The 14 most popular Japanese cocktails

Do you want to discover the most amazing japanese cocktails? You came to the right place! The world of cocktails does not stop in its constant innovation, mixing different drinks with ingredients that seem impossible.

One of the newest trends in the West is japanese cocktailsderived from classic drinks that have been drunk in Japan all their lives, or from mixtures invented in the last century.

In the Japanese country you can find all kinds of soft or strong cocktails, in which sake is the main alcoholic beverage.

This rice distillate presents different graduationsand depending on the drinks with which they are accompanied, it is possible to obtain an oriental cocktail with a surprising flavor.

In addition to drinks with sake, in Japan other types of drinks of the most peculiar are taken. Let's see which are the most popular classic cocktails among the Japanese, and the new trends in japanese cocktails through these 14 drinks.

Choose your favorites and go ahead and try these delicious cocktails that are easy to prepare. You also can set up your own izakaya without leaving home!

How are Japanese cocktails?

A cocktail is a preparation that is obtained from the mixture of different drinks, and even some solid ingredient. The first types of cocktail date back to the 19th century in the United States, where alcoholic beverages with sugar and spices began to be mixed in a cocktail shaker.

This trend gradually spread throughout the world, giving rise to the first asian cocktails dating back to 1890 about.

In addition to the most common drinks such as whiskey, gin, vodka, tequila, or rumJapanese cocktails are prepared with sake and typical Asian liqueurs.

However, Japanese prepared drinks have nothing to do with the Western cocktail style. In Japan, recipes focus on the search for balance between sweetness, acidity and alcohol contentto achieve a perfect taste.

The presentation of Japanese drinks is also a world apart. With the elegance that characterizes Japanese food itself, the cocktail making in japan follows a careful ritual in which no detail is left to chance.

Most popular Japanese cocktails

If you are passionate about traditional cocktails, perhaps some name of the Japanese drinks that have become popular in recent years.

However, the famous japanese cocktails they are not known outside the borders of their country of origin.

We are going to see what are the best Japanese cocktails that you must try if you have the opportunity, with ingredients and recipes in case you dare to prepare a good cocktail at home. Take note!

Tamagozake

Tamagozake is one of the Japan's oldest sake cocktails. The first writings that describe the recipe for this drink date back to 1697, although it is estimated that its consumption is much earlier.

More than a cocktail, this drink was born as a treatment for fight cold or flu. Today it is still taken for its energizing properties. However, outside of Japan it has become popular for its curious recipe that mixes hot sake and egg.

To prepare this Japanese cocktail you have to remove the raw egg yolks to beat with sugar.

Once the sugar has completely dissolved, obtaining a paste of liquid consistency, add hot sake and drink as is. With its characteristic sweet flavor, it is one of the Japanese cocktails that has the most fans and detractors in equal parts.

sakebomb

The sake bomb, sake bomber or serve pump, is another of the most consumed sake-based cocktails in the Japanese country. It is typical of taverns or izakayas, very popular among young people looking to get drunk quickly and cheaply.

It is not known exactly where the tradition of drinking the sake pump came from, but it is believed that it came to Japan through American soldiers after World War II.

This cocktail is as popular in Japan as it is in the United States, where it is usually taken at night with some light Japanese snack such as edamame.

What does this drink consist of? The recipe is very simple, and the only thing to practice is the technique. Sake is served in a shot glass that is balanced on chopsticks resting on the rim of a pint glass.

To take it you have to hit the table with your fist while shouting 'Kanpai!'to get that the liquor falls into the beerdrinking the mixture immediately afterwards.

Matcha Highball

Highball is the name given in Japan to whiskey served with mineral water and ice. A more original way to serve this cocktail is to add a little matcha tea, mixing the authentic taste of Asia with a more typical Western alcoholic beverage.

The matcha highball recipe is slightly different from the traditional one, as it isand mix green tea powders that in the shaker can agglutinate. It takes a bit of practice before mastering the technique, which can be resisted at first.

for it to come out a perfect japanese cocktailput whiskey, lemon juice, a little honey and powdered matcha tea.

Shake vigorously to completely dissolve the tea. Add water to a glass with ice, and serve the cocktail over it. Finish by stirring with a rod, decorating with a slice of lemon or lime.

sacraments

Sacramentos is a cocktail created in Mexico, but for which a Japanese liquor called Midori. This drink became so popular in the 1970s throughout the Americas that the main liquor-producing brand even opened a factory in northern Mexico.

