Summer has finally arrived, so we’ve dusted off the barbecue and are on the lookout for the next refreshing drink. Here’s a clever solution, combining something you may well have in your home bar in the form of that perennial British favourite, apricot brandy, with some fresh citrus and a couple of east Asian ingredients in the umeshu and sparkling sake. The idea is to make something to shatter the silence with a bang of flavours, and it was inspired by Sessue Hayakawa, one of the first Japanese stars of Hollywood silent cinema.
Ingredients
Yakawa - we
like Akashi-Tai’s Shiraume Ginjo Umeshu
30ml apricot
brandy
10ml fresh
lime juice
10ml fresh mandarin juice
20ml
sparkling sake (optional – again, we like Akashi-Tai’s)
Directions
1. Put everything bar the
sparkling sake in a shaker or jug filled with ice, shake (or stir) for just
five seconds, to ensure the alcohol content doesn’t get diluted, then strain
into a chilled martini glass; alternatively, serve it on the rocks. Garnish
with a lime wedge and add the sparkling sake for a big, refreshing impact.
Pietro Fania and Francesco Betti, Bow Bar, London W2
Where to buy?
Umeshu
(Choya Royal Honey Umeshu 0.7L):
https://www.finestore.ro/choya-royal-honey-umeshu-07l
Apricot
brandy (Monin Apricot Brandy Lichior 0.7L)
https://www.finestore.ro/monin-apricot-brandy-lichior-07l