Velvet Komyo Recipe

Tonka & vanilla infusion

Add 375 ml Belvedere vodka to a clean jar. Split and scrape one small vanilla bean and add the scrapings and pod to the jar. Add 1–2 lightly grated tonka beans (or 1/2 tonka if very aromatic). Seal and shake gently. Let infuse at room temperature for 24–48 hours, tasting after 24 hours until the vodka smells and tastes lightly creamy-vanilla with a hint of tonka. Strain through a fine mesh and coffee filter into a labeled bottle and refrigerate until use.

Brew 2 oz filtered water with 1.5 g genmaicha tea (about 1 heaping tsp) at 175°F (80°C) for 2 minutes to yield a concentrated, nutty tea. Strain and chill to near room temperature. Measure out 1 oz for the recipe; any excess can be refrigerated for 24 hours.

Combine 2 oz dulce de leche and 2 oz white chocolate liqueur or melted white chocolate (tempered with 1 oz neutral spirit if needed) with 2 oz warm water; whisk until smooth to create a pourable thick syrup. Strain if necessary. Cool before using. (If using a prepared white chocolate–dulce syrup, skip this step.) Use 0.5 oz per cocktail.

Mix and acidify

In a separate measuring cup, combine 0.75 oz oat milk and 0.25 oz fresh lemon juice. Stir gently and allow to sit 1–2 minutes — the oat milk will begin to slightly curdle or tighten. This small curdling is used to clarify the final cocktail and impart velvety mouthfeel.

Combine cocktail batch

In a mixing glass, add: 2 oz tonka-vanilla infused vodka, 0.5 oz banana liqueur, 0.5 oz pandan liqueur, 0.75 oz peanut butter tequila, 1 oz chilled genmaicha tea, 0.5 oz white chocolate–dulce syrup, and 0.25 oz simple syrup. Stir briefly to combine.

Add oat curdle and rest

Pour the acidified oat milk into the mixing glass with the spirits and tea. Stir slowly for 10–15 seconds to incorporate. Cover or leave undisturbed and rest for 10–12 minutes to allow proteins and solids to coagulate and bind with the heavier particles — this produces the clarification.

Filter (clarify)

Set up a fine strainer lined with a coffee filter, chinoise, or multiple layers of cheesecloth over a clean container. Slowly pour the mixture through the filter. Allow gravity to pull the liquid through; do not force. The first pass will be cloudy. Repeat filtering through a fresh coffee filter or paper towel 2–3 times until the resulting liquid is noticeably clear and velvety. The yield will be slightly reduced; you should end with one cocktail's volume in the receiving vessel.

Chill a coupe or Nick & Nora glass. Add fresh ice to a mixing glass and chill briefly. (Optional) Rinse the glass rim with a touch of white chocolate–dulce syrup and allow to set for a whisper of sweetness.

Fill the chilled serving glass with the clarified cocktail, either by decanting from the receiving vessel or using a small jigger to transfer gently to avoid aeration.

Garnish by grating a tiny dusting (about 1/16 tsp) of tonka bean or a scrape of vanilla on top, and a whisper (about 1/16 tsp) of toasted rice dust for a nod to genmaicha. Serve immediately.