Grinchy Old Fashioned

Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar – Day 11 – Grinchy Old Fashioned. Mr. Grinch may be a mean one but this old fashioned riff is just the opposite. Using a good quality whisky is essential in this three-ingredient cocktail.  

You need to be sure you’re not heavy-handed with the creme de cacao pour on this one, otherwise the chocolate-y flavour will overwhelm the other elements.

This is a very offbeat combination of flavours but I hope you’ll give it a try and let me know what you think. Fair warning, it may not be for everyone, but few things in life are.

I haven’t often called for a Japanese whisky in my cocktail recipes. That being said, its a spirit category well-deserving of exploration. Japanese whiskies have had a major uptick in popularity in recent years, and for good reason.

The Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Makers Association has laid out strict guidelines for its members as to what they can call Japanese whisky – the whiskies in this category all meet those guidelines.

In this cocktail, I’ve opted to use Nikka From the Barrel Whisky – a product from the distillery founded by Japan’s founding father of whisky distillation (more on that below). On the nose, Nikka From the Barrel serves up toffee, marmalade, toasted grains and a hint of smoke. On the palate, you’ll find toffee, dark chocolate, toast and a pinch of spice. The long finish is hot, sweet and smoky.

Japanese whisky is much older than people often think, with the first malt distillery producing spirit in 1923. Over the past century a small number of distilleries have defined a wide range of Japanese whisky styles, but since the early 2000s there has been a major uptick both popularity and innovation. Where there once only a handful of producers, there are now dozens, and Japan is entering a new era of whisky making.

The early days of Japanese whisky really come down to two guys: Masataka Taketsuru and Shinjiro Torii. In 1918, Taketsuru went to Scotland to learn how to make whisky. He studied in Glasgow and worked in places like Speyside and Campbeltown, getting hands-on experience. He came back to Japan with a wellspring of whisky knowledge… and a Scottish wife – the old cad.

When he teamed up with Torii around 1921, Taketsuru had this dream of setting up a distillery on Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, because he thought it was the closest thing to Scotland. Torii didn’t think that would work though—too far from Japan’s big cities and markets. So, instead, he built Yamazaki near Kyoto in 1923.

Even though Taketsuru had his reservations, he became the first distillery manager at Yamazaki. But his dream wasn’t extinguished by this initial concession and, in 1934, he built the Yoichi distillery in Hokkaido.

Cut to today, and the companies they started—Suntory (Torii’s) and Nikka (Taketsuru’s)—are still the two biggest players in Japanese whisky. Unlike Scotch whisky, which has massive companies like Diageo and Pernod Ricard with countless distilleries, Suntory and Nikka only have four distilleries between them.

Be sure to tune into my Instagram Stories tonight at 5 p.m. Eastern for a step-by-step cocktail tutorial on how to make this unexpected sipper.

Cheers, friends!

Grinchy Old Fashioned

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Grinchy Old Fashioned

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

Mr. Grinch may be a mean one but this old fashioned riff is just the opposite. Using a good quality whisky is essential in this three-ingredient cocktail.  

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: Old Fashioned, Whisky

Servings: 1 drink

Author: Yvonne Langen

Ingredients

• 1½ oz premium Japanese whisky
• ¼ oz matcha lemongrass syrup
• 1 barspoon crème de cacao
• Garnish: lemon leaf

Matcha Lemongrass Syrup

• 1½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 tbsp matcha powder
• ¼ cup lemongrass chopped

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and stir over ice until well-chilled.
2. Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube.
3. Garnish with a lemon leaf.

Matcha Lemongrass Syrup

1. Combine sugar and matcha powder in a small saucepan, whisk until well-combined – ensuring there are no clumps.
2. Add the hot water and whisk until matcha is dissolved and there are no clumps.
3. Add the chopped lemongrass and heat the saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring regularly, for 7-10 minutes or until syrup is slightly thickened.
4. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
5. Fine strain into an airtight container.
6. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week.