Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Tequila & Mezcal Cocktails

Valley of the Dark Lords

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Updated 12/22/22
orange-colored valley of the dark lords cocktail with chia seeds on top
Danielle Bernabe

Fascination has followed the “Star Wars” franchise since the first film debuted in 1977. With multiple trilogies and additional standalone releases keeping fans’ interest over the years, it’s only natural that a few decades’ worth of passionate support eventually resulted in themed cocktails paying homage to the cultural classic.

The Valley of the Dark Lords is an original recipe from Sol Trece, general manager of La Cuevita, an agave-focused bar in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. One part Blood & Sand, one part terrarium, it’s a terrestrial textural treat.

While the Blood and Sand features scotch, Herring cherry liqueur, sweet vermouth and orange juice, the Valley of the Dark Lords begins with earthy, savory mezcal. It keeps the cherry liqueur and orange juice, but skips vermouth in favor of Ancho Reyes, an ancho chile liqueur. That combination produces a spicy and citrusy drink with notes of roasted agave and mild smoke.

Stop there, and you have a tasty cocktail, but Trece applies turmeric and chia seeds to take this drink somewhere intergalactic.

“We wanted a cocktail that, if you were looking through a telescope from another planet, you would see sand and living creatures,” says Trece. “We added turmeric for sand color and texture and chia seeds for the ‘creatures’ effect.”

Make the Valley of the Dark Lords the next time you sit down to watch “Star Wars”—or whenever you’re paying tribute to the Sith.

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce Los Javis mezcal

  • 3/4 ounce Ancho Reyes chile liqueur

  • 3/4 ounce Heering cherry liqueur

  • 3/4 ounce orange juice, freshly squeezed

  • 1 pinch turmeric powder

  • 1 teaspoon chia seeds

Steps

  1. Add the mezcal, Ancho Reyes, Herring cherry liqueur, orange juice, turmeric powder and chia seeds into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.

  2. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.