The most buzz-worthy drink recipe at Galaxy's Edge's Oga's Cantina is the Fuzzy Tauntaun with Buzz Button Tingling Foam! This one took a lot of experimenting, but we are so happy with the final results, and it's actually pretty easy, too.
According to Oga's Cantina menus in Disneyland and Disney World, the Fuzzy Tauntaun is described as:
Cîroc Peach Vodka, Bols Peach Schnapps, Simply® Orange with Tangerine, Pure Cane Sugar, and "Buzz Button Tingling" Foam.
Oga's spin on a Fuzzy Navel cocktail, this beverage is a peachy, alcoholic orange juice. The liquid part of this drink is simple and tasty, but the large pile of bubbly foam is what makes this a shocking addition to the Oga's Cantina menu!
This is Buzz Button Tingling Foam and it creates a sensation of overall heat (spiciness), some tingling, and, lastly, a slight numbing effect. Some, like us, enjoy this sensation. Others will be asking a Cast Member for a straw so they can avoid the foam altogether while still enjoying the beverage.
The foam's tingling and numbing sensation is courtesy of a tiny, Szechuan flower called the buzz button (acmella oleracea). Now this isn't something you can find in the produce section of your local grocery store, so we had to order these little flowers on Amazon from Natural Nomad Farms, a boutique farm located in Florida.
If you are unable to get fresh buzz buttons, and are willing to wait, many readers have had success with planting their own seeds to grow buzz buttons! This is a great and very inexpensive way to go!
Not new to the world of cocktails, the buzz button is more commonly used as a garnish to be consumed whole. But, here, we needed to find a way to infuse them into the foam. We decided to create what's called a "buzz button tincture," which uses alcohol to extract the part of the buzz button that creates the numbing effect. Usually, a tincture is created slowly over 4 weeks, but the one we made was strong enough after 3 to 4 days.
The hard part was creating a stable air form. We read up on the complex world of molecular gastronomy and decided to try soy lecithin, but it wouldn't stabilize. We tried gelatin, but it thickened too quickly and tasted terrible. The best luck we had at creating a bubbly, stable foam was also the easiest! We used a common ingredient in royal icing, Wilton's meringue powder, to create a tasty foam!
Fuzzy Tauntaun Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 oz. Simply Orange Juice with Tangerine If you can’t find Simply Orange with Tangerine, substitute Simply Orange (without tangerine).
- 1.5 oz. Cîroc Peach Vodka
- 1.5 oz. Monin Pure Cane Syrup
- 0.5 oz. Bols Peach Schnapps
Instructions
- Shake or stir all ingredients together and serve over ice.
- For guidance on how to create a buzz foam, see the full Fuzzy Tauntaun post here or see below if you're already on the full Fuzzy Tauntaun post page.
Notes
How We Made the Foam
Disclaimer: The information below on how we made a foam is intended to be an account of how we created it only. It is not intended as a recipe for others to use, as it has not been evaluated for safety. Should you choose to make this yourself, please do so at your own risk. We do not assume any liability of others for adverse affects of buzz button consumption.
For those curious on how we made a buzz button foam in addition to the Fuzzy Tauntaun copycat recipe: We ordered 60, fresh Buzz Buttons on Amazon from Natural Nomad Farms, a boutique farm located in Florida. Upon arrival, we put the buttons in a large mason jar, added about 1/2 cup of Tito's (80 proof) vodka, covered it with the lid, and popped it in the fridge. After 3 to 4 days, we noticed that there was enough "buzz sensation" to proceed with the foam. We refer to this buzz button infused vodka as "buzz button tincture."
To make the buzz foam, we added 1.5 cups of cold water to an 8" x 8" square, glass baking dish. Then, while whisking constantly, we added 1/4 cup of the buzz button tincture (strained), 2 teaspoons of Wilton meringue powder and 1/2 teaspoon Xanthan gum for stability. Disney isn't using meringue powder, but we went with something easy and accessible to us. The taste is sweeter than Oga's (meringue powder is used for royal icing) and the texture is pasty. But, the buzz sensation is strong, and the foam is stable.
Update: Disney is most likely using a foam which uses lecithin. An aquarium pump can be used to pump bigger bubbles into the foam. The real trick is perfecting the ratio of alcoholic buzz tincture to the other ingredients.
Please read the COMMENTS section below! Others are sharing their experiences making a buzz foam. With everyone's input, we might be able to perfect this foam!
Next, we put an electric hand mixer into the water on low to medium speed. Holding the mixer in one place (the mixer clanged on the bottom of the glass pan), it created a current where bubbles collected to make foam.