'Midori' in Japanese means 'green', and refers to the color of this melon flavored liqueur with a sweet touch that attracts a lot.

being a fairly smooth liquor, is mixed with vodka in different amounts depending on the desired alcohol content. The Sacramentos do not need a shaker, and are prepared directly in the glass.

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After serving the ice in a highball glass, add the vodka, a finger of red vermouth, a finger of Campari, two or three fingers of Midori, and finish filling with lime juice to decorate with rind of lime. Before you take it stirred with a rod to mix all the ingredients.

lily apple

Apple de Liria is a liqueur born in Japan, from the hands of a German barman, which became popular late 19th century United States.

Mix of different cultures, this drink has the fair balance between eastern and western, and the perfect touch of acidity and alcohol content.

As its name suggests, the main ingredient is the apple. Today is the most well-known cocktail that uses apple liqueur in any of its flavors and varieties.

The alcoholic strength of the main liquor must be taken into account above all, since may be too strong for some people. It is prepared in a tall glass or a balloon glass, which must be frozen for a few minutes before serving.

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In the shaker mix 30 ml of apple liqueur, 10 ml of rum, 20 ml of lemon juice, and ice to taste. After shaking for a few seconds, It is served in a very cold glass, decorated with a slice of apple. Ready to enjoy!

chuhai

Chuhai is so popular in Japan that this cocktail is often sold canned in any supermarket, conbini or beverage vending machine.

Traditionally, it has been made mixing barley shochu with lemon soda, as well as with other assorted flavors of different fruits that amaze the Japanese.

The Shōchū It is a typical Japanese rice distillate that has an alcoholic content of approximately 25%. Comparable to whiskey or vodka, it is the most typical alcoholic beverage of the Japanese country, which is drunk mixed with juice or soft drinks to reduce its strong flavor.

The Chuhai, often marketed as chu-hi, is prepared in bars and restaurants by mixing shochu with carbonated water and ice. One of the most popular is the Yuzu Chuhai.

The canned drinks that are on sale have less alcohol, although they stand out for their extremely sweet flavor and their high sugar content.

Japanese Fizz

Do not get rid of the egg whites that were left over for the preparation of the Tamagozake. The Japanese Fizz is a drink that mixes red wine with egg white and lemon juice among other ingredients, to achieve a combination with a lot of character.

This version of classic cocktail fizz It was invented in Japan decades ago, and today it is one of the most versioned recipes in the world.

It hides infinite possibilities, since each one of its ingredients can vary in quantity or flavor, to make Japanese cocktails of all tastes.

The original Japanese Fizz includes 1 part bourbon, 1 part raw egg white, 1/2 part lemon juice and 1/2 part lemon juice. port-type red wine.

Soda and ice are added to taste, shaking a few seconds to mix everything before serving in a large glass with a wedge of lemon or orange.

saketini

Before the Martini became popular throughout the world through the James Bond movies, in Japan he had his own technique to mix cocktails obtaining the perfect balance between soda and alcohol.

Today it is known as Saketini, Sake and Martini combination, mixed with gin and vermouth. The Japanese celebrity chef Matsuda It was he who made this original alternative for making cocktails known in the United States.

It happened in the mid 60's, but it was not until the 90s when it reached its maximum splendor in Japan and the United States.

Mix in the ice shaker, one part sake and one part gin, stirring and straining over a cocktail glass to remove the ice.

If gin is not your thing, try making the same combination with vodka or red vermouth. don't forget about accompany it with a few slices of cucumber, You'll love it!

tokyo slipper

Another slightly sweeter alternative to using Midori is to make a cocktail known as Tokyo Slipper. Much lighter in alcohol, and with a delicious taste and aroma of melon, is a drink that does not go unnoticed in clubs all over Japan.

Some compare the Tokyo or Japanese Slipper with the classic Western mojito. It is a very easy recipe to adapt to all tastes, but without a doubt, the favorite of lovers of light japanese cocktails in alcohol and full of flavor.

How do you prepare the Classic Tokyo Slipper? Put in the shaker one part of melon liqueur or Midori, one part of vodka, gin, white rum, or the drink of your choice, and another part of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Mix, serve in a glass with some ice and a slice of honeydew melon or cherry. The intense green color will surprise you!

Gurin

The Gurin is another of the Japanese cocktails that mix different typical drinks of this country in the same drink.

