Name: Sakura Martini
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 60 ml Gin; 45 ml Sake; 5 ml Maraschino liqueur; 2 drop Saline solution 4:1

Sakura Martini
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Glass:

Photographed in a Nude Bar/Giani Martini Glass

Ingredients:
2 fl oz	Hayman's London Dry Gin from freezer
1 ¹⁄₂ fl oz	Akashi-Tai Junmai Daiginjo Genshu sake chilled
¹⁄₆ fl oz	Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
2 drop	Saline solution (20g sea salt to 80g water) or merest pinch of s

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
Prepare garnish of fresh cherry blossom (if in season) or skewered green olive.

How to make:

STIR all ingredients with ice.
FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish:

Garnish with cherry blossom or skewered olive.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

Sake replaces vermouth in this Martini with maraschino liqueur adding deliciousness, enhanced by faint salinity.

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History:

Adapted from a recipe created in 2015 by Kenta Goto. This is the house Martini at his Bar Goto in Manhattan, New York City, where it is garnished with a salted cherry blossom.

See: Martini cocktail and its evolution

More cocktails by Kenta Goto

Nutrition:

One serving of Sakura Martini contains 193 calories

Alcohol content:

1.9 standard drinks
23.98% alc./vol. (47.97° proof)
26.4 grams of pure alcohol

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Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Showing 7 comments for Sakura Martini.
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George Jetson

6th March at 21:59

I reversed the reversed proportions to great effect.

60ml Gin (Thresh&Winnow Forét)

45ml Sake (Dassai 45 Junmai Daiginjo)

5ml Maraschino liqueur (Lazzaroni)

Stir ingredients in an ice-filled mixing glass. Fine strain into a chilled Coupe glass. Garnish with salt-preserved Sakura blossoms.

This resulted in an awesome martini due to the Japanese-influenced Shiso gin. It seemed a shame to cut back according to the OG recipe.

Simon Sedgley

7th August 2025 at 04:38

Very austere. We think one can happily go to 5ml with the liqueur.

Andre Derailleur

23rd August 2025 at 09:31

Yes after a few goes I find I prefer 2:1 sake:gin and a little more maraschino. More maraschino makes it more sakura-ish anyway.

Mookie

18th May 2025 at 00:09

I subbed 5% msg solution for the saline, I thought it was great

Luca Sorriso Valvo

13th April 2025 at 19:14

I have used a hazy Nigori sake, which gave this drink a softer, velvety texture. Very well balanced and delicate.

James R

8th June 2024 at 03:00

Didn't fancy this one. Feel like it needs more bite. One's mileage always varies.

G. M. Genovese

20th October 2023 at 16:56

I doubted it would be apparent, but I taste the maraschino... I want to say it's missing vermouth, but no... Sake is fine, but this is a damn fine representation of its potential.

Pawel Szyld

1st August 2023 at 20:45

One of my all time favourites. I keep coming again and again to this drink. Utterly sublime.

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