Once we had enough bubbles collected, we immediately and gently scooped off the foam and added it to the top of our cocktail. When scooping the large bubbles onto the cocktail, they dissipated into a smaller, bubble-bath type foam resembling the one at Oga's.
If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to check out all of our Galaxy's Edge inspired copycat recipes!
Shauna
Hello - I'm looking to do this for a theme party and I noticed there is an 2oz extract version on Amazon. Has anyone tried this using that instead of the flowers themselves?
Diznify
Hi Shauna! I'm not sure what extract you are looking at, but we did try a spilanthes tincture and the taste was pretty gross. If you are looking for an alternative to using buzz buttons, some people have had some luck using szechuan peppercorns.
Jurnee
The Disney Food Blog posted a detailed recipe for the Fuzzy Tauntaun. They use soy lecithin granules heated in a microwave and the aquarium pump. When I've used soy lecithin to make foam for other recipes, I didn't heat it, so that was new for me.
Will Gearhart
Hi, I know I'm a little late to the party but I thought the following tip may be helpful. The real Oga's foam is non-alcoholic. You can trust me on this, since I'm a teenager (and look it) and a Cast Member was more than happy to scoop me some foam onto a coaster to try (Jan 2020, Batuu West). Perhaps something to do with the alcohol was messing with your copycat foam. Hope this helps. (Also anybody please LMK if you see real Durobor glasses for sale anywhere, thanks!)
Diznify
Hi Will! Thank you so much for letting us know the foam is non-alcoholic! You’re the best! We think what we might try at some point then is seeing if glycerin works to extract the buzz from the buzz buttons. Then use lecithin and an aquarium pump to foam the tincture. Sounds easy in theory....
ConSolo
Hi guys, growing my own here as well. I looking for input on how long the foam lasts? For say travel time or storage for later in the weekend. Is it more of a mix and make, or will it mix and hold?
Thanks so much!
Diznify
I think the foam is only stable temporarily and wouldn't hold up well in storage. If you try to store it for a few days, let us know how it goes. But I think if you brought the ingredients to a party, people would be pretty impressed if you pulled out an immersion blender and put on a show! 🙂
Mos Tiki Cantina
We were able to create a stable foam using egg white, lemon juice, buzz button vodka and a little simple syrup blended at high speed in a standing mixer.
Diznify
Awesome! That sounds like it would taste really good, too! Thanks for sharing your success!
Lando Drunkrissian
So looks like I'm late to the party, but I just got back from first trip to Galaxy's Edge and after having an absolute blast at Oga's, I of course have to ruin the fun by obsessing on mimicing some of the cocktails ... which is how I found this page. Looking forward to trying some of the tipes. I noticed one of my favorite cocktail YouTube channels (How To Drink) also did a vid on a handful of drinks from Oga's ... anyone try his technique for the foam ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKboM2sts9U
Diznify
Hey, welcome to the party! Great name! Yes, a handful of us, including myself, tried lecithin with no luck (even though we think that, and the aquarium pump is correct). We only tried it once a year ago. I feel guilty I haven’t gone back to experiment with it. I was hoping our adventurous readers would figure it out! Good luck and please keep us posted!
Valerie
Thanks for the awesome recipe. This has been on my radar for awhile. I grew my own buzz buttons and have been letting them sit in vodka for the past week and a half. I did a trial run today. Pretty much followed your directions exactly (I don't measure, just guesstimate). For the foam, rather than getting out my mixer, I got out my little battery operated frother. Bubbles galore, and I'm surprised at how stable it is. Delish.
Diznify
Valerie, that is terrific! We're so glad to hear it! Bonus points for growing your own buzz buttons!
Micah wright
Hello, I have another batch of flowers ready to go! Had a couple of questions. Do you know why there is salt added to the mixture along with the Lechtin? Is it just for flavor or is there some additive properties to it? Was thinking I might just use the lechtin with the infused vodka. Also do you think it would work the same way with a non alcoholic liquid like turning a juice into a buzzing foam?
Diznify
Thanks for sharing the latest buzz, Micah! I'm no molecular gastonomist, but I'm guessing the salt is just for flavor, and unnecessary. The link was mostly to help understand the ratio of lecithin to liquid. I still haven't ordered a different brand lecithin to try. Can you recommend one? In regards to a non-alcoholic way to prepare an herbal extract, I did a search and it looks like glycerin might be an option. Somewhat unrelated, but I do recall reading somewhere to avoid heat when extracting because it will dampen the buzz effect. Good luck!
