A dirty martini from the cocktail bar at Michelin-starred Shibumi in Downtown Los Angeles, the Umami Martini is what we should be expecting out of the classic cocktail in the 21st century
It’s been 120-plus years, yet the dirty martini remains exactly the same almost everywhere. Except at Shibumi, where gin, shochu, and sake come together to make the Umami Martini, one of the best evolutions of the classic cocktail seen anywhere.
Shibumi bartender Dave Fernie tells us…
Name the cocktail.
Umami Martini
What inspired the name? What’s this drink’s origin story?
The name is inspired by the flavor profile. It’s a natural progression on a classic dirty martini, but eschews the briny, industrially produced olive swill for the intensely umami rich flavors of kombu dashi and aspergillus oryzae – inoculated rice.
What other drinks belong in its family?
Dirty Martini, Martini, Martinez, to some extent other Savory Cocktails.
if you like ________ and ________ you should try this drink.
Dirty Martinis
What food is this cocktail best served with?
Great Apertif before a meal – would pair with Chinmi. I’m not much of a cocktails and food pairing person.
Ingredients
- 1.25 oz Kombu (2% weight) and Nori (.5% weight) infused Japanese Gin (72 hour infusion) (Roku or Nikka Coffey Gin)
- Reserve the kombu and cook for 15-20 (or until tender but still shapely) more minutes in equal parts cooking sake and water. Season with good sea salt to taste. Remove from cooking liquid and cool. Cut into thin strips and roll into small cylinders about the size of two no2 pencil erasers. Skewer one or two each on toothpicks or small bamboo skewers. Preserve in 2 parts Rice Vinegar, 1 part water, and 2% sugar by weight. Salt to taste.
- .75 oz 192 hour Shiro-Koji infused High Proof Kome (rice) Shochu (SG Kome preferred)
- 1 oz Sake (we use Masumi Hiyaroshi)
- 2 dashes (from a japanese bitters bottle) 33% saline solution
Directions
Combine Gin and Shochu 5 parts to 3 parts respectively. Store for up to 2 months in the freezer.
Sake should be refrigerated and used within 7 days of opening in cocktails – 3-4 days for drinking alone enjoyment.
Combine freezer temp gin and shochu (2 oz batch) and 1 oz of refrigerated sake of choice (not nigori) in a chilled mixing glass. Add two dashes of saline. Add good, cracked ice and stir slowly. If you have a thermometer, aim for 0-5 degrees fahrenheit, and 4.3-4.5 oz total yield of cocktail – this will include a bit over an ounce of water from the melting of the ice.
Strain with a julep strainer into a chilled nick and nora or martini glass. Garnish with your rolled Kombu and serve immediately.
Kanpai!
