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Cocktail History
The Far East Side is a modern cocktail that was created by bartender Kenta Goto at his establishment Bar Goto in New York City, New York. It’s a Japanese-inspired variation of the classic Southside that pairs a base of sake and tequila with floral elderflower liqueur, tart lemon, and herbal shiso leaves.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Sake: This is a spirit made in Japan with fermented rice, koji, yeast, and water. We used Kurosawa Nigori Junmai Sake because it has a full-bodied flavor with creamy umami and sweet fruit notes. For a mocktail version of this drink, try amazake in place of the sake.
Tequila Blanco: This is a spirit made in Mexico with unaged agave and water. We used El Jimador Tequila Silver because it has a light and palatable agave flavor with notes of grapefruit and apple. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Agave Blanco Spirit in place of the tequila.
Elderflower Liqueur: This is a liqueur made with elderflowers, citrus, herbs, sugar, and alcohol. We used Edinburgh Gin Distillery Elderflower Gin Liqueur because it’s high quality and has a fresh, floral aroma and flavor. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Monin Premium Elderflower Syrup in place of the elderflower liqueur.
Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. We used freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Shiso Leaves: This is an aromatic herb. We used fresh shiso leaves.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Tasting Notes
The Far East Side is a light and airy drink that features sake and tequila aromas, the tastes of both, a hint of citrus, and herbal notes from the elderflower liqueur.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: Overall, we both thought this cocktail was very tasty. It’s definitely what we’d consider a warm weather drink, so we’d save the Far East Side for a summer afternoon or maybe a garden party where we don’t want our guests in a drunken stupor by the early afternoon.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Session Cocktails: Low-Alcohol Drinks for Any Occasion by Drew Lazor.
Add sake, tequila, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, and three shiso leaves to a mixing glass.
Muddle leaves gently.
Strain into another mixing glass.
Add cubed ice.
Stir for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with shiso leaf.
Ingredients
Directions
Add sake, tequila, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, and three shiso leaves to a mixing glass.
Muddle leaves gently.
Strain into another mixing glass.
Add cubed ice.
Stir for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with shiso leaf.
Make It a Mocktail: Use amazake in place of the sake, Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Agave Blanco Spirit in place of the tequila, and Monin Premium Elderflower Syrup in place of the elderflower liqueur to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Herbal Cocktails
If you like this herb-flavored cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Lemon Thyme Gin & Tonic: A lemon gin cocktail made with lemon juice, thyme syrup, Indian tonic water, and a lemon wedge
Wintertime Tea: A Yellow Chartreuse cocktail made with black tea, sparkling lemonade, winter herb syrup, a lemon slice, and a rosemary sprig
Southside: A gin cocktail made with lime juice, simple syrup, and mint
Rosemary Gin & Tonic: A gin cocktail made with grapefruit shrub, lime juice, grapefruit tonic water, grapefruit slices, and rosemary
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