During my travels in Vietnam, I asked for a different version in - as I remember correctly - in 2 Lam son bar in Saigon (Hyatt hotels).
As I am a afficionado of (dry)martinis, this version included both dry vermouth and Gin on my request and had the following mesures : 4 cl London Dry Gin, 2 cl Dry Vermouth ( I think it was Dolin), 1 cl Midori, 2 cl Cointreau, 1 cl Lime juice.
The Vermouth brought down the sweetness of the Midori and added depth, where the Gin added stiffness.
This is probably a totally different cocktail then a Japanese slipper, but I liked it !
For me, Midori doesn’t have the character to act as main player, and this confirms it in my mind. Perfectly pleasant, but as soon as I had finished I wondered why I bothered. I like fruity cocktails as long as they’re not too sweet or not too simple. The lemon can be adjusted to deal with the sweetness, but there’s no real complexity here. 3.5 for me.
One for the sugar police to prohibit. Thank goodness we are all consenting adults! It’s so easy to like, a sour with all the elements working together. It’s surprising someone hasn’t done a ‘Morgenthaler’ on it.