Billy Joe Recipe

Toast the white sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly golden, about 3–5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a small saucepan combine toasted sesame seeds and water. Bring to a gentle simmer, then remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes to extract flavor.

Strain the seeds through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth, pressing to extract as much liquid and oil as possible. Discard solids.

Return the sesame-infused liquid to the saucepan, add sugar, and warm gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Cool before using. Store refrigerated up to 2 weeks.

Prepare cucumber juice

If you don't have bottled cucumber juice, peel (optional) and roughly chop half a cucumber and blend until smooth, then strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth to yield about 0.5 oz (or measure 0.5 oz from the strained juice). Reserve any extra for another drink.

Chill a coupe or Nick & Nora glass in the freezer or fill with ice water while you mix the drink.

Add Japanese gin (1.5 oz), sake (0.5 oz), fresh lemon juice (0.75 oz), maraschino liqueur (0.25 oz), sesame syrup (0.5 oz), cucumber juice (0.5 oz) and the egg white (1) to a cocktail shaker (no ice).

Dry shake vigorously (without ice) for 20–25 seconds to emulsify the egg white and build a silky foam.

Add a generous amount of ice (about 1 cup) to the shaker and shake again very hard for 15–20 seconds to chill and properly dilute the cocktail.

Discard ice or water from your chilled glass and double-strain the cocktail into the chilled coupe or Nick & Nora using a Hawthorne and a fine mesh strainer to remove ice shards and any small cucumber or sesame solids.

Allow the foam to settle for a few seconds. Using a bar spoon, gently coax a small area of the foam toward the center to create a clean surface for garnishing.

Garnish with a thin cucumber ribbon placed across the foam, a light sprinkle (about 1/8–1/4 tsp) of toasted black sesame seeds on one side, and a lemon twist expressed over the drink then dropped in or set on the rim.

Serve immediately.