Bijofu Tokubetsu Recipe

Chill glass

Place the coupe or Nick & Nora glass in the freezer for at least 5 minutes or fill with ice water while you assemble the drink to thoroughly chill.

Measure and pour

Using a jigger, pour 3 oz Bijofu Tokubetsu Junmai sake, 0.75 oz aged rye whiskey, 0.5 oz dry vermouth, and 0.25 oz amaro into a mixing glass.

Add bitters and syrup

Add 2 dashes of orange bitters and 0.25 tsp simple syrup to the mixing glass. The tiny amount of syrup rounds the edges and harmonizes sake and whiskey without making the drink sweet.

Stir with ice

Fill the mixing glass with plenty of ice (about 1 cup). Using a bar spoon, gently stir for 30–40 seconds until the mixture is well chilled and slightly diluted — it should feel cold to the back of your hand and produce a clear, silky texture.

Strain

Discard the ice/water from the chilled serving glass. Double-strain (use a Hawthorne plus fine strainer if desired) the cocktail from the mixing glass into the chilled coupe or Nick & Nora glass to remove any small ice shards.

Express orange oils

Hold the orange peel about 2–3 inches above the filled glass and give it a firm twist to express the oils over the surface. Lightly rub the peel around the rim if you like more aroma, then drop it into the glass or rest it on the rim.

Optional cherry

If using, thread a Luxardo cherry on a pick and place it in the drink or float it gently. The cherry adds a subtle counterpoint to the herbal bitterness.

Serve immediately while cold. Sip slowly to appreciate the interplay of clean Junmai sake, the warming spice of rye, and the bitter-sweet complexity from vermouth and amaro. One cocktail yields one serving.