Romulan ale Romulan ale was a highly intoxicating alcohol ic beverage of Romulan origin with a characteristic blue color ( ranging from a pale sky blue to a dark midnight blue ) . It took a while to ferment and Doctor Leonard McCoy joked that he used it for " medicinal purposes . " ( ) " In 2263 of the alternate reality , ordered three Romulan ales for himself at ' s birthday party on Starbase Yorktown . " ( ) In the prime reality , Romulan ale was illegal in the Federation from at least the early 2280s to the late 2370s , but many Starfleet officer s had actually sampled it at one point or another . A rare exception was Admiral William Ross . ( ; ; ; ) Admiral James T . Kirk was given a bottle of Romulan ale dated 2283 as a birthday gift from Doctor Leonard McCoy in 2285 . ( ) Captain James T . Kirk was able to procure some for his crew and served it at a state dinner with Klingon High Chancellor Gorkon in 2293 . When Brigadier Kerla said he thought it was illegal , Kirk wryly noted it was " " one of the advantages of being a thousand light year s from Federation headquarters . " " However , the ensuing hangover convinced him to order that the drink no longer be served at diplomatic functions . ( ) In 2362 , Fallit Kot hijacked a shipment of Romulan ale . He was sentenced to eight years in a Romulan labor camp . ( ) In 2366 , the replicator s aboard the could not replicate Romulan ale ; it would have required programming the devices with the molecular structure of the beverage . The recipe was not readily available , due to the lack of information and communication between the Federation and the Romulan Empire . ( ) The Zibalian trader Kivas Fajo had twelve cases of a premium Vintage of this ale before the Federation confiscated them in 2366 . These cases were mentioned in a listing of Fajo ' s collections in his Federation biographical data file . ( , " okudagram " ) Romulan ale was a challenge even for species as stout as the Klingon s , who were usually quite resistant to the effects of alcohol . After drinking a sizable amount of Romulan ale in celebration of William T . Riker and Deanna Troi ' s wedding in 2379 , Worf , obviously suffering its effects , stated , " " Romulan ale should be illegal , " " to which Geordi La Forge replied , " " It is . " " ( ) However , Romulan ale did become legal during the Dominion War , when the embargo was lifted as part of the alliance between the Federation and the Romulans . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Blue beverages were also seen in Romulan contexts in and . In the latter episode , the blue beverage is identified as " kali - fal " , which may be the Romulan name for " Romulan ale " : they both appear to be bluish liquids that pack a wallop . However , " kali - fal " is known to have a potent aroma , whereas Romulan ale was never mentioned to have such an aroma . " Enterprise " officers also enjoyed blue colored drinks in TOS : and . However , the blue drink in the latter was explicitly identified as Antarean brandy on - screen . In the script for , the stage directions stated that , when Kirk and McCoy drink Romulan ale , it is an " instant drunk . " In the first draft script for , Tom Paris ordered a tall glass of Romulan ale in Quark ' s , aboard space station Deep Space 9 . The Las Vegas " " sold bottles and six - packs of " Romulan ale " , a blue lager - style beer made by Central America n brewery Cerveceria La Constancia on exclusive license from Paramount Pictures . The Klingon actors were scripted to claim that " " you Humans cannot hold your neurotoxins ! " " In real life , the book " 488 Bacardi Rum Based Cocktails " included a recipe for " Real Romulan Ale " , a mixture of Bacardi rum , Everclear alcohol , and Blue Curaçao liqueur . Romulan ale has always appeared some tint of blue , except in , when it appeared brownish - colored . This is either a continuity violation or an introduction of a new type of ale not seen on - screen before . In , after Montgomery Scott is heard in the background ordering three Romulan ales for himself , he is shown drinking a similarly brownish liquid . The Romulan ale bottle seen in " Star Trek Nemesis " was sold off on the It ' s A Wrap ! sale and auction on eBay . Romulan ale appears to occupy a status in the Federation similar to Cuban cigars in the United States . In , an energy drink called Romulan Ale Energy Drink was manufactured by Boston America and released to tie into the film . According to " Star Trek 25th Anniversary Special " , the contents for the food props during the dinner scene aboard the " Enterprise " - A were : plastic sperm whale , hardboiled " Klingon " egg , unspecified flower species , chicken a - la - king , and blue Kool - Aid for the Romulan Ale . Per the " Star Trek Cookbook " , the Romulan ale shown on the shows was actually Glacier Freeze Gatorade mixed with seltzer . Apocrypha . Diane Duane ' s " The Romulan Way " states that Romulan ale is brewed from grains such as " kheh " , and states that the primary reason it is difficult to imbibe is that it is harsh to the throat . Terise Haleakala - LoBrutto , one of the protagonists , comments that the Romulans drink it in part to prove that they " can " . The book also has a form of wine that is easier on the throat but more alcoholic . The Romulan tutorial missions in " Star Trek Online " indicate that the ale produced on Virinat , a Romulan colony , is brewed from honey - like secretions of khellid insects .