At Birds of Paradise in Boston, director of bar operations Will Isaza tackles the challenging flavor by grating the root, blending it into a paste and mixing it into the house coconut cordial. The ingredient is used in the bar’s savory Piña Colada, but can kick up a range of cocktails, from tropical drinks to classic sours. Isaza approaches wasabi from a culinary perspective: “When you have it with sushi, you don’t want it to overpower the fish, you want to accentuate the fish,” Isaza says. “It’s the same concept here. You just need a little dab to amplify the ingredients in the drink.”
Coconut Wasabi Cordial
Will Isaza | Boston
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 250 milliliters coconut liqueur, preferably Kalani
- 500 milliliters cream of coconut, preferably Coco Lopez
- wasabi paste, by weight
Directions
- Strain the coconut fat from the cream of coconut, then combine the coconut liqueur and remaining coconut cream in a large container.
- Weigh the mixture and blend in 2% wasabi paste by weight. (For example, if you have 1300 grams of the mixture, add 26 grams of wasabi paste.)
- Keeps, refrigerated, for up to 4 weeks.