This spicy Sushi Cocktail is the perfect mixed drink to make for fans of Japanese cuisine and sake.
The easy mixed drink recipe is inspired by the classic Bloody Mary. It offers a tasty and unexpected Japanese twist.
This Sake Cocktail recipe features ingredients associated with Japan’s beloved sushi dining culture such as miso paste, wasabi, and pickled ginger.
We love serving this spicy tomato juice-based cocktail whenever we order sushi takeout for dinner. It’s the perfect pairing!
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What Is A Sushi Cocktail?
Sushi is a Japanese dish of prepared vinegared rice, usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of ingredients, such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is “sushi rice”, also referred to as shari, or sumeshi.
This Sushi Cocktail recipe is inspired by the flavours of traditional sushi, featuring Japanese staples like sake, wasabi, miso and pickled ginger.
What Is Sake?
Sake is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran.
Despite the name Japanese rice wine, sake, and indeed any East Asian rice wine (such as huangjiu and cheongju), is produced by a brewing process more akin to that of beer, where starch is converted into sugars which ferment into alcohol, whereas in wine, alcohol is produced by fermenting sugar that is naturally present in fruit, typically grapes.
This sake cocktail recipe uses premium Japanese rice wine and vodka as a source of alcohol.
Travel to Japan by Making a Sushi Cocktail at Home
I love traveling to Asia.
My first visit had me living in South Korea for a year as a teacher and it’s where I was first introduced to fermented vegetables like kimchi.
After my contract ended in Seoul I travelled throughout southeast Asia for 6 months, visiting India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Macau and the Maldives.
I spent 2 weeks traveling by bus and bullet train through Japan in the warm summer months. I started in Yokohama then explored Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka.
What I found most fascinating is Japan’s distinct regional food cultures. Much like the regional cuisines found in France, Germany, Italy or Spain, each town in Japan had its own local speciality.
Japan’s trendy cocktail culture is the inspiration for this drink recipe. We suggest making the boozy tipple whenever you’re hosting a sushi party at home. You can use the wasabi and pickled ginger provided by the restaurant to muddle the drinks for friends and family.
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Sake Cocktail Recipe Ingredients
Our spicy Sushi Cocktail is easy to make in just minutes!
- Vodka: we suggest using Absolut, Smirnoff or Grey Goose.
- Sake: use your favourite premium Japanese rice wine.
- Coriander Seeds: adds an herbaceousness to the drink.
- Miso Paste: incorporates umami savoury flavours.
- Wasabi Paste: use your sushi takeout wasabi to add heat.
- Pickled Ginger Juice: strain the pickled ginger found in your sushi takeout container and add the liquid to the drink.
- Lemon Juice: adds a brightness and acidity to the cocktail.
- Tomato Juice: the drinks main flavour profile adds a sweetness that contrasts nicely with the spicey elements of the recipe.
- Sriracha: add a dash of hot sauce if you like spicy heat.
- Lemon Wheel: garnish the cocktail glass with a lemon wheel, slice or wedge.
- Pickled Ginger: weave pickled ginger on a cocktail pick as a garnish.
Spicy Sushi Cocktail Recipe Tips
This spicy sake cocktail recipe is easy to make at home, ready to serve in under 10 minutes!
We love serving this Sushi Cocktail whenever we’re ordering takeout from our favourite Japanese restaurant.
This Sake Cocktail recipe serves one person. If you’re hosting a large gathering feel free to multiply the ingredients by the number of guests and muddle the drink in a punch bowl or jug.
We suggest purchasing Pickled Ginger by The Ginger People as the jar has plenty of juice to use in the cocktail.
Serve the cocktail in a large Caesar or Bloody Mary-style glass filled with ice.
You may like to serve this Sake Cocktail with other popular Japanese recipes like Miso Ground Pork Stir Fry, Beef Yaki Udon, Vegan Miso Soba Noodles, Ponzu Chicken, and Osaka Okonomiyaki Japanese Cabbage Pancake.
Best Selling Vodka
In the 90’s vodka was all the rage, as martini bars sprung up in cocktail-loving North American cities like Toronto and New York.
Vodka is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is made by distilling liquid from fermented cereal grains.
Here are some of the world’s best selling vodka brands and our local small batch favourites:
- Grey Goose: the world’s top selling premium vodka has been produced in France since the 1990s.
