or Free Spirit's NA rum. Swap the blue curacao liqueur with blue curacao syrup. From there, make the drink as written.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two sci-fi cocktails in a row... The next recipe will be food, on my honor as a follower of Surak. If I break this solemn vow, may my katra be lost and my logic forsaken.