This variation on a gin sour cocktail features the japanese melon liqueur known as Midori. If you’ve ever seen a bright green cocktail in a restaurant, chances are it included this fabulous spirit. Check out our Midori Gimlet if you like this one!
What makes the Midori Sour different from other sours?
This Midori Sour is really just a variation on a classic Gin Sour cocktail. Instead of straight gin, we’re cutting that back and adding Midori to really mellow out the drink and give it more depth. Keeping the gin instead of using something like vodka keeps it crisp and botanical under all the lemon and melon. As always, when using a sweet liqueur to modify a cocktail, we have to make sure we use less simple syrup to make sure we don’t end up with a drink that isn’t balanced. You want just enough of each competing element that they all combine into one cohesive whole.
How to make a Midori Sour
To make this colorful cocktail, we’re going to take the construction of a typical sour and modify the ratios just a hair to account for the addition of Midori. The ratios are actually fairly similar to the Amaretto Sour. This means cutting back on the gin and syrup. As with most of my “clear spirit” sours, I opt out of the egg white. Also, since we’re serving this straight up in a coupe, a longer shake is necessary to get enough water content to tie everything together. The lack of water content is the most common mistake I see in home mixology. If you ever wonder why your cocktails don’t really come together or feel as smooth as the one you ordered last Friday at the local, check your water content.
Midori Sour Recipe
- 1.5oz Midori
- 1oz london dry gin
- 1oz lemon juice
- .5oz simple syrup
Add all ingredients to a shaker, fill 3/4 with ice, and give it a good 15-20 second shake. Double strain into a coupe glass and serve.