1.5 oz. Hojicha-infused Roku gin
1 oz. Amabuke Ginno Kurenai Junmai sake
.5 oz. red beet and purple carrot shrub
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice, and stir.
Strain into a coupe glass, garnish with a dehydrated Chioggia beet
Infused gin
750mL Roku gin
7.5g Hojicha tea
Combine and let sit for four hours. Strain through a fine mesh chinois.
Shrub
900g red beet
900g purple carrot
1000g rice wine vinegar
920g sugar
1.1g salt
Puree beets and carrots in a food processor. Combine with vinegar, sugar, and salt. Let sit for two days in the fridge. Strain through a fine mesh chinois.
I wanted to create a martini using sake in place of vermouth. Roku gin is an obvious thematic pairing, bringing six Japanese botanicals into play. The Amabuki sake is quite unusual, as it is made from unpolished red rice, which gives it a beautiful rose color. I selected this sake for a few reasons: it is light, semi-dry, with a lot of citrus on the finish, and it is best served cold. These characteristics make it fundamentally similar to a blanc vermouth. The beet and carrot shrub gives the drink a nice earthy undertone, and puts it in the realm of dirty martinis. Plus it doesn't hurt that it's a deep purple in color, which perfectly complements the sake. Hojicha, a roasted Japanese green tea, adds a nutty top note to balance out the earthiness. As a finishing touch, the dehydrated chioggia beet is both visually and olfactorily stimulating, providing a hint as to what awaits you in the glass.