Name: Sakura Martini
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 75 ml Sake; 30 ml Gin; 2.5 ml Maraschino liqueur; 2 drop Saline solution 4:1

Sakura Martini
Jump to

Serve in a Coupe glass

Ingredients:
2 ¹⁄₂ oz	Akashi-Tai Daiginjo Genshu sake
1 oz	Hayman's London Dry Gin
0.08 oz	Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
2 drop	Saline solution 4:1 (20g sea salt to 80g water)

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

Select and pre-chill a Coupe glass.
Prepare garnish of fresh cherry blossom (if in season) or skewered Fragata Green Olive.
STIR all ingredients with ice.
FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
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:

This Reverse Martini-style cocktail originally featured a floating salted cherry blossom as a garnish. This is not just for looks; the hint of saltiness it lends to this delicate drink replaces the savoury note that an olive typically brings to a Martini.

View readers' comments

History:

Adapted from a recipe created in 2015 by Kenta Goto. This is the house Martini at his Bar Goto in New York City, USA where it is garnished with a salted cherry blossom (rather than including saline solution in the recipe).

See: Martini cocktail and its evolution

More cocktails by Kenta Goto

Alcohol content:

1.5 standard drinks
18.97% alc./vol. (18.97° proof)
20.4 grams of pure alcohol

More Aperitivo/aperitif cocktails
More Martini-style cocktails
More Savoury (e.g. Bloody Mary) cocktails
More Spirit-forward cocktails
More Spring cocktails

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.

Join the discussion

Showing 5 comments for Sakura Martini.
See discussion in the Forum

Please log in to make a comment

Mookie

18th May at 00:09

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

Luca Sorriso Valvo

13th April 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.

See discussion in the Forum