All you need is three ingredients and a garnish to create this quick and easy Japanese Slipper. And just look at that stunning emerald colour, doesn't it just scream DRINK ME!!!
Hey guys. So I know I have been a bit slack with getting my weekly cocktails up since the beginning of the year. Ok, ok, lets be honest, I have been very slack. I haven't even put one cocktail up on the blog since the new year ticked over. But I have been super busy with my Mum, who has been visiting from Sydney for the last three weeks.
My life has been filled with shopping excursions, gardening renovations, eating out way to often and I have even done a bit of travelling with her. Which I will tell you guys all about at a later date, I promise. But now she has returned home I can get back on track with sharing some delicious drinks with you.
Because we are entering into a new year I thought you better have a new bottle of alcohol. One that would work well with the bottles that you already have on your bar shelf. So I decided to add the honeydew melon flavoured liqueur Midori.
Now a lot of bartenders turn their noses up at this stuff. Disliking it for its vibrant green colour, sweet flavour and teeny bopper drinks that get made with it. But I don't know I kinda like it.
Maybe it has to do with the fact that it was incredibly popular around the time I turned 18, which is the legal drinking age in Australia. Every bar, club or pub you went into would have hordes of young girls in their glamourise dresses, holding some sort of emerald green concoction. This popularity for Midori cocktails continued for quite a few years over the late 90's and early 2000. And I am not ashamed to say that I totally took apart in this.
And I'll be honest, I still really dig those teeny bopper styled drinks. I mean who doesn't love holding onto a cocktail that is exploding with vibrant colours in a fancy cocktail glass. Topped with excessive fruit garnishes and maybe even sporting one of those funky umbrellas?
The Japanese Slipper cocktail is very different though to the Midori splashed cocktails that i just described. It still has that beautiful emerald colouration that Midori is known for. But instead of being overly sweet, this cocktail leans toward the sour side.
This is from the freshly squeezed lemon juice and the lack of sugar syrup in the cocktail. The only sweetness that shines through in this drink is from the Midori and Cointreau itself.
And then there is the garnish, just one lonely maraschino cherry. That is all that is needed here. The brightness of the red cherry just pops against the fluorescent emerald green. It just looks stunning I tell ya.
Ok, so lets get down to creating this cocktail shall we?
To make this cocktail you will need your BOSTON SHAKER, JIGGER, HAWTHORN STRAINER and your LEMON SQUEEZER. You will also need your bottle of Cointreau and your new bottle of Midori of course. And to serve you will need a martini glass or something similar. I used a port glass for mine.
Firstly using your jigger, measure and pour the Cointreau and Midori into the glass part of your Boston shaker.
Then using your lemon squeezer, squeeze the juice out of half a lemon into the shaker. Fill with ice, then attach the metal tin part of the shaker on to the glass part. Shake vigorously for around 30 seconds.
Next strain the liquid out of the metal tin using your hawthorn strainer into your glass. Garnish by dropping that lone maraschino cherry into the glass.
Pretty easy right?
And if you find that the Japanese Slipper is too strong for you, then you can always serve it on the rocks like a MARGARITA. Just leave off the salt rim though.
I hope you guys give this 90's classic a go and if you do , let me know how you go by leaving a comment below. And if you want to join the journey on how to have your own home bar at your place, then check out the first post in this series HERE.
Till next week, cheers guys.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce 30mls Midori
- 1 ounce 30mls Cointreau
- juice from ½ a lemon
- maraschino cherry garnish
Instructions
- Using a jigger measure and pour Midori and Cointreau into glass part of Boston shaker. Then using a lemon squeezer squeeze lemon juice on top. Fill with ice and attach metal tin part of shaker.
- Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds. Then using hawthorn strainer strain the liquid from the metal tin part of shaker into martini glass or something similar.
- Garnish with maraschino cherry.
- Drink and enjoy.
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