Umami Grog

Brian Evans | New York City

In cuisine, miso finds its way into marinades, dressings, broths and even pasta sauces, and as a cocktail ingredient, it enjoys a similar versatility. “I’ve had amazing results blending miso paste directly into sugar-, maple- or honey-based syrups to add a weighted richness and viscosity to classic sours and flips, but also to add complexity to tiki and tropical cocktail builds,” says Brian Evans, director of bars for Sunday Hospitality Group. In his Umami Grog, he combines a miso-honey mix and mushroom-infused rum. “The infused rum…, citrus and honeyed miso all come together to form a nostalgic flavor reminiscent of baked banana bread,” says Evans.

Ingredients

Serving: 1

  • 1 1/2 ounces Mush-Rum Blend (see Editor’s Note)
  • 1 1/2 ounces Mush-Rum Blend (see Editor’s Note)
  • 1/2 ounce amontillado sherry, preferably Lustau
  • 1/2 ounce amontillado sherry, preferably Lustau
  • 1/2 ounce Don’s Mix (see Editor’s Note)
  • 1/2 ounce Don’s Mix (see Editor’s Note)
  • 1/2 ounce lime juice
  • 1/2 ounce lime juice
  • 1/2 ounce miso-honey mix (see Editor’s Note)
  • 1/2 ounce miso-honey mix (see Editor’s Note)
  • 1/4 ounce white crème de cacao, preferably Giffard
  • 1/4 ounce white crème de cacao, preferably Giffard

Garnish: mint spring, enoki mushrooms

Directions
  1. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice.
  2. Shake, then strain into a rocks glass over pebble ice.
  3. Garnish with mint and enoki mushrooms.
Editor's Note

Mush-Rum Blend
1 750-milliliter bottle rum, preferably Plantation Isle of Fiji
4 dried shiitake mushrooms

Combine the rum and mushrooms in a sealed container at room temperature for 24 hours, then add to a blender and pulse on high for 15 seconds. Pour through a coffee filter–lined mesh strainer. Keeps, refrigerated, for up to 1 month.

Don’s Mix
3 cinnamon sticks
100 grams hot water
100 grams granulated white sugar
200 grams grapefruit juice

Crush the cinnamon sticks with a muddler, then add them to the hot water and let steep for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Continue steeping until the mixture cools to room temperature, then strain off the cinnamon pieces using a mesh strainer. Add the grapefruit juice and stir to combine. Keeps, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.

Miso-Honey Mix
Yield: 1 quart

250 grams clover honey
125 grams hot water
100 grams white (shiro) miso

Add all of the ingredients to a blender, then blend on high for 30 seconds and let cool. Do not strain the mixture. Keep covered and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

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