ナウシカnausicàa Recipe

Prepare fruit and aromatics

Wash cherries, remove stems and pit them. Lightly bruise cherries in a bowl with the back of a spoon to release juices. Rinse and gently pat dry the mint leaves. Peel ginger and slice into thin coins or julienne small pieces.

Make cherry-mint-ginger syrup

In a medium saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and 0.5 cup water. Warm over medium heat, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves to make a simple syrup base (do not boil vigorously). Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

Macerate fruit

Place the bruised cherries, sliced ginger and the packed mint leaves into a clean glass jar or container with a tight-fitting lid. Pour the warm (but not hot) sugar syrup over the fruit and herbs so they are submerged. Gently press the mixture down with a spoon to release more juice.

Add vinegar and steep

Once the mixture is at room temperature, add the apple cider vinegar and white wine vinegar. Stir or shake lightly to combine. Seal the jar and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, preferably 48–72 hours, shaking once or twice per day to help infusion. The vinegar will draw out flavor and preserve the shrub.

Strain and adjust

After steeping, strain the shrub through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a bowl, pressing solids to extract juices. Discard solids (or reserve for a cocktail garnish compote). Taste the shrub: if it’s too sharp, stir in up to 1–2 tablespoons of sugar or a touch more simple syrup; if too sweet, add a teaspoon of vinegar. Chill the finished shrub in the refrigerator. Yields roughly 1 to 1 1/4 cups shrub.

Prepare glass

Chill a coupe or a flute glass in the freezer for a few minutes or fill it with ice to cool, then discard the ice. Add crushed ice or a few ice cubes if you prefer the drink very cold (optional).

Measure shrub

Add 2 tablespoons of the chilled mint-cherry-ginger shrub to the bottom of the glass.

Top with sparkling sakè

Slowly pour 120 ml chilled sparkling sakè into the glass over the shrub. Stir gently once or twice to combine the shrub with the sakè, taking care to preserve the sparkle.

Adjust effervescence

If you prefer a lighter sakè presence or more fizz, top with up to 30 ml chilled soda water. Gently stir to integrate.

Garnish and serve

Garnish with a fresh mint sprig and optional fresh cherry. Serve immediately while sparkling. Provide a small spoon or straw so the drinker can swirl remaining shrub from the bottom as desired.