オーレン・イシイ O-ren Ishii Recipe

Prepare fruit

Wash, core and chop apples into small pieces (peel optional). Measure about 2 cups packed chopped apple.

Macerate with sugar

In a non-reactive bowl or jar combine chopped apples and 1 cup granulated sugar. Stir or shake to coat apples thoroughly. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 4–6 hours or refrigerate overnight, stirring once or twice, until the apples release their juices and the sugar dissolves into a syrup.

Infuse spices & steep

Crack the cardamom pods lightly to expose the seeds. Add cracked cardamom (and cloves if using) to the macerated apple mixture, stir, then cover and let steep in the refrigerator for 12–24 hours for full flavor extraction.

Strain & combine with vinegar

After steeping, strain the solids through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a mixing container, pressing the fruit gently to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids. Measure the strained syrup; typically you will have ~1 to 1 1/4 cups. Add 1 cup apple cider vinegar to the strained syrup and stir to combine. Taste: if too sharp, add up to 1/4–1/2 cup water to adjust acidity and sweetness balance. Chill. The finished shrub keeps refrigerated in a sealed bottle for 2–4 weeks.

Optional finish

For a clearer shrub, rest mixture in the refrigerator overnight then decant the clear liquid off the top. Label and refrigerate.

Chill glass

If desired, place a coupe or rocks glass in the freezer or fill with ice water to chill while you prepare the cocktail.

Combine ingredients

In a cocktail shaker, add 60 ml Bulleit Rye, 22 ml apple & cardamom shrub, 15 ml yuzu juice, and 3 tsp (or 3 dashes) pink grapefruit bitters. Fill the shaker with ice.

Shake

Shake vigorously for 12–15 seconds until the shaker is well chilled and slightly frosted. This integrates the shrub and citrus and slightly dilutes the drink.

Strain & serve

Discard ice from the chilled glass (if you used ice water). Double-strain the cocktail into the chilled coupe or a rocks glass over fresh large ice, depending on presentation preference.

Garnish

Garnish with a thin apple slice floated on top or a single cracked cardamom pod. Optionally express a grapefruit or yuzu peel over the drink to add aromatic oils, then discard or use as garnish.

Serve

Serve immediately. Note the interplay of bright yuzu and grapefruit bitters with the sweet-tart apple-cardamom shrub and spicy rye.