Combining sake, with umeshu plum liqueur and tonic drink with a touch of matcha tea, we have the perfect flavor bomb to fully immerse ourselves in Japanese cuisine.

Due to its particular green color and its high sweetness, some people know it as the 'Japanese mojito'. However, the original recipe has a much less tropical taste than the one prepared in Western countries, with a touch of ginger and matcha tea that makes it unique.

Prepare your Gurin cocktail by putting a spoonful of sugar in a glass, a few basil leaves and lemon juice. Crush the basil leaves to release their aroma.

Then add the ice, 2 parts Japanese rum, 1 part sake and matcha tea syrup to mix with a rod. Finish filling with mineral water and top with a lemon wedge and basil leaves.

Mojito

The authentic japanese mojito recipe it is the one prepared with umeshu plum liquor. This liqueur replaces the white rum in the mojito, providing a sweeter and smoother flavor suitable for those who do not tolerate alcohol very well.

If you want to surprise your guests with a super refreshing summer mojito, this recipe will become one of the most popular Japanese cocktails.

you can do it with any kind of fruit, but in Japan the peach, the pear, or the combination of both.

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Crush some mint leaves in a glass along with a few slices of lime. Add brown sugar to taste and mix.

Put the crushed ice, a splash of Japanese plum liqueur, and fill the glass with sparkling water or soda.

Mix the ingredients and decorate with a few pieces of peach and ripe pear, or add a little fruit juice to get your favorite flavor.

Bamboo

At the end of the 19th century, Japan received multiple culinary influences from the West. Just as red wine from Port arrived, too echoed the traditional sherry wine, of which they have been loyal fans for decades.

This is the main ingredient of one of the Japanese cocktails most famous in the world. His creation took place in Yokohama city, specifically in the Grand Hotel, at the hands of the German mixologist Louis Epingger.

Ideal to take as an aperitif, it is a drink with a lot of body and personality, but surprising for its pleasant taste.

If you are a lover of Sherry wine, mix fine wine with a splash of dry vermouth and add orange bitters tonic. Mix with ice in the shaker, and when it reaches the right temperature, strain to serve the cocktail and aerate the drink before tasting it.

Ryokucha Hai

A variant of Japanese Highball is the one prepared with the classic japanese ryokucha tea. It can be made with matcha tea powder, but you can also use infused green tea leaves for a smoother drink with a characteristic bitter taste.

Known in parts of Japan as Nama Cha Hai, this simple drink mixture shochu with green tea and lots of ice.

To give flavor is usual add different fruit syrupss, or a simple spoonful of sugar to reduce the bitterness of the tea.

Prepare the green tea first, and set aside to cool. Mixture a part of shochu with two parts green tea, serve in a glass with ice, and put your favorite syrup. Stir to meld the flavors before taking the first sip, and enjoy your drink!

Kamikaze

Related to the American soldiers who fought in Japan during World War II, this Japanese cocktail was created in Yokosuka, a city ​​very close to tokyo.

It is precisely named after the pilots who gave their lives for their country crashing their planes, because to take such an alcoholic bomb you also have to have a lot of courage (and a pinch of madness).

It was the Vodka Smirnoff brand that gave the name to this cocktail, which became popular throughout Europe through a great advertising campaign in the 70s.

It's refreshing, with a delicious citrus base. But do not forget that it contains a large amount of alcohol, and that should be drunk in moderation.

The Kamikaze It is served in a short drink or in a shot to take little by little. In the cocktail shaker mix one part white vodka, another part Cointreau and an equal part lime juice or soda.

Shake with ice, and serve a shot, shot or little drink, to take it immediately. Another option would be to serve it in a chilled Martini glass after passing it through a strainer to remove the ice.

More Japanese cocktails

Have you been wanting more Japanese cocktail recipes? Don't miss this infographic with more cocktail ideas:

Other Japanese drinks you have to try

In addition to these Japanese cocktails, on the blog we have shared other drinks and related articles that you cannot miss.

Buy Roku Gin

From the classic soft drinks, juices, beers, to the most curious Japanese liquors. You will find all the information in these posts of Alternative Japan:

And you, did you know these Japanese cocktails and these curious drinks? what are your favorite japanese alcoholic beverages? Do you dare to prepare a Japanese cocktail at home to try the authentic Japanese flavor? Tell us your experiences!

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