We’re raising a glass this week to the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing with these stunning moon cocktails.
The Apollo 11 mission began its voyage into history when the Saturn V rocket - carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins - launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 9:32am. on July 16, 1969.
Four days later, astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin made history when they stepped foot on the lunar surface as 600,000 million people sat glued to their TV screens to watch the incredible moment.
Collins didn’t make it to the Moon’s surface. But he’s one of 24 people to have flown to the moon, which he orbited 30 times.
He was the 17th American in space, the fourth person to perform a spacewalk, the first person to have performed more than one spacewalk, and, after John Young, who flew the command module on Apollo 10, the second person to orbit the Moon alone.
Only 12 people have stepped on the Moon, the last being in 1972.
And only one cocktail can boast that it’s been in space - in 2017 English cocktail bar Mr Fogg’s in added a ‘space-aged’ Negroni to its cocktail list after sending a bespoke blend to the stars and back.
Dubbed From The Earth to The Stars, the Negroni was made with Tanqueray Ten gin, Campari, Vermouth, lavender, grapefruit peel, orange peel, lemon peel, chamomile and angelica root.
“Mr Fogg’s ethos has always been based on exploration and we’ve held many talks with everyone from Sir Ranulph Fiennes to Levison Wood – so it was a natural step for us to explore the possibility of a cocktail from space,” said the bar’s co-owner Charlie Gilkes.
Although, this isn’t the first time alcohol has made its way to space. In 2011 Scotch brand Ardbeg sent a vial of un-matured malt whisky with particles of charred oak from the Ardbeg Distillery to the International Space Station as part of an experiment to discover the differences between space-aged whisky compared to its earth-based counterpart.
Meanwhile, in 2015 Japanese producer Suntory sent whisky samples to the International Space Station to study the effect of zero gravity has on ageing.
Here are six amazing moon cocktails from around the globe.
1. Bayou & Bottle at the Four Seasons Hotel Houston has given one of its signature moon cocktails - the Space City Sour - a fun update to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. During July, the cocktail made with Old Forester bourbon, house-made caramelised pineapple syrup, fresh lemon juice, turbo, a dash of Angostura aromatic bitters, and topped with egg whites features an edible image of an astronaut landing on the moon (above main).
2. The Full Moon Martini by JoJoTastic features coconut cream, water, vodka and blackberries to garnish. Full recipe here
3. Over the Moon by @cocktail.vision features vodka, Ty-Ku Sake, “OM” Coconut & Lychee Liquor, Blue Curaçao, fresh lime juice and fresh muddled lychee.
4. u/Jinnphizz shared the Fly Me to The Moon cocktail on Reddit featuring a spiced overproof rum foam, gin, cucumber syrup and lemon syrup. Full recipe here
5. Gravity Assist by Gabriella Mlynarczyk at Accomplice Bar in Los Angeles features weak simple syrup infused with butterfly pea tea, lemon juice, gin, Giffard Wild Elderflower Liqueur, club soda or sparkling wine and water infused with butterfly pea tea. It also currently has a drink on the menu called Space Walk with Tanqueray no. 10, lemon, Amaro Nonino, elderflower and cava.
6. The Dark Side of the Moon from BottlesXO features cold brew coffee, coffee liquor, spiced rum, Coca-Cola and a dash of heavy cream
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