The Yokohama!

Yokohama Straight Up!

Super simple to make, refreshing, thirst-quenching and quite tasty; that sums up how I’d describe the Yokohama cocktail.

I was on a mission this week to find a cocktail for Friday Cocktails where I could use the grenadine that I had bought for the summer kickoff cocktail! (Frozen Rum Slush) I love it when all the needs for a drink are already stocked in our bar! Win-Win!

The Yokohama cocktail has a history dating back to the late 1800s when the city itself was becoming a booming port city and it catered to the businessmen traveling to and from there.

There are many different variations for this drink all consisting of similar ingredients, but the main difference is choosing a Gin or Vodka base.

I tried the recipe with the Vodka, because several of them had Pernod in them and since Pernod lends so many depths of flavor in many of the foods I’ve made with great deliciousness (Bouillabaisse, homemade spaghetti sauce just to name a couple) I thought it would be interesting. (And again, Pernod was stocked in our bar!)

It sure doesn’t take much Pernod, but it really adds an interesting zing to this drink.  Pernod has a licorice flavor that coincidentally I don’t tend to love, but as an ingredient in a cocktail or food it’s so subtle don’t let any fears of licorice stop you from trying things. It’s really amazing how it transforms a recipe.

The freshly juiced orange juice in this drink makes it a no brainer to serve for brunch as well as the perfect drink for a summer barbeque when it’s hot outside. The grenadine adds just a dash of sweetness to balance the citrus of the orange juice.

I’ll be making this all summer long because it’s so easy and tastes so refreshing!

Cheers!