Japanese Cocktail Recipes

Feel like a Japanese-inspired cocktail? Here’s some cocktails we think you should try…


Ginza Spritz

Are you one for the classics? This is the Kobe Jones take on the traditional Tom Collins, Japanese style. Yuzu-infused sake is mixed with Tanqueray Gin, muddled lemon and shiso, with a spritz of ramunade served over ice in a double old fashion.

You’ll need:

  • 15ml of Tanqueray Gin

  • 15ml Passoa passion fruit liqueur

  • 30ml Yuzu-infused Sake (Yuzushu)

  • 30ml citrus syrup (1 orange, 1 lemon, 1 lime, a bottle of plum wine, 250 gm sugar, and a cup of water, boiled until it forms a syrup)

  • 3 Shiso leaves and ½ a muddled lemon

  • a splash of ramunade

In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine liqueur, gin, sake, syrup, shiso leaves and lemon. Pour over a large rocks glass of ice and top with a splash of ramunade.

Tangerine Ginger Sake Sangria

Japanese cocktail

Sangria might be of Portuguese/Spanish heritage, but with these flavours, you can enjoy it with a Japanese twist. Bursting with fresh ginger, crisp tangerine and offering a refreshing minty finish, it’s everything a mixed drink should be!

You’ll need:

  • 1 bottle Nigori Sake

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 cup water

  • ½ cup fresh ginger, chopped

  • 4 tangerines

  • ¼ cup fresh mint

Bring the sugar and water to boil in a medium saucepan. When the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and add the chopped ginger. Let steep for 30 minutes. Pour syrup into a pitcher through a fine sieve and discard the ginger. Chill in the refrigerator. Once chilled, thinly slice three of the tangerines and add them to your pitcher.

In a glass, add most of the mint and enough sake to cover. Mull the mint and add it to the pitcher, along with the rest of the sake. Add a whole lot of ice and while that gets the sangria nice and cold, wipe the rim of your glasses with a tangerine slice and twist the rims in sugar. Pour sangria into glasses and add a tangerine slice. Garnish with the remaining mint.

Shochu Melon Citrus Cocktail

Japanese cocktail

Shochu is a popular choice for Japanese cocktails because of its earthy taste and low calorie intake. Mixed in inventive ways, we love it with melon liquer and a squeeze of lemon juice.

You’ll need:

  • 3 oz shochu

  • 3 oz melon liqueur

  • Juice of one lemon

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a cocktail glass with ice to serve.

Raspberry Sake Tea Cocktail

Japanese cocktail

Who doesn’t love the sweet, savoury, acidic, bitter taste of sake? Its caramel-like fruity flavour works perfectly with raspberries, so this cocktail simply makes sense.

You’ll need:

  • 1 ½ litres of water

  • 5 raspberry flavoured tea bags

  • ¼ cup sugar

  • ⅓ cup sake

In a pot, bring the water to a boil. Add tea bags and remove from heat. Allow to steep before removing the tea bags. Stir in sugar until dissolved and pour into a pitcher. Place in the fridge to cool before stirring in the sake. Pour over ice with some fresh raspberries as a garnish.

Tokyo Slipper

Japanese cocktail

A perfect way to start any dining experience, this is Kobe Jones’ take on the traditional Japanese Slipper. A tantalising mix of Midori, Yuzu-infused sake and pineapple juice, shaken and strained over yuzu sorbet.

You’ll need:

  • 30ml Midori

  • 30ml Yuzu infused Sake (Yuzushu)

  • 60ml Pineapple Juice

  • shaken and strained over Yuzu Sorbet (house made)

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a large martini glass, over a scoop of Yuzu sorbet.

Riane Brown