Why Would Anyone Pay $5,000 For A Star Wars Cocktail?

Those who pony up for the galactic cocktail get more than a buzz.

Gerardo Mora/Getty Images
By  Lauren Harkawik

Last week, Disney "christened" its new cruise ship, the Disney Wish, and then set sail for a three-night "media preview sailing" in which journalists experienced the ship's offerings firsthand. By the first night of that journey, a mystery had emerged: what's in the $5,000 cocktail in the ship's Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge?

Ashley Carter, digital journalist for Spectrum News 13 in Orlando posted a video of the Kaiburr Crystal being served at the galactic-themed bar, and you have to see it to really understand how much it is not just a drink being placed down in front of you.

"The most expensive drink in the galaxy," Carter tweeted. "The Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge on the Disney Wish has a $5,000 Kaiburr Crystal drink." (Click the video in the tweet above to see the presentation of this beverage in action.)

The bigger container the drink is in, which opens up to reveal the cups of liquid, is called a "camtono." But what's in the drink itself? No one knew. Carter, who posted the original video, couldn't get to the bottom of it either. By the next day, the mystery had become a popular topic on social media, with some folks lamenting that the Kaiburr Crystal had monopolized the conversation and isisting there was more to focus on within the Disney Wish cruise besides this one mega-expensive gimmick.

Why Disney’s new Star Wars drink costs $5,000

Gimmick or not, people still wanted to know: what's the deal? Are people actually paying $5,000 for a single drink? Yes and no. It turns out you get more than the drink for that price. Later in the week, two reports came through that shed some light on the situation. Scott Gustin, who was on the media cruise, tweeted out details on Friday.

The cocktail comes in four silver-plated cups, all of which which the purchaser gets to keep. "You also get a Star Wars backpack, water bottle, other gifts, and a Hyperspace-themed room decoration," tweeted Gustin. Furthermore, the purchase comes with a bottle of sparkling wine from the Skywalker Ranch and voucher for one person to visit the ranch in person (it is typically closed to the public).

How does the Kaiburr Crystal taste?

But what about the actual drink? Gustin tweeted out another report and said it should be trusted over his with regard to the alcohol in the cocktail. That report, by Arthur Levine of Arthur's About Theme Parks blog, details the contents:

"According to a bartender in the lounge, the galactic beverage is primarily made with Camus cognac," Levine wrote. "It also includes the Japanese citrus fruit, yuzu, as well as kumquat. Apparently, ritzy cocktails can never have enough cognac, because the Kaiburr Crystal also features Grand Marnier Quintessence, which is considerably pricier than Camus cognac. Speaking of pricey, the bartenders add shots of ultra-expensive Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 23 Year bourbon and Taylor's Fladgate Kingsman Edition Very Old Tawny Port."

You don't, however, get to keep the camtono. I think I'd take that over a visit to the ranch.

 

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