Saketini

Sake is called a rice wine, but it is actually brewed like beer. Cleaned rice is warmed in water to break down the starches into sugar. It is often filtered and diluted so that it is clear and about 15 percent alcohol content. So it is as strong as wine, at least.

Sake has a lot of umami flavor, a savory taste like that found in tomatoes, that makes it especially useful for mixing. You don't need olives in a Saketini, for instance. That brine taste you love will be in there.

• 3 oz. gin
• 1/2 oz. sake
• lemon twist

Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with twist. 

Osaka Dry

Osaka is Japan's third largest city behind Tokyo and Yokohama. This sake and vodka cocktail requires a very Japanese ingredient: Japanese pickled plums.

Now I was tempted, after shopping around at several stores, to just give in and buy pickled plums from Amazon. Japanese pickled plums are a type of apricot that is sour. They are steeped in their own vinegar and spices and have a very distinctive taste.

I gave up on finding authentic Japanese plums and bought a few pitted and wilted French plums. I soaked them in vodka and apple vinegar spiced with cloves, anise and coriander for 3 days. They turned out very fragrant, sour and spicy with a sweeter center. I'm guessing they are not quite right, but that's a little beside the point. The drink they made looks and tastes great.

• 3 oz. vodka (Aylesbury Duck used)
• 1 oz. sake
• pickled plum

Combine vodka and sake in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with pickled plum.

Saigo Collins

You may have heard of the Irish revolutionary, Michael Collins, who shares the last name of of the famous John and Tom Collins cocktails. Saigo Takamori is a Japanese revolutionary figure honored in this mashup of drink styles, the Saigo Collins.

This is the perfect combo for a Cherry Blossom festival coinciding with St. Patrick's Day green drinks. 

It is an Irish whiskey John Collins with the addition of sake and matcha powder. The bitterness of matcha goes well with sweet Irish whiskey. This is a very green and earthy drink, which sake helps to usher along. And surprisingly it is very fizzy and refreshing. Check out the green maraschino cherry. It is there more for looks than flavor, but it tastes like bitter almond, so have at it if you like.

• 2 oz. Irish whiskey
• 1 oz. sake
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• 1/2 tsp. matcha powder
• orange wedge
• green maraschino cherry

Combine matcha and liquid ingredients in a shaker and shake to combine the matcha evenly. Add ice and shake to chill and pour into a Collins glass. Top with soda and stir. Garnish with cherry and orange.

Cherry Blossom

I've re-made the classic Cherry Blossom this year to commemorate the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C. Bars all over the city are making their own cherry-themed drinks in order to appeal to the thousands of tourists that come to see the flowering trees. I made this cocktail at work, but I'm doing it at home as well with a bottle of Destillerie Kammer-Kirsch Black Forest Kirschwasser. Kirschwasser or kirsch is a cherry brandy that is clear and strong and only faintly taste of cherries. That is why it is very different when you use the amaretto tasting maraschino cherry liqueurs for this drink, which often tastes too sweet. Cognac is a better substitute for the brandy as well, as it is smoother and will soften out the harsh notes of the kirsch.

• 2 oz. brandy or cognac
• 1 oz. kirschwasser
• 1/2 oz. triple sec
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• tsp oz. simple syrup
• 1 tbsp. grenadine

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with cherries.