Japanese Cocktail（ジャパニーズ・カクテル）
Brandy, orgeat, bitters — Jerry Thomas's toast to Japan's first embassy to America, 1860.
01Recipe
Recommended recipe
House spec — an editorial spec drawing on the sourced versions below.
| Ingredient | Measure |
|---|---|
| Cognac | 60 ml |
| Orgeat | 15 ml |
| Angostura bitters | 2 dash |
Total volume (pre-dilution)
4 : 1
- 01
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice.
- 02
Stir until chilled.
- 03
Strain into a chilled coupe. Express lemon twist.
Garnish — Lemon twist
02Taste profile
- Sweetness
- 60Strong
- Sourness*
- 0Faint
- Bitterness
- 42Moderate
- Fruitiness
- 45Moderate
- Herbal*
- 10Faint
- Alcohol
- 62Strong
- Crisp
- 38Light
Independent editorial scores, 0–100. *Estimated from the ingredient list — a profile sketch, not a verdict.
03History
1860, New York. The first Japanese embassy to the US reportedly drank at Thomas's Metropolitan Hotel bar; the drink appears in his 1862 book as a tribute.
There is nothing Japanese in the glass — orgeat, cognac, bitters — the name honours the occasion, not the recipe. It is arguably the first cocktail named for Japan.
Origin contested — the entry keeps verified record and received legend distinct.
Sources — Thomas (1862) · Wondrich, Imbibe! (2007)
04Recipe versions
Each version is shown exactly as recorded in its source — unverified claims are flagged.
- The Bar-Tender's Guide
Thomas, Jerry, 1830-1885 · 1887 · Book
- Take 1 table-spoonful of orgeat syrup.
- 2 dashes of Boker’s bitters.
- 1 wine-giass of brandy.
- 1 or 2 pieces of lemon peel.
- Fill the tumbler one-third with ice
stir well with a spoon, and sirain into a cocktail glass.
- Jerry Thomas, Bar-Tender's Guide
Jerry Thomas, Bar-Tender's Guide
Jerry Thomas · 1862 · Book · unverified
- 1 wineglass brandy
- ½ wineglass orgeat
- Dashes of Boker's bitters
Stir, strain.
Pick 2 versions to compare — up to 3 on a wider screen
05Variations
06The map
Spirits
