Itami Onigoroshi Recipe

Chill glass

Place an old-fashioned glass in the freezer or fill with ice water while you prepare the cocktail to chill it.

Combine ingredients

In a mixing glass, add 2 oz Japanese whisky, 0.75 oz umeshu, 0.5 oz amaro, 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.25 oz yuzu liqueur, 0.25 oz demerara syrup, and 2 dashes Angostura bitters.

Add ice and stir

Add large, cubed ice to the mixing glass until nearly full. Stir briskly for 20–30 seconds (about 20–30 rotations) until the mixture is well chilled, slightly diluted, and silky in texture.

Prepare glass

Discard the ice water from the chilled old-fashioned glass if used. Place one large ice cube into the glass.

Double strain and pour

Using a julep or Hawthorne strainer (or a fine mesh for extra clarity), strain the cocktail from the mixing glass into the chilled old-fashioned glass over the single large ice cube.

Express oils and garnish

Hold the orange peel over the drink and firmly express the peel to release the oils across the surface; run the peel around the rim and place it on the ice. Skewer a smoked or brandied cherry and place it on the ice.

Serve

Present the cocktail immediately while cold and aromatic. Sip slowly to appreciate the interplay of Japanese whisky, sweet plum, herbal bitterness, citrus and smoke.

If you want a smoky aromatic finish, place a small metal or heatproof dish on a sheet of foil. Put 1 tsp of applewood or cherry wood chips in it and ignite carefully with a lighter until smoldering (do this away from flammable items). Invert the chilled old-fashioned glass over the smoldering chips to trap smoke for 10–20 seconds, then lift the glass, place the large ice cube inside, and quickly pour the strained cocktail into the smoked glass. Garnish as above.