Sake-Blossom (Super Sake Post)

A fantastic little drink that was haphazardly made on spot, there's a little bit of story behind it and mainly it's counterpart.

A couple month's back I did a bar-tending gig for a wedding, only to be given list of two "signature cocktails" consisting of a handful of ingredients chosen by the bride and groom. Now, I don't mind mixing up some fancy new drinks for a crowd, but I was given just a list and no set instruction of how to prepare or measurement of said ingredients.

Sake Blossom: Vodka, Elderflower Liqueur, Sake, Lime Juice, Lime

Abocado: Avocado, Lime juice, Sake

Now I'm placed on the spot with an hour to set up my bar and whip up something the crowd could enjoy. The Sake Blossom itself was easy enough, stuck to the vodka being the base, and a little bit of everything else to add characterAbocado", how they came up with the name or the list of ingredients I don't know, what resulted after many trials was a chunky mess that I prayed didn't send me packing. The end product was 1oz each of the Sake & St. Germain, a decent squirt avocado puree (that the kitchen luckily helped me out with), and big splash of Sprite, no garnish. Taste wise, it passed, aesthetically...ehh.
. But this "

Luckily for me both drinks where a hit, and to this day I still don't know how or why the Abocado made out it alive, but I guess alcohol is alcohol to most. Go ahead and try to make it, I dare you.

As for the storied cocktail, here ya go, salud!

-1oz Vodka, 1/2oz Sake, 1/2oz St. Germain, splash of lemonade (or lime juice if it's too sweet)

-Shake it with some ice, serve neat, with a lime wedge.

Aaaand for extra good measure I'd like to contribute one of my personal favorite sake-based drinks, just for the 'sake' of sticking with the theme. This recipe was adapted off an old cocktail book I had laying around the house, this is one is for those who love the taste of citrus in a very dry, crisp format. Treat as you would with any good martini and use nothing but of the finest ingredients you have. You'll taste the cheap quality if you cope out. As for sake preferences, I'm a fan of Tozai Nigori, although I'm not a connoisseur by any means, this happened to work the best with what I've managed to test out. Oh, and how can I forget, what is this name of this drink?? The book referred to this as the "Sake-tini", don't bother looking it up on the internet, there's about a dozen or so drinks that carry this name and they don't even come close. Haha

-1.5oz sake, 1/2oz Gin, 1/2oz Curacao
-Stir in a shaker with ice and strain into a martini glass with a orange twist.

Just to make it a one for two deal here's a neat one that was brought up to me just recently. Tokyo Milk. It's delightfully sweeter than expected, the egg yolk adds a subtle character that many are missing out on. I'm sure we can thank the Health Department on that part.