Micah wright
I believe it's called Landor Trading company and it seems to work, although it does also leave a different aftertaste; so I'm still looking to try different brands. Glycerin sounds interesting; but was thinking more along the lines of simply infusing the buzz flowers into the Oj, AJ, or some kind of juice. Tried once but it does not seem to hold the buzz quite the same; but that also might have been my ratios or process of infusing. Trying not to drink so much lol and it would broaden the usage of the foam.
Brenda
You are my new best friend. We live in FL and purchased buzz button seeds from Nomad Farms and grew our own Szechuan plants. We have tried many ways to make the numbing foam for our favorite Oga's drink - the fuzzy tauntaun - to no true avail. We will be trying YOUR recipe this week!! Woohoo!! Your foam looks better than our first 3 attempts!
Diznify
Thanks, Brenda! Yes, we tried many things as well, to no avail. After watching videos on youtube of seamless soy lecithin foams that easily bubble...nothing. We're not sure if the soy lecithin we bought on amazon was bad or what. We only gave it the one attempt, and we'd love to try it again at some point. Anyways, we had to laugh at how EASY it is to make a foam using that meringue powder. I wish the texture of the foam wasn't as pasty...but it sure looks good, and you get that buzz button electricity vibe. Please let me know how it works for you!
Micah wright
Has there been any follow up on trying to make the foam with an aerator and aquarium pump? I have been growing the flowers but not sure how to incorporate a foaming aquarium pump. Any headway?
Diznify
Thanks for writing, Micah! Very cool you are growing your own buzz buttons! Once you have your foam ingredients in a container, a device is needed to bring air into the mixture (we used a hand mixer) so that it foams. The aquarium pump can be used for this to make extra large bubbles. Simply put the tube into the mixture and pump air into it. Have fun and let us know how it works! We have now included a link for a salt foam recipe using lecithin but are still unsure on the correct ratio of buzz tincture so that it still foams.
Micah
Thank you so much for your response!! Do you have any video of the air tank being used in this fashion? It sound fairly simple and straight forward but I'm not sure I want to buy a brand new air pump just for the drink unless I know it will work as it does at Disney. So from experimentation did you find that the lechtin performed better than the xanthum/merangue combo? Was there any difference between lechtin/soy lechtin? I saw your salt foam recipe, would you recommend starting with those amounts if using this method?
Diznify
Hi Micah! I couldn't find a video of an aquarium pump, but I did find a video of an air pump designed for this purpose (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=---szVciKLk) so you can see how an air pump works to create bubbles. Sadly, we never got the soy lecithin we ordered on amazon to really foam. I don't know why it didn't work, but that's when we started playing around with different ingredients, like gelatin and meringue. The meringue powder is essentially a fool-proof and cheap way to make the foam, but I'm not happy with the pasty texture. It does look good, though, and the buzz sensation is awesome. And my co-developer liked the sweet frosting-like flavor. I did order a cheap $4 aquarium pump yesterday and plan to keep trying with lecithin because I know so many people are interested in this. I hope someone, if not we, have luck with this soon. Please, everyone keep commenting! Maybe we can crack the code together!
Diznify
The soy lecithin powder we bought on amazon that did NOT work is Modernist Pantry Kitchen Alchemy brand. I just tried it with the salt foam recipe posted above by adding roughly 2.5 tsp salt and 1 tsp soy lecithin to 1 cup water and nothing happened. Ideally, I'd like to try a different brand lecithin. If anyone has luck with one, can they please share? If I had different lecithin I'd probably first test it on water to see if it foams. If it does, I would try it directly into some of the tincture. There is some debate online about foams not working if alcohol content is say, greater than 10%...so if straight vodka didn't foam, I'd try diluting it with water, and then adding more lecithin to account for the increase in volume.
Micah wright
Thanks for all the info and experiences! Finally tried your recipe. I blended 60 flowers into about 1 cup vodka, then did a rapid infuse with a whipit and then strained it ... the green vodka was a perfect result of buzzy goodness. Used the Merengue and Xanthem to mix with .5 cups vodka and 1 cup water. It did work ... best results yet for the foam but the water diluted the buzz factor too much I felt (still worked decently though) and the flavor/consistency was the same as your thoughts ... not bad, but I think it could be done better. Next try will be Lichtin ... I'll have to find the right product though as you mention. Also thinking of picking up a cheap air filter (the bartender one looks epic but think the cheap regular one will work for the "experimentation".
