The Red-crowned Crane – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

For some reason, Fall is the season when I most want to visit Japan.  This year is no exception, though I won't be going there in 2016.  A friend recently gave me some 'fuzzy lychee' that he picked up at a local Asian specialty market so I wanted to create a cocktail with lychee as the garnish.  As you can see, I didn't peel the fruit for the garnish - this is to create the look I was going for in honor of the bird this cocktail is named for.  Look it up on the internet and you'll figure it out!  FYI - You have to peel the lychee it if you want to eat the sweet and yummy fruit.  

At any rate, this cocktail is in honor of my good friend Mayumi.  I had the honor of being a guest of Mayumi, her Mom and her Grandmom on more than one occasion as they took me to several wonderful places including very traditional Japanese Onsens, a famous baker where we had some lessons in making traditional Japanese sweets, the best (and spiciest) Ramen I've ever had, a famous traditional lunch spot, and the list goes on!  I hope to pay a visit to Mayumi next year.


This little cocktail packs a punch!  To build the cocktail to a shaker 1/3 filled with crushed ice add:

• 2 oz. Absolut Pear vodka
• 1 oz. unfiltered or coarse-filtered Nigori Sake (I used Sayuri brand from Kobe, Japan)
• 1 oz. Ume liqueur (I used Iichiko brand) 

Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a lychee.  Makes (1) little cocktail.  

Notes:  

• I lived in Kobe Japan for about 3 months some years ago.  It's a nice port town not too far from Osaka.  I recommend a tour of the old Hakutsura Sake factory, which is now basically a museum, if you ever find yourself there.  
• You may have to find a grocer that carries Japanese goods for the Ume liqueur - it's very low in alcohol so mostly it is for flavoring.  
• Ume is a kind of plum with a sour taste.  
• The Red-crowned crane is a very revered bird in Japan and other parts of Asia.  It's a symbol of longevity and other positive attributes.  You can read about it on Wikipedia or other internet sites.

Cheers!