Name: Death Star
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 30 ml Pisco; 30 ml Strega liqueur; 30 ml Cynar/carciofo amaro; 1 dash Grapefruit bitters

Ingredients

1 fl oz

Pisco

1 fl oz

Liquore Strega

1 fl oz

Cynar or other carciofo amaro

1 dash

Grapefruit bitters

How to make

Glass

Prepare

Select and pre-chill an OLD-FASHIONED GLASS.

Prepare garnish of star anise.

Method

STIR all ingredients with ice.

STRAIN into ice-filled glass (preferably over a large cube or chunk of block ice).

Garnish

Garnish with star anise floated on surface.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition:

One serving of Death Star contains 168 calories

Alcohol content:

1.7 standard drinks
25.79% alc./vol. (51.59° proof)
23.3 grams of pure alcohol

Comments & Discussion

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Mookie Premium Member 31w

I saw my full bottle of cachaça staring at me and absentmindedly looked for pisco recipes, and committed to this before I realized what I was doing. still pretty good! but will have to revisit, both with pisco and a 2:1:1 recipe

Mookie Premium Member 19w

ok so this was fantastic - I went heavy on the pisco and light on the strega and cynar (cynar 70)

Brent Nowicki 1y

I read the comments before making a version of this and I used what I had on hand. My drink consisted of Asbach Uralt 3 Year Old(because I saw some were using grappa), Yellow Chartreuse(because I don't have Strega), and Cynar 70(because I like higher abv). My version is sweet on the front and mid, while the bitterness comes in slowly at the end and lingers on the palate. It reminds me of a Boulevardier, but with more herbal notes. I have a Chilean Pisco, on hand and I'll revisit it.

Peter Barth 1y

surprisingly syrupy mouthfeel and minty taste

Richard Elgar Premium Member 2y

I had this to celebrate the release of Should I Stay or Should I Go on September 17 1982 (due to it being my funeral song of choice, and also there is a song Death is a Star on the Combat Rock album). I enjoyed it as written. The star anise really gives it a lot of punch, and I also think it would be interesting with mezcal, or possibly cachaça instead of pisco. Minor point - with three ounces of spirits, I think a 10.5 oz glass might be a bit big!

Brent Nowicki 1y

With a large cube the 10 oz glass does it's job, I do like the variations with other spirits. I used a German Brandy myself, and I definitely want to revisit it with Novo Fogo Colibri, Chilean Pisco, and a Mezcal.

Ian Fenton 2y

I feel this could do with extra pisco (or grappa) to bring the sweetness down a notch and give the spirit more of a chance to be felt among the liqueurs.

Can’t help wondering what it would taste like with mezcal, either.

John Hinojos Premium Member 2y

Following Nick Hopewell-Smith's suggestion made again with grappa. Very flavorful. I do not keep star anise in the house, so we improvised with a light misting of Absinthe. Wonderful.

Nick Hopewell-Smith 2y

This is a grown-up drink. Very Bitter-Italian. As both liqueur ingredients are Italian, I tried again with a powerful (non floral!) grappa. It was improved.

Calvin Grant Premium Member 3y

I'm noticing subtle minty (Strega) and citrus notes (grapefruit bitters) playfully orbiting the gravitas of the Cynar (70, very rich). Made this time with Barsol Torontel (great floral notes!), Cynar 70 and Fee Brothers grapefruit bitters. And Liquor Strega... I didn't have any star anise so I added a few drops pimento dram. Five Dark Stars!

Jennifer McNabb 2y

Great tip with the drops of Pimeto Dram it really brough the Dark Stars up a notch as we also did not have any star anise -Thank You

Calvin Grant Premium Member 2y

You're welcome! Star Anise comes from a wonderful warm temperate shrub with leathery ovate evergreen leaves and exquisite deep red radial petals yealding to the star shaped seed pods. Wish I had a place to grow it. Cheers!

Ernst Lindhout 3y

Used Amaro Calamari instead of Cynar. Great powerful cocktail.

JuiFan Yuan 3y

Does anyone know who invited this cocktail? Really want to know the story behind the cocktail!

Simon Difford Verified User Premium Member 3y

I don't have any notes as to the origin of this recipe other than that I made it for the photo above on 14/Aug/2018 which does help date when I came across it.