

"Diamond Star - The object Koops's father found in Hooktail's belly"
"Earth Tremor - 2 SP - Shakes the ground to damage all enemies."
Inspiration
When considering this recipe, a bit of confusion guided my inspiration. Although Earth Tremor is the first crystal star power-up you receive in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the first power-up obtained is Sweet Treat from the map that Professor Frankly gives you. I originally wanted a sweet riff on a White Lady since the Diamond Star is, well, white in color. When it clicked that this is Earth Tremor, not Sweet Treat I quickly convinced myself that this riff is earth-y because it uses apple as its main flavor component.
You know! Apples! The fruit that comes from a tree which itself comes from a seed which is planted into the Earth. The seed germinates and wiggles its sprout up through the ground causing small micro-Tremors that eventually manifest into the blossoming tree which produces the apple fruit. See? Earth Tremor(s)
Yea, it's a bit of a stretch, but it tastes amazing.
Workshopping
As mentioned above, this drink is a bourbon and apple riff on a White Lady cocktail. The original recipe prominently features a sour template that uses Cointreau, the sweet orange-flavored liqueur.
When reaching for a selection of apple spirit I debated between 3 options:
a sour apple bottle of Johny Bootlegger (too sour, and green)
a simple apple liqueur, Berentzen (perfect flavor, too light)
or a flavored apple spirit, Crown Royal Apple (artificial apple, independent)
Combining the Berentzen, Crown Apple, and a bourbon base (matching the whiskey base of the Crown Royal) did the trick to bring every flavor to a point of agreement.
I played around with a star-cut candied apple garnish concept that, I learned, requires a bit more tact than I'm currently able to wield. My backup plan was to add a few drops of bitters and use the visual and smell to distract from my (dare I say) lackluster garnishing prowess. These cherry bark and vanilla bitters from Bittercube embellish anything they touch with the kiss of a pastry bakery. It took the drink's aroma of apple and modified it to be fritter-like, fruity with an air of cinnamon.
Flavor Analysis
So prominently apple-forward! This drink has an absolutely incredible aroma, smelling like a freshly cut apple fritter thanks in part to those bitters on top which add a slight cinnamon odor. The body from the bourbon rounds out those notes of apple into something pastry-like. It's almost caramel apple, but instead of specifically caramel, much more vanilla and heavy on the apple. On the tongue, the texture from the egg white really accentuates the dryer notes that I tend to get from the skin of an apple as you bite into it.
Star Garnish
Although not well pictured above, we attempted to garnish this drink by candying an apple slice and placing it atop the foam that forms after straining. We found that depending on how heavy you candy your apple slices and how thick those slices are determines whether the garnish sinks or floats. In our case, it sunk 😅
Next time we take a garnish approach like this, we'll try and utilize a mandolin slicer to get as thin a slice as we can!
We'll also note that we tried to specifically cut the apple slices into star shapes before dehydrating and then candying them. This method didn't work! To preserve the shape of the sliced slices, we recommend candying first on low and then dehydrating to avoid significant shriveling.
Earth Tremor
Earth Tremor
- 1 Egg White (or 1/2 oz substitute)
- 1 oz (30 ml) Bourbon (Cleveland)
- 1/2 oz (15 ml) Lemon Juice
- 1/2 oz (15 ml) Simple Syrup (Starfruit)
- 1 oz (30 ml) Apple Liqueur (Berentzen)
- 1 oz (30 ml) Apple Whiskey (Crown Apple)
- 5 drops of Cherry Bark & Vanilla Bitters (Bittercube)
Method: Dry Shake, Wet Shake, then Double-Strain
Garnish: Star-Cut Apple Slice with Bitters at the Corners
Notes: Rewarded to the player after obtaining the Diamond Star. This is also a riff on a White Lady cocktail!
More drinks inspired by: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Guided Recipe in 60 Seconds: YouTube
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