Wasabi Martini
A spicy and sour vodka cocktail ∙ Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 18% ABV ∙
The Wasabi Martini is a savory vodka sour: wasabi paste dissolved in vodka, then shaken with fresh lemon juice and sugar syrup and served up.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Squeeze a pea-sized quantity of Wasabi paste 1 pea onto a bar spoon and stir with Vodka 60 ml until wasabi dissolves
- Add the remaining ingredients: Lemon juice 20 mlSugar syrup 15 ml
- Shake with ice
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with a nori strip
Tips
- A pea-sized dab of wasabi is plenty; any more and the heat drowns out the lemon and sugar syrup.
History
The Wasabi Martini was created in 2004 by Philippe Guidi at Morton's in London. It belongs to the wave of flavored, vodka-based "-tini" drinks that took the classic gin-and-vermouth Martini's name and glassware but abandoned its ingredients. Reviewers have noted that it is really closer to a savory, spiced vodka sour than a true Martini.
It sits closest to the Citrus Martini, one of the vodka-based "Neo-Martinis" of the 1990s, built on citron vodka, triple sec, and lemon juice. The Wasabi Martini keeps the vodka-and-lemon sour frame but trades the triple sec's citrus sweetness for a savory heat from wasabi paste, balanced with sugar syrup.
FAQ
Is there a wasabi cocktail?
Yes: the Wasabi Martini. A pea-sized dab of wasabi paste is dissolved in vodka, then shaken with lemon juice and sugar syrup and served up with a nori strip.
How do you make a Wasabi Martini?
Squeeze a pea-sized dab of wasabi paste onto a bar spoon and stir it into 60 ml vodka until it dissolves. Add 20 ml fresh lemon juice and 15 ml sugar syrup, shake with ice and fine-strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a nori strip.
