Domo Arigato (Mezcal and Ginger Cocktail) Recipe
It may sound really out-there to use sesame oil in a cocktail, but this fantastic drink, created by Ran Duan of the Baldwin Bar at Sichuan Garden in Woburn, Massachusetts, is delicately spicy, tart, and just subtly savory. If you’ve never made cocktails with mezcal, this is a great place to start.
Just be sure to use fresh ginger juice, since sugary ginger syrup or acrid bottled juice will throw the drink out of whack. If you don’t have a juicer or a friendly local juice shop, you can muddle some chopped ginger or grate it with a Microplane, then press it against a fine-mesh strainer to get the liquid out; or grind your peeled, sliced ginger in a blender or food processor before straining. If you’re making the drink for guests, prep the ginger juice up to one hour in advance and store in your fridge.
Why It Works
Just a couple drops of sesame oil add an intriguing nutty, savory note.
Fresh ginger juice (not bottled) adds a fresh peppery blast.
Ingredients
2 ounces (60ml) mezcal
1 ounce (30ml) simple syrup (see note)
3/4 ounce (22ml) fresh lime juice
1/4 ounce plus 1 teaspoon (13ml) fresh ginger juice
2 drops toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 ounces (45ml) chilled club soda
Directions
1.
In a cocktail shaker, combine mezcal, simple syrup, lime juice, ginger juice, and sesame oil in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake until well chilled, about 15 seconds. Unseal shaker and add club soda. Strain into an ice-filled collins glass.
Just be sure to use fresh ginger juice, since sugary ginger syrup or acrid bottled juice will throw the drink out of whack. If you don’t have a juicer or a friendly local juice shop, you can muddle some chopped ginger or grate it with a Microplane, then press it against a fine-mesh strainer to get the liquid out; or grind your peeled, sliced ginger in a blender or food processor before straining. If you’re making the drink for guests, prep the ginger juice up to one hour in advance and store in your fridge.
Why It Works
Just a couple drops of sesame oil add an intriguing nutty, savory note.
Fresh ginger juice (not bottled) adds a fresh peppery blast.
Ingredients
2 ounces (60ml) mezcal
1 ounce (30ml) simple syrup (see note)
3/4 ounce (22ml) fresh lime juice
1/4 ounce plus 1 teaspoon (13ml) fresh ginger juice
2 drops toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 ounces (45ml) chilled club soda
Directions
1.
In a cocktail shaker, combine mezcal, simple syrup, lime juice, ginger juice, and sesame oil in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake until well chilled, about 15 seconds. Unseal shaker and add club soda. Strain into an ice-filled collins glass.