Drinks For The Year of The Snake

Chinese New Year begins on Jan. 29, ushering in the Year of the Snake, and celebrations will kick off worldwide. You don’t have to be a Chinese concept to honor the 16-day holiday with a few specialty cocktails. Here are five that we like for this year.

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Year of the Snake

Course Drinks

Keyword coconut liqueur, edamame, gin, kumquat, lychee soda, Midori

Ingredients

• 1 ½ oz. Roku gin
• 2 oz. Lychee soda
• ¼ oz. Kumquat juice
• 1 oz. Midori melon liqueur
• ½ oz. Coconut liqueur
• Edamame foam*

Instructions

• Add all ingredients in the shaker with ice.
• Shake for 10 seconds.
• Strain into highball glass over fresh ice.
• Add edamame foam on top.
• Garnish with dehydrated lime slice.

Notes

*For Edamame foam
1 cup Shelled edamame (cooked)
¼ cup Heavy cream
½ cup Milk
1 tsp. Lemon juice
2 Gelatin sheets
¼ cup Water

In a blender or food processor, combine the cooked edamame, heavy cream, water and lemon juice. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour the blended mixture through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a bowl to remove any solids to ensure that the foam is smooth and does not clog the siphon. Pour the strained mixture into the cream siphon, making sure not to overfill it (usually filling it about 2/3 full is ideal). Seal the siphon according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Load the siphon with a cream charger (N2O) and 2 sheets of gelatin to stabilize. Shake the siphon well to mix the gas with the edamame mixture.

The mixologists at Richard Sandoval Hospitality created this recipe.

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Serpent’s Charm

Course Drinks

Keyword cherry juice, chocolate bitters, Dewar’s Scotch, Martini Bitter

Ingredients

• 1 ½ oz. Dewar’s 12 Year Scotch whisky
• ¾ oz. Martini & Rossi Rubino
• ¾ oz. Martini & Rossi Bitter
• 1 oz. Cherry juice
• 2 dashes Chocolate bitters

Instructions

• Add melted chocolate to base of a coupe glass.
• Add all ingredients to mixing glass.
• Stir with ice until chilled.
• Strain into coupe glass.
• Garnish with cherry and mint.

Notes

The mixologists at Dewar’s created this recipe.

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Lunar New Year Margarita

Course Drinks

Keyword Ginger syrup, lime, lychee liqueur, mandarin juice, tequila

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ oz. Tequila Don Julio 1942
• ¼ oz. Lychee liqueur
• ½ oz. Fresh Mandarin juice
• ¼ oz. Fresh lime juice
• ¼ oz. Ginger syrup
• Citrus salt for rim

Instructions

• Coat the glass rim with citrus salt.
• Combine ingredients into a shaker with ice.
• Shake thoroughly.
• Strain into rimmed rocks glass.
• Add Sichuan peppercorn syrup for those who want it spicy.

Notes

The mixologists at Don Julio created this recipe.

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Lunar Blossom

Course Drinks

Keyword cranberry, lemon, lychee liqueur, Simple syrup, strawberry, vodka

Ingredients

• 1 ½ oz Ketel One vodka
• ¾ oz. Soho lychee liqueur
• ½ oz. Cranberry juice
• ½ oz. Simple syrup
• ¾ oz. Fresh lemon juice
• 1 Strawberry

Instructions

• Muddle the strawberry in a mixing tin.
• Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake well.
• Double strain into a coupe glass.
• Garnish with half a strawberry or edible viola flowers.

Notes

Jose Martinez, bartender at The St. Regis Bar in The St. Regis San Francisco, created this recipe.

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Imperial Shiso

Course Drinks

Keyword lemon, Peach liqueur, shiso, Simple syrup, vodka

Ingredients

• 2 oz. Haku Japanese rice vodka
• ¾ oz. Pêche de vigne
• 1 oz. Fresh lemon juice
• ½ oz. Simple syrup
• 3 Shiso leaves

Instructions

• Muddle the shiso leaves in mixing tin.
• Add the remaining ingredients and shake well.
• Double strain into a coupe glass.

Notes

Jose Martinez, bartender at The St. Regis Bar in The St. Regis San Francisco, created this recipe.