- Belvedere: is a close second for world’s favourite premium vodka brand. The Polish rye vodka is named after Belweder, the Polish presidential palace in Warsaw.
- Stolichnaya: also known as Stoli, is produced in Riga, Latvia. The brand produces a wide variety of flavoured vodkas, perfect for seasonal cocktail parties.
- Titos: began as a small-batch vodka brand distilled in Texas. Today, it’s recognized as the best selling vodka in America. Titos is made from corn, making it a gluten-free friendly spirit.
- Ketel One: is a Dutch premium vodka brand with a flavour palette offering hints of honey and citrus.
- Absolut: is an iconic Swedish distiller and was the top selling vodka brand globally for decades. The brand offers a colourful collection of flavoured vodka bottles.
- Smirnoff: this Russian brand was founded in Moscow and today sells 39 different vodka flavours.
- Iceberg Vodka: the top selling vodka in Canada is made from icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland.
- Dillon’s Distillery: This Beamsville, Ontario producer makes 2 small batch vodkas near Niagara.
Best Bartender Tools & Cocktail Equipment
Before hosting a Japanese Sushi cocktail party you’ll need to ensure you have the best bartender tools and cocktail equipment.
- Cocktail Kit: cocktail kits are the perfect gift for newbie mixology fans as they include basic bartender tools like a jigger, shaker and spoon.
- Cocktail Shaker: a bartender’s best friend. Purchase a premium cocktail shaker to muddle or shake up your favourite pink gin cocktails.
- Cocktail Glassware: make sure your bar is stocked with a selection of unique glassware to show off your favourite cocktail creations.
- Hawthorne Strainer: this unique strainer features tightly wound coils and perforated holes. It keeps ice and other large ingredients like lime wedges in your cocktail shaker rather than in the glass.
- Bar Spoons: slender and long bar spoons are a must-have when stirring drinks.
- Bottle Opener: easily open bottles of beer or cider with the flick of your wrist or purchase a corkscrew for fine wine.
- Pouring Spout: once you’ve opened a new bottle of gin insert these affordable pourers to make cocktail assembly a breeze.
- Cutting Board: purchase a petite cutting board for your bar to slice garnishes or citrus wedges like lime, orange, lemon or grapefruit.
- Ice Bucket: chill bottles of gin quickly in an ice bucket or keep by the bar when muddling gin mixers into cool creations.
- Ice Crusher: fans of the Mint Julep love an ice crusher.
- Ice Cube Kit: we suggest purchasing a selection of ice cube trays. Silicone styles are our favourite as they’re easy to clean and are available in various shapes and sizes.
- Jigger: use a jigger to accurately measure spirits, juices, syrups and shrubs.
- Juicer: invest in an electronic juicer or buy an affordable hand-held to easily juice fresh citrus like lemons and limes.
- Muddler: fans of the Mojito love a sturdy muddler to mix mint and lime. Muddler’s are handy for any cocktail featuring ingredients that need a pounding like fresh herbs or citrus wedges.
- Citrus Peeler & Zester: adorn your craft cocktails with a thick citrus peel or finer ribbons of lime or lemon zest.
- Rimmer: Bloody Mary and Caesar lovers should outfit their bar with a handy rimmer for salting and sugaring glassware.
You May Also Enjoy These Vodka Cocktail Recipes…
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- White Russian Amarula Cocktail
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- Mint Lime Vodka Mojito Cocktail
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How To Make A Japanese Sake Sushi Cocktail Recipe
Japanese Sake Sushi Cocktail
Equipment
- Mixing Glass
- Cocktail Glass
- Shot Glass
- Cocktail Pick
Ingredients
- 1/2 tsp Coriander Seeds crushed
- 1/2 tsp Miso Paste
- 1 tsp Wasabi
- 1 oz Pickled Ginger Juice
- 1 oz Lemon Juice
- 1 oz Vodka
- 1 oz Sake
- 6 oz Tomato Juice
- Dash Hot Sauce
- 1 Lemon Wheel
- 1 tsp Pickled Ginger
Instructions
- In a mixing glass crush the coriander seeds, miso, wasabi, ginger and lemon juice. Stir well to combine. Pour into a prepared glass filled with ice.
- Add vodka, sake, tomato juice and hot sauce. Stir well.
- Garnish with a skewer featuring pickled ginger and a lemon wheel.
Nutrition
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