DrinkWire is Liquor.com's showcase for the best articles, recipe and reviews from the web's top writers and bloggers. In this post, Boxes and Booze offers a recipe for a space-age Tiki drink.

There’s something magical about looking up at the stars that stirs the imagination. Let’s take a trip into outer space together. We’ll board a rocket ship and head out to the planets, propelled by some tropical rocket fuel and our wits. The journey to the cosmos is a long one, so we won’t get there all at once, we’ll have to take our time. Buckle up!

To speed the journey, lets board the X-15 rocket plane, the fastest manned aircraft in history. The X-15 was essentially a cockpit bolted onto a rocket, with wings attached. It earned its fame on Oct 3, 1967, when fighter pilot Pete Knight flew the rocket at 4,520 mph (Mach 6.72). As if that wasn’t cool enough, a bartender named J. “Popo” Galsini created a cocktail in honor of the rocket plane during its heyday. You know your rocket is seriously cool when it’s got its own cocktail. The “X-15” cocktail is light on its feet thanks to a gin base, rather than the more typical rum found in tiki drinks. It has an incredible blend of tropical flavors from a combination of passion fruit, almond, lime and ginger flavored syrups, but remains surprisingly light and refreshing. It looks particularly handsome next to this whimsical “Rocket” puzzle box designed by Japanese artist Osamu Kasho. Start your count-down now and let these rockets blast you into the stratosphere. I’ll see you on the other side of the atmosphere, on the way to the planets … to be continued. Cheers!

X-15 Cocktail
by J. “Popo” Galsini, circa 1967

½ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz passion fruit syrup
¼ oz falernum
¼ oz orgeat syrup
1¼ oz gin
8 oz (1 cup) crushed ice

Blend all ingredients together until smooth and pour into a favorite glass. Orchid and tiny umbrella garnish if you want to go interstellar.

For more about this adorable rocket puzzle box and the whole story of the X-15 see:

Boxes and Booze: Blast Off! - Part 1