Old Fashioned family
Japanese Cocktail
Made with orgeat (almond syrup) · Jerry Thomas, New York City, 1862
- coupe
- none (served up)
- stir
Japanese Cocktail
- 2 oz60 ml cognac or other brandy
- ½ oz15 ml orgeat
- 2 dashes2 dashes Angostura or Boker's-style bitters
- 11 strip of lemon peel
- Add the brandy, orgeat and bitters to a mixing glass with ice.
- Stir until well chilled.
- Strain into a chilled coupe or small cocktail glass.
- Twist a strip of lemon peel over the drink and drop it in.
Garnish: Lemon peel
The syrup
In this recipe
Orgeat (Almond Syrup)½ oz15 ml
Orgeat is a creamy almond syrup flavored with orange blossom water, best known from the Mai Tai.
1 tablespoon = 1/2 oz; use our orgeat as is.
As printed: 1 table-spoonful of orgeat syrup
Where it comes from
Jerry Thomas printed the Japanese Cocktail in his 1862 bar guide, making it one of the earliest recipes to use orgeat. David Wondrich suggests the name honored members of Japan's first diplomatic mission, who visited New York in 1860 near Thomas's bar.
Source: How to Mix Drinks, or The Bon-Vivant's Companion (Bar-Tender's Guide) by Jerry Thomas (1862).
Checked against: Internet Archive - The Bar-Tenders' Guide, Jerry Thomas (1862) · Punch - Japanese Cocktail · Kindred Cocktails - Japanese Cocktail · Imbibe - Japanese Cocktail
Gear for this drink
Mixology & Craft 16-Piece Cocktail Shaker Set
OXO SteeL Angled Measuring Jigger
Best for Measuring syrup into drinks