Umm… have we mentioned that there is a wee little event by the name of Star Wars Weekends going on at Disney’s Hollywood Studios?!

Star Wars Weekends

In case you missed the memo ;), Star Wars Weekends is running Fridays through Sundays through June 14th. And as in previous years, temporary pop up bars appear for the weekends all around the park offering specialty cocktails just for the occasion. Last year, guests were asked to Choose Their Side by choosing their beverage: The Force or The Dark Side. This year, though, you get to Choose your PLANET!

The Mustafar and The Tatooine

The Endor and The Alderaan

There are four different drinks available, and each bar features two of the four. For instance, in the seating area of Starring Rolls Cafe, I happened upon this pop up bar featuring The Mustafar and The Tatooine.

Popup Bar near Starring Rolls

The pop up bar near the Hollywood Studios Main Stage, however, was serving The Endor and The Alderaan.

Pop-up Bar near Min & Bill’s

For a point of location reference, you can spy a few of the umbrella-topped tables from Min and Bill’s Dockside Diner in the background for this bar, but really you can’t walk very far without happening upon a pop-up in just about every section of the park.

Now, while the drinks differ, there is something special about the beverages that is similar, no matter which bar you visit, and that is the souvenir glow cubes corresponding to specific beverages. With The Tatooine and The Endor, you receive a Millennium Falcon glow cube, while The Mustafar and The Alderaan feature the Death Star.

Death Star Glow Cube in The Alderaan

Last year the glow cubes were a major part of the story, too. First, because they’re awesome. Second, they were so popular that they ran out almost immediately. If I understood correctly, many were gone as early as the second weekend of the event! Here’s hoping the inventory was greatly amped up this year in anticipation of their popularity.

If you choose your drink based on a glow cube, you’re

not alone. I’ll ‘fess: that’s why I went with The Tatooine first, with the awesome Millennium Falcon Glow Cube.

The Tatooine

Before we do our taste test, allow me to say that this daytime shot doesn’t really show you how great the cube looks, so I took a nighttime pic so you can see what she can really do.

Millennium Falcon Glow Cube

It pretty much rocks. And like its counterpart Death Star, it changes color, and can be set to one color or rotate through the rainbow while you’re drinking.

Truly, though, the description would have sold me on The Tatooine anyway: Parrot Bay Coconut Rum and Midori mixed with orange and pineapple juice.  Yep, it’s a total beach drink for the planet with two suns, which I’d say is fitting :).

The Tatooine

I really didn’t pick up on the orange — mostly just pineapple and, fortunately, plenty of the coconut flavor with the rum — your basic Pina Colada flavors with a heavier lean on the citrus. And yes, it’s very sweet. Yummy, if not particularly unique, it’s nice for a hot day (or night) wandering around the Studios.

Several hours later, I had a little more time before my evening at the Rebel Hangar, so I decided to pick up one more so you could see the cube at night, since it’s a completely different — and much more pronounced — effect. So this time, it was The Alderaan with the Death Star glow cube. The ingredients are Bacardi Black Razz Rum, Bols Blue Curacao, and cranberry juice.

The Alderaan

Death Star glow cube

Now, I really liked The Tatooine, but unfortunately, I can’t give The Alderaan a thumbs up. (My sincere apologies to Princess Leia’s home planet.) From the first sip, it tasted to me like a melted grape-ish lollipop (a flavor I don’t care for) but also with an odd bitterness at the end of each sip. It simply didn’t blend well.

The Death Star, though? Totally sweet.

One thing’s for sure: I saw a lot of people strolling around with the glowing beverages both day and night. Once the evening hit, they really did add a fun, sorta space-y vibe as we were walking around and taking in the atmosphere. Also good to know — the signs note that non-alcoholic versions are available if your little Luke or Leia wants to participate in the light-up fun.

And with that, we wish you once again… Happy Star Wars Weekends, everybody!!

Which drink, cube, or planet would you choose? Please let us know with a comment!