Post #634529 by Michelle66 on Tue, May 1, 2012 4:46 AM

On 2012-04-29 09:23, Wayfarer wrote:
Just had an amazing meal there! Spent $200 and it was worth every cent of it! I shared mai tai with a non-drinking friend who really enjoyed it despite his usual disdain for booze and even though it wasn't out on the menu or out front they made me a sakura mai tai (which is 300 yen cheaper than a regular mai tai), thanks Michelle66 for posting about that. Both drinks exceeded my expectations and the food even had my friend, a gourmet chef himself who always nitpicks, happy and complaintless. Without a doubt one of the top two meals I've ever had, the other was from One Harbour Road in Hongkong.

Glad you had such a great time! (I can see you've got a Sakura Mai Tai in one of the pics! Since they're only served from 3/1-4/30, you lucked out!)

And speaking of the Sakura Mai Tai, last year I tried making one at home and it was a disaster...

But, I tried again last night, and got it right! So, for those of you who'd like to try one of these things, here's the recipe (straight from TVT):

1.5oz Bacardi Superior white rum
1oz Dover Sakura Liqueur
1oz cranberry juice (I use Del Monte 20%, which is generally what liquor stores sell here.)
3/4oz fresh lime juice
1/2oz sugar syrup
2 shiso leaves (1 for the cocktail, and 1 for the garnish)
2 cups of crushed ice

TVT uses Bacardi Superior for this cocktail, so I recommend the same. Last year, I tried using Havana Club 3-year, which ruined the drink as its rather strong flavor totally overpowered the sakura liqueur.

Be sure to mince one shiso leaf until it's almost a paste. (Really chop the heck out of it!)

Also, prepare this drink in a blender. The blender will evenly distribute the tiny pieces of shiso throughout the crushed ice. (I used a shaker last year which resulted in a mess, with bits of shiso stuck all over the place. (5 seconds is a enough to mix the drink.)

Garnish with the second shiso leaf, lime shell, and a fruit stick.

Here's what you need!

And the finished drink (There should be a chunk of pineapple on the stick, but I was all out.):

Enjoy one at home today!