Empress Nafara
Hi! Not going to say if this works or not as I haven’t gotten around to trying it yet and I’m working on something else currently, but I’ve been successful in creating many park themed foods and drinks and have been pretty good at reverse engineering pretty much everything, including universals Butter Beer. Could it possibly be that you should be using a nonalcoholic extraction method to get the lecithin to work? Has that been tried yet?
The parks like to keep stuff gluten/allergen free when possible so that could be one of those instances! 🙂
Diznify
Yes! The foam at Oga's is non-alcoholic! I believe I posted in an earlier comment about trying an extraction with glycerin (haven't tried this yet). If you try it, let us know how it works!
Mike Bailey
Was at Oga's last night. We stood right across from the jar they have the bubbles in for the drink. It appears to me they simply used an aerator of some sort like an aquarium air stone or bubbler down in the liquid in order to produce the bubbles. Occasionally someone would stir it to knock down the larger bubbles leaving the foam for the drink which they just spooned onto the glass.
Diznify
Thank you for sharing this, Mike!
James Voigt
So researching the buzz button, I found that it’s a cousin genus to Szechuan peppercorns. I put 4 oz of the pepper corns in a liter of Tito’s and overnight, super electric for a fraction of the price.
My question is, did the buzz buttons create a less fragrant and clearer solution? My solution is a very dark amber with a noticeable floral aroma. Did yours come out similar?
Thanks!!
Diznify
James, thanks so much for sharing this! We are happy to know of a quicker, less expensive option!
The buzz button tincture we made was also amber in color. I wouldn't say it was dark amber, but I'm sure it would have been darker if we'd let the tincture sit longer. The tincture did get darker in color with each day.
Like yours, our tincture had a noticeable floral aroma. We didn't care much for that smell, but the meringue powder masked it. We doubt very much that Disney uses meringue powder, so we're eager to keep working on this. I feel like, if we band together, we can figure this thing out. Thanks again for sharing!
merryClusters
I tried Tito’s with the Szechuan pepper like James - nothing much happened overnight, but after about 4 days, it was super buzzy and probably would have been great.... and then I forgot to strain the mixture and it sat for about another week. Tried making the foam with 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of the tincture and 3 tsp of “Foam Magic” by Modernist Pantry, using your method with the baking pan and hand mixer on low. The bubbles were okay, not as nice as yours... still, serviceable enough. But wowza - the foam ended up way too potent and too bitter to drink. So I added another half cup of water, another tsp of Foam Magic and tried again. Right amount of buzz this time, but still bitter.
I ordered the meringue powder and xanthan gum to see if that will help with the bitterness, but I’m also trying again with dried buzz buttons and possibly another batch of peppercorns with a shorter infusion time. Will keep you posted as I continue my experiments- I really appreciate all your copycat recipes and want to contribute!
BTW, the Foam Magic used with an immersion blender or hand mixer on higher speed in passion fruit puree and tangerine juice (didn’t have kudzu) makes for a decent foam to use on top of the Outer Rim cocktail. 😉
Diznify
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I can’t believe I haven’t had an outer rim yet, I’m such a tequila lover! Your foam sounds amazing!
In your buzz foam, was the bitterness coming from the foam magic, or the tincture? Just a head’s up the meringue powder gives plentiful, stable bubbles but the taste is sweet and the texture a bit pasty. Somewhere out there a Disney cast member is smirking at all of us trying to crack the code. They probably purchase a bulk spilanthes tincture, add soy lecithin and bubble it with an aquarium pump. But the spilanthes tincture I bought was pretty weak, and the soy lecithin didn’t work, so I don’t know! I love to hear everyone sharing their experiences, the good and the bad!
merryClusters
Hahaha, yes, we are probably having a harder time figuring this all out without access to professional culinary ingredients and equipment, but I’m still having fun. And once we do figure it out, success will be all the buzzier! 🙂
I should have specified a little better when describing my first foam experiment- the bitterness was definitely from the tincture steeping too long. The Foam Magic is almost taste neutral.
My dried buzz buttons arrived, so the next time I stock up on Tito’s, I can try again.
Jeremy Craig
I had this cocktail while they were doing cast previews. I ended up growing my own buzz button plants. I've been trying a ton of foam recipies that have all fallen a little short. I tried your ingredients but used a whipping canister and it was way too think. I will try your method next and just use a hand beater. Maybe the cannisters just can't do big bubbles.
Diznify
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Jeremy! Yeah, for whatever reason, we had great luck holding the hand mixer at an angle in one place. Not even an immersion blender worked, but the hand mixer did. It was a lot of trial and error. We're gonna keep working on it, too. That's awesome that you grew your own buzz buttons. Love that!