Improved Japanese

The Improved Japanese Cocktail (not very Japanese, but tasty!)

What else should be paired with this history of Japanese puzzle boxes other than the Japanese Cocktail?  The drink may be even older than the boxes, having been invented by the father of American cocktails himself, the legendary “Professor” Jerry Thomas.  The storybooks suggest that he created the drink in honor of the first Japanese delegation to the U.S. in 1860 at the Metropolitan Hotel in New York City.  There is absolutely nothing Japanese about this drink, by the way.  It’s a combination of brandy, almond syrup (orgeat), and bitters.  Apparently Jerry Thomas used “Bogart’s” bitters, an aromatic type bitter which has fallen to history, but in Hugo Ensslin classic cocktail book from 1917 the drink calls for Angostura bitters, which we have in plenty today.  Modern bartenders have breathed new life into this old classic as well, with suggestions for using Japanese whisky instead of brandy, and adding a hint of lemon peel or fresh lemon juice.  Try this incredibly simple and delicious recipe for the “Improved Japanese Cocktail” while puzzling over an improved Japanese puzzle box from the Karakuri Creation Group!  Kampai!

Kampai!

Improved Japanese Cocktail by Toby Cecchini

2 oz. brandy
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 oz. orgeat
3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters