It’s easy to get into “Ship of Theseus” territory with cocktails — wondering how much a recipe can be changed while still calling it the original name — the martini is one of the best examples. A martini can be shaken or stirred, gin or vodka, olive brine or bitters, served with ice or no ice … the list goes on. The original martini recipe calls for two parts gin to one part vermouth with orange bitters and a lemon twist. The appletini and espresso martini have omitted the vermouth entirely, so why not add another twist to the beloved cocktail with the saketini?
If a martini is two parts gin or vodka to one part fermented alcohol with a brine/juice and garnish, then swapping the vermouth for sake makes perfect sense. Vermouth is a fermented grape beverage, and sake is made from fermented rice. Sake can have the complexity and versatility of wine, with junmai having similar earthy undertones to dry vermouth. One of the traits that makes a martini stand out from other cocktails is that it’s most often served without ice, and the same goes for sake. A chilled yet ice-less saketini invites a unique flavor ranging from umami to fruity.
Garnish the sake martini with style
If you only garnish martinis with olives and brine, then you’re making them all wrong. There are plenty of liqueurs and fruits to choose from, starting with a taste of Japanese flora that you might be able to find in your own backyard. Edible flowers can make any meal a little more demure with their visual appeal and aroma. Honeysuckles can infuse honeyed flavor into your cocktail, and violas can put a purple pep in its step.
Master bartender Kenta Goto of Bar Goto in New York created the sakura martini, a cocktail composed of gin, sake, and maraschino cherry liqueur with a cherry blossom garnish. Sakura trees are known for their beautiful pink flowers, but they don’t produce the sweet red fruit. If these trees produce any fruit, it’s inedible and unpleasant. The genius of the sakura martini is that it captures a hint of that authentic bitter note while adding a cherry-flavored sweetness.
Take a note from the pros and play around with fruit flavors as well. Try a timeless orange bitters and peel with your saketini or switch up the citrus via a yuzu-infused sake and lemon peel. Fresh cucumber is malleable enough to carve into an ornate twist garnish, making it a popular choice for the saketini. Mixing a martini is an art of its own, and sake is another way to breathe life into this classic cocktail.
