There’s something magical about cocktails. A story to tell, new ingredients to mix, cultures to share with a wider audience.
Japanese cocktail culture has an incredible amount of creativity, from the way certain drinks are made, to the passion of every bartender and mixologist who puts a new concoction in front of their guests.
It’s that kind of energy that’s inspired me to try coming up with my own cocktails.
The first is called wabi-sabi, a cocktail that taps into the philosophy of transience as viewed through Japanese culture.
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The story
Wabi-sabi encompasses many concepts, such as temporality, imperfection, simplicity and roughness. It’s a worldview that celebrates the unrefined and the acceptance that not everything has to be perfect.
That idea plays well into the fact that this was my first real attempt at putting together an original cocktail and that it didn’t have to be perfect. It was all about experimentation and accepting that I didn’t have to match the high standards of the mixologist gods.
The simplicity of wabi-sabi also played into the ingredients that were used. Simple flavours that combined English and Japanese craftsmanship together.
Ingredients
3 ounces of BrewDog Inugami shochu
1 ounce of wasabi vodka from The Wasabi Company
2 ounces of Mojito mint syrup
3 ounces of Elderflower tonic water
Pour the three ounces of Inugami shochu into a Boston shaker, followed by the two ounces of mojito mint.
Pour in the tonic water and then cap off with the wasabi vodka.
Shake everything together for 30 seconds and pour out into small glasses.
Use a spoon to quickly swirl everything together and let the fizz settle.
Serve.
Notes
Wabi-sabi is intended to be served as an aperitif-style cocktail for the beginning of the night or at the start of dinner.
As a korui shochu, Inugami has gin-like qualities that make it pair well with the elderflower and mojito mint.
The wasabi vodka adds an extra layer of spice to the cocktail.
Okinawa Sunshine
The Story
Okinawa Prefecture is a chain of islands that are off the Japanese mainland and the culture is distinctive from Japan. Okinawans are strong believers in their own heritage and indigenous practices, generally living a more laidback lifestyle than the mainlanders.
This is evident in the tropical climate and drinking culture with local spirits like awamori. It’s in this heritage that Okinawa Sunshine was created from, mixing awamori, Okinawan rum and tropical flavours together.
The main attraction is Yokka Koji awamori, which stands out from other Japanese spirits in that the koji used in the production process has been left to ferment for four days instead of two. This unlocks a whole new level of flavour that lends itself to the cocktail.
Ingredients
4 ounces of Yokka Koji awamori (1 for every day of the koji fermentation)
½ ounce of Cor Cor Red rum
2 ounces of grapefruit juice
2 ounces of passionfruit syrup
1 dried orange peel
Instructions
Pour four ounces of Yokka Koji awamori into a Boston shaker, followed by two ounces of grapefruit juice.
Add in the two ounces of passionfruit syrup and then pour in the ½ ounce of Cor Cor red rum.
Stir in the shaker with cocktail spoon and then shake thoroughly for between 30–45 seconds.
Pour cocktail into a junmai sake glass or martini glass and serve with dried orange peel.
Serve.
Notes
The cocktail has bold, fruity, earthy notes that make it filling. It can be served and enjoyed at any time of the night.
An optional extra is to include a few blocks of ice to mute some of the stronger alcoholic notes from the awamori.