Welcome to the Year of the Dragon.
February 10 kicks off the 2024 lunar calendar and Lunar New Year, one of the biggest celebrations in the world.
Naturally, you will need something to drink to usher in these celebrations. And you know we'd never leave you high and dry.
Enter Kikori Whiskey, which is made from locally grown rice and pure mountain water in Kumamoto, Japan. Its founder Ann Soh Woods was nice enough to share a couple of cocktails fit for the occasion.
The Blind Luck is a bit tart, slightly sweet and is garnished with edible gold leaf for a festive way to ring in the new year. The Good Fortune is a large format cocktail featuring a slightly spicy kick from the togarashi salt rim. “A bit of sparkle and a touch of spicy heat pay tribute to the dragon and are also elements that make life more fun,” says Soh Woods.
Looking to the year ahead, Soh Woods hopes people will take time to celebrate the big and the everyday victories. “The dragon is one of the most powerful symbols in the zodiac and represents strength, success and good fortune from which I hope people will gain a lot of inspiration,” she says.
Blind Luck
Ingredients:
- 1.5 ounces Kikori Japanese rice whiskey
- 0.5 ounce Yuzuri yuzu liqueur
- 0.75 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 0.5 ounce simple syrup
- 4 dashes Angostura bitters
- 2 drops of pandan extract (such as Halo Pantry pandan all natural flavoring)
- Garnish: edible gold leaf
Instructions:
1. Add ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice, and shake until well-chilled.
2. Strain into a chilled coupe glass, and garnish with edible gold leaf.
Good Fortune
Ingredients:
- 15 ounces Kikori Japanese rice whiskey
- 10 ounces umeshu plum wine
- 5 ounces fresh lemon juice
- 5 ounces pineapple juice
- 5 ounces simple syrup
- 10 ounces hibiscus tea (steep ½ cup hibiscus leaves in a quart of water for one hour)
- 15 ounces sparkling wine
- Garnish: togarashi salt (50/50 mix of salt and togarashi)
- Garnish: fresh lemon slices
Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients except the sparkling wine and togarashi salt into a large punch bowl and mix well.
2. Add ice, then top with the sparkling wine.
3. Add a touch of togarashi salt to the center of every lemon slice, and float slices on top of the punch.
4. To serve, dip the rim of each glass into lemon juice, and rim with togarashi salt. Pour cocktail over ice and serve.
