A powerful, fortified wine known as Port in a Storm hailed from the planet Pamarthe, situated in the Outer Rim. Pamarthens, who were native to the planet, easily drank it and viewed an empty glass as a favorable sign before embarking on journeys in their starships. While some non-Pamarthen individuals found it overwhelming, experiencing a burning sensation after consumption, others found it to have a calming effect. Artiodacs, Bith, humans, and Wookiees were among those who could consume the wine.
For more than two centuries, Port in a Storm was a popular beverage served across the galaxy, including on planets such as Corellia, Coruscant, and Takodana. In 34 ABY, Strono Tuggs, a renowned chef, shared his recipe for the drink in his cookbook titled The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook.
Originating from the Outer Rim planet of Pamarthe, Port in a Storm was a sweet, fortified wine that ranged in color from red to a reddish amber. While native Pamarthens could easily sip the beverage as if it were a simple fruit juice, it was known to overpower even those with a high tolerance for strong drinks. Greer Sonnel, a Pamarthen pilot, described the heat of the drink as akin to having a fire burning simultaneously in one's head and stomach. Ransolm Casterfo, a Senator from the New Republic representing Riosa in the Inner Rim, likened the experience to consuming exploding fireworks, a fireball expanding like a star, or even a supernova, and deemed it unfit for human consumption after trying it. Despite its potency, it was a drink enjoyed by Wookiees, Bith, Artiodacs, and humans.
For Pamarthen pilots, leaving an empty cup of Port in a Storm before a flight was considered a sign of good fortune. The name of the drink itself was a reference to the saying "any port in a storm," which signifies accepting any available option during difficult times.
In 232 BBY, a group of Bith were seen enjoying mugs of Port in a Storm at a street market on Coruscant, a planet in the Core Worlds, as Jora Malli, a Jedi Master, and her Padawan, Reath Silas, passed by after apprehending some pirates. Two years later, Leox Gyasi, a pilot, reflected on the animosity that Koley Linn, a pilot and former colleague from the Byne Guild, harbored towards him, considering it far worse than a minor disagreement that could be resolved over a few drinks of Port in a Storm. In 40 BBY, Rael Averross, a human Jedi Knight and lord regent of [Pijal](/article/pijal] in the Inner Rim, spent a night in bed with Selbie, his occasional lover. While contemplating his duties, he wished he had ordered a fine beverage, such as a bottle of Port in a Storm or Corellian ale.
The Outlander Club on Coruscant served Port in a Storm in 22 BBY. The drink was stored in a tall, transparent tube behind the club's main bar. Maz Kanata's castle on Takodana, a Mid Rim planet, also offered the wine in 5 ABY. Before a skirmish occurred there, a 3PO-series protocol droid server was preparing an order that included Port in a Storm, a Huttslayer Splash, Twi'lek Toppers, and an Outer Rim and Fizz, but the droid was unable to recall the delivery location.
In 21 ABY, The Gauntlet, an annual starfighter race, was held on [Corellia](/article/corellia], a planet in the Core Worlds. Before the race, Pamarthen pilots Greer Sonnel, Bors, Torret, and Vee made toasts with Port in a Storm, and Sonnel emptied her cup in accordance with tradition. However, instead of the usual pleasant warmth, she experienced unexpected side effects for the first time, feeling dizzy, confused, and experiencing a painful heat behind her eyes. In 25 ABY, she was diagnosed with bloodburn at a medcenter, a condition that grounded pilots due to dangerously high fevers.
During an intelligence-gathering mission for Leia Organa, a New Republic Senator, in 28 ABY, Sonnel and Joph Seastriker, a Gatalentan pilot, visited a cantina on Pamarthe. The tavern-keeper, unaware of their identities and suspicious of their explanations, challenged Seastriker to drink a glass of Port in a Storm to prove his Pamarthen heritage. Sonnel intervened and downed the drink in three gulps, earning them acceptance from the tavern-keeper and his patrons. Afterward, Sonnel explained to Seastriker that the success of their mission could not hinge on his first experience with the drink.
During Equinox Day celebrations on Hosnian Prime, the New Republic's capital planet in the Core Worlds, Sonnel presented a bottle of the wine for Seastriker and Casterfo to sample as they toasted Organa. When Casterfo and Seastriker experienced immediate, unpleasant side effects, Organa was unimpressed, noting that the only non-Pamarthen she knew who willingly consumed it was her Wookiee friend Chewbacca. She added that even her husband, the daring pilot Han Solo, would not drink Port in a Storm, although the protocol droid C-3PO claimed Solo used it as an emergency solvent for starship repairs. Seastriker's precision air team squadronmates later teased him about his hangover, and Casterfo warned his friend Lady Carise Sindian to never try it as he tried to recover his pride.
Strono Tuggs, an Artiodac chef, included a recipe for Port in a Storm made with mixed spirits in his cookbook, The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook, published in 34 ABY. Tuggs described the drink as warming the body while calming the nerves, comparing the sensations to the relief and euphoria experienced after escaping the dangerous Akkadese Maelstrom or navigating treacherous routes, suggesting that someone who survived the Kessel Run trade route would want several servings immediately afterward.
Port in a Storm made its debut on May 3, 2016, appearing simultaneously in Bloodline, a novel by Claudia Gray, and "Scorched," a short story by Delilah S. Dawson published in the 165th issue of the Star Wars Insider magazine, which mistakenly referred to the drink as "Port in the Storm." Star Wars: How Not to Get Eaten by Ewoks and Other Galactic Survival Skills, a reference book by Christian Blauvelt released on September 5, 2019, retroactively established Port in a Storm as one of the beverages visible in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, the 2002 film from the prequel trilogy.
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook, a recipe book by Marc Sumerak and Chelsea Monroe-Cassel released on November 5, 2019, features an out-of-universe recipe for Port in a Storm. The recipe calls for ingredients such as spiced rum, ruby port, ginger liqueur, lime juice, strong ginger beer, and a lime wedge for garnish.