Japanese Gin, dry sake, orange bitters, and pickled ginger syrup. My recipe for an Amazu Shoga Martini | Dirty Martini Japanese Style uses the pickled ginger that is served along with sushi, it’s called either ‘gari’ or ‘amazu shoga’ and is a type of Japanese pickled vegetable called ‘Tsukemono.’ It has a mildly spicy, vinegary, sweet flavor that is meant as a palette cleanser, eaten between different types of sushi or sashimi.
This dirty Martini recipe gets a Japanese twist with the addition of dry sake and pickled ginger syrup
I was taking some pickled ginger out of the jar last night, and the pickling liquid, a mixture of rice vinegar, sugar, and a little salt, struck my curiosity. Obviously, I can’t leave well enough alone, so I tasted a small spoonful of the liquid. I knew immediately this was a perfect pairing with a nice bottle of Japanese gin that I happen to have.
Within minutes I had this new Japanese Style, Dirty Martini, in my hands. Ice cold gin with the spicy, vinegary ginger syrup and a hint of orange bitters. The rice vinegar sets this (not so) simple syrup apart from other ginger syrups. It adds a certain ‘pow’ and ‘kick’ to a cocktail that a regular ginger simple syrup simply doesn’t have. I substituted dry sake for vermouth to ensure all of the ingredients were Japanese. This is my new favorite type of dirty martini, what I’m calling the Amazu Shoga Martini, a dirty martini, Japanese style.
Never Shake Gin Cocktails
Gin has an interesting similarity with red wine and aeration. I’ll use this as an example of why never to shake gin. We are all familiar with the practice of letting red wine ‘breathe’. Decanting red wine, swirling the wine in the glass, and exposing it to oxygen for a short time will soften the flavors. This allows some of the more volatile aromas to escape and release the more pleasant fruit and oak aromas in the wine. However, if allowed to breathe for too long the finer subtle qualities of the wine will not only disappear but eventually, the wine turns to vinegar.
Gin is very similar to red wine in this matter. Shaking gin accelerates the breathing process exponentially.
Gin has a complex mixture of aromas divided into three parts; top notes, middle notes, and base notes. With gin, the most desirable qualities are in the top note. All of the botanicals: juniper, pine, fruit, spice, and floral are top notes. Unfortunately, when gin has been agitated by shaking, the top notes are the first to go. Leaving only the less desirable middle and base notes. Bruising the gin won’t turn it into vinegar, but it will leave the gin dull and lifeless. All of the amazing botanicals that are so desirable lost to the inside of a cocktail shaker.
Pickled ginger is a fun garnish for this delicious Japanese Dirty Martini recipe
Here is my recipe for the Amazu Shoga Martini | Dirty Martini Japanese Style
Dirty Martini Japanese Style | Amazu Shoga Martini
Ingredients
- 2 Ounces Gin
- 1/2 Ounce Dry Sake
- 3/4 Ounce Ginger Pickling Liquid Gari, sushi ginger
- 2 Dashes Orange Bitters
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice, stir until ice cold
- Pour into an ice-cold Martini glass, serve with a garnish of pickled ginger
Keith Gooderham
You may not be a professional photographer but those glasses and the styling are first class just need to work on the background;-) Meanwhile to more important things; must try what sounds to be a very different martini.
Steven
Thank you, Keith! I appreciate the compliment, the photos on your website are amazing! My photography is pretty basic, lol. Same table, same background. I’m usually in a rush to serve the food or drinks before their temperature changes. Everything on the blog is what we are eating or drinking that day, so the photos are usually pretty rushed. Definitely try this Japanese Martini, it’s one of my favorites.