ナウシカ Nausicàa Recipe

Prepare fruit and aromatics

Rinse cherries, remove pits and roughly chop. Peel ginger and slice very thinly (about 1–2 mm). Lightly bruise the mint leaves by clapping them between your palms or gently crushing to release oils.

Make cherry-ginger sugar maceration

In a nonreactive bowl or jar, combine the chopped cherries, sliced ginger, and granulated sugar. Stir or muddle gently until the sugar begins to draw juices from the fruit, about 5 minutes. Cover and let macerate at room temperature for 1–2 hours, stirring once or twice; the sugar should dissolve and create a syrupy juice.

Add water and infuse

Add 1 cup water to the macerated cherry mixture and stir to combine. Add the bruised mint leaves, fold them in gently, cover, and refrigerate for 12–24 hours to allow flavors to meld. For a brighter mint character, refrigerate closer to 12 hours; for deeper integration, go toward 24 hours.

Strain and add vinegar

After infusion, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a bowl or jar, pressing solids firmly to extract all liquid (you should get roughly 1 to 1 1/4 cups of liquid). Discard solids or reserve some cherries for garnish. Stir in 1 cup apple cider vinegar until fully incorporated. Taste and adjust: the shrub should be balanced — sweet, tart and aromatic. If too sharp, add up to 2 tablespoons simple syrup or a teaspoon of sugar; if too sweet, add a tablespoon more vinegar.

Rest and store

Transfer the finished shrub to a clean jar, seal, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before using to let flavors integrate. It will keep refrigerated for 2–4 weeks. Shake before using.

Measure shrub and sakè

Chill sparkling sakè and shrub well. For 4 glasses, measure about 120 ml of shrub total (30 ml / 1 fl oz per glass). Keep sakè chilled and ready to pour.

Build each glass

Place one or two ice cubes in each chilled flute or Collins-style glass if desired. Add 30 ml (2 Tbsp) shrub to each glass. If you prefer a lighter shrub presence, reduce to 20 ml per glass.

Top with sakè and soda

Slowly pour 180–200 ml sparkling sakè into each glass (or pour entire chilled bottle across 4 glasses). If you want a slightly longer, lighter drink, top each glass with 60 ml chilled soda water to taste. Stir gently once to combine without losing all bubbles.

Garnish and serve

Garnish each glass with a fresh mint sprig and a maraschino cherry or a reserved macerated cherry half. Serve immediately while sparkling sakè is lively.

Batch note and scaling

This recipe yields about 120–150 ml shrub (enough for 4 servings at 30 ml each). For single servings: use 30 ml shrub, 180–220 ml sparkling sakè, and optional 60 ml soda. Adjust shrub and soda to taste.