Japanese Slipper

Sweet and sour lovers will love this bright green Midori cocktail. Notes of sweet melon balance the tart citrus.

You can probably tell just by looking at this neon green cocktail in which decade it was invented. If you guessed the 80s, you’re right!

It was created in 1984 by Jean-Paul Bourguignon at Mietta’s Restaurant in Australia (source). Midori was still new to the scene and after a rep gave him a bottle, he used it to make a vibrant sweet and sour cocktail that was perfect for the times.

Even though I never made it past my toddler years in the 80s, I still have a fondness for the Japanese slipper. It really is the perfect balance of flavors, with a delicious hint of melon.

I do this when I want to get the bottle of Midori out and feel a little fancier than just sour Midori. Any cocktail served in a martini glass immediately classifies the evening!

Ingredients

• Midori – This Japanese liquor has a melon flavor. It is essential to this cocktail.
• Triple sec – Replace Cointreau with a premium cocktail.
• Lemon juice – Fresh squeezed lemon juice is best. Bottled lemon juice contains preservatives that negatively affect flavor.
• Cherry (optional) – The classic garnish for this cocktail is a maraschino cherry floating at the bottom of the glass.

How to do

1. Add Midori, triple sec and lemon juice to a shaker with ice. Shake.
2. Strain into a glass.
3. Place a stemless maraschino cherry.

This post contains affiliate links (when you buy we earn some money at no cost to you). See our disclosure for more information.

Advice

1. This is an equal parts cocktail, so you can easily scale it up or down to suit your needs.
2. Chill your cocktail glass ahead of time to keep your Japanese slipper chilled from the first sip to the last.
3. Don’t have a cocktail shaker? Carefree! A sturdy mason jar with a tight lid works just as well.

Variants

There are a few common variations of the Japanese slipper. The most popular is to replace the triple sec with vodka. Another swaps triple sec for tequila.

Lemon juice is sometimes replaced with lime juice.

A scoop of honeydew melon can be used as a garnish in place of the cherry.

To print

Japanese slipper

A sweet and sour cocktail with a touch of melon.

• Author: Jessica Pinney
• Preparation time: 3 minutes
• Total time: 3 minutes
• Yield: 1 1X
• Category: Cocktails
• Food: Japanese

Ingredients

1.5 ounces Midori

1.5 ounces triple sec

1.5 ounces Lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Instructions

Add a few ice cubes with the Midori, triple sec and lemon juice in a shaker. Shake about 10-15 seconds until combined.

Strain into a martini glass or stemless martini glass.

If desired, drop in a maraschino cherry and let it sink to the bottom.

Cheers!