Mr. Untouchable

Aaron Plein | San Francisco

photo: Victoria Morris
Mr. Untouchable

During Shochu Week, bar tastemakers showcase their individual flavor and cocktail flair by incorporating shochu from different Japanese regionalities and ingredients into a special, limited-time cocktail menu—learn more and find a bar near you.

A play on the 1800s classic Badminton Cup, this drink subs shochu for gin and adds a riot of flavorful flourishes—jalapeño, nutty orgeat, spicy ginger beer—for a drink that’s “round and refreshing,” Aaron Plein says. As for the name? It’s a reference to the boss of Japan’s famed yakuza crime syndicate.

Ingredients
  • 1 slice cucumber
  • 1 slice cucumber
  • 5 mint leaves
  • 5 mint leaves
  • 2 to 3 jalapeño slices
  • 2 to 3 jalapeño slices
  • 1 1/2 ounces Lento brown sugar shochu
  • 1 1/2 ounces Lento brown sugar shochu
  • 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
  • 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 ounce orgeat
  • 1/2 ounce orgeat
  • ginger beer, to top
  • ginger beer, to top

Garnish: edible flower, mint bunch, cucumber, bamboo leaf

Directions
  1. In a shaker tin, muddle cucumber, mint and jalapeño.
  2. Add shochu, lime juice, orgeat and ice to the tin.
  3. Shake well, then double-strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice.
  4. Top with ginger beer.
  5. Garnish with the edible flower, mint bunch, cucumber and bamboo leaf.

Tagged: partner, shochu week

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