• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Norecipes - Elevating Everyday Meals

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Ingredients
  • Cuisine
  • Type
  • Start Here
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Ingredients
    • Cuisine
    • Type
    • Start Here
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Cocktail

    Updated: Feb 26, 2023 by Marc Matsumoto · 8 Comments

    Red Shiso Shochu and a Cocktail

    If you’ve eaten at a sushi restaurant before, you’ve probably seen shiso. Shiso (also known as perilla), is a member of the mint family with broad jagged edged leaves. The green variety is often used as a garnish, but it also makes for a great herb, with a unique aroma, vaguely reminiscent of mint and
    Recipe Pin

    If you've eaten at a sushi restaurant before, you've probably seen shiso. Shiso (also known as perilla), is a member of the mint family with broad jagged edged leaves. The green variety is often used as a garnish, but it also makes for a great herb, with a unique aroma, vaguely reminiscent of mint and cinnamon.

    The red variety is much less common, and is primarily used for making pickles in Japan. It has a purply hue that turns vibrant magenta when something acidic is added (like Japanese ume plums). Red shiso has a more floral aroma, which makes it perfect for pairing with liqueurs like St. Germain, or Chambord, and it also goes really well with red fruit, like plums, strawberries and tomatoes.

    Because I was planning to use it for making cocktails, I wanted a fairly strong infusion, so I let the leaves steep for thirty days. For serving it straight up, I'd suggest cutting back the infusion time to about a week. If you have trouble finding red shiso, try using green shiso (which any Japanese grocery store should carry). It will have a different flavour, but will taste great with all kinds of citrus (like grapefruit or lemon).

    The shiso loses its brilliant reddish purple color during the infusion process, but this cocktail restores its magenta hue using wild blueberry and strawberry syrup. The floral St Germain, the ripe berries, and herby red shiso creates a wonderfully balanced cocktail that's neither too sweet or nor too strong, and the splash of soda water brings the alcohol level down to the point where you can taste each one of the ingredients.

    📖 Recipe

    Red Shiso Shochu and a Cocktail

    No ratings yet
    Print Pin Discuss

    Units

    Ingredients 

    • 1 part lime juice
    • 1 part strawberry blueberry syrup (strawberries and blueberries cooked with sugar then strained)
    • 3 part red shiso infused shochu or vodka
    • 2 parts St Germain
    • 2 soda water

    Instructions

    • Fill a shaker with ice and add the lime juice, syrip, St. Germain, and infused vodka. Shake vigorously and empty out into a martini glass. Top with soda water (should be about 2 parts stuff that comes out of the shaker to 1 part soda).
    Recipes in your inboxDon't miss out SIGN UP!

    More Cocktail

    • Crispy panko chicken tenders served with lemon wedges and lettuce in a basket.
      Panko Chicken Tenders
    • Sparkling ume juice with red shiso.
      Ume Juice
    • Fresh Strawberry Liqueur

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Michael says

      June 21, 2020 at 4:04 am

      The directions say to add St. Germain, but there is no St. Germain in the ingredients. How much?

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        June 21, 2020 at 6:06 pm

        Sorry about that Michael, we moved the site about 5 years ago and some of the older recipes lost some ingredients in the move. I've fixed it. Thanks for letting me know!

        Reply
    2. Heather says

      August 25, 2010 at 3:02 am

      I want a chuhai! Lovely idea, infusing the shochu with akajiso.

      Reply
    3. Marc Matsumoto says

      August 23, 2010 at 11:35 pm

      Nope, just put the martini glass on a white surface and surrounded on 3
      sides with lights:-)

      Reply
    4. Marilia says

      August 23, 2010 at 11:01 pm

      What a beautiful (and creative) cocktail! I tell you, i could have one or two of those right now. Love the top view also. Did you invest in some cool new lighting?

      Reply
    5. Tokyo Terrace says

      August 23, 2010 at 12:10 pm

      I love this! What a great use for red shiso. I recently used red shiso at the wine dinner I cooked for in Minnesota. I was surprised to find red shiso at the Asian market I use in Minneapolis. It made a gorgeous presentation (one leave on the plate w/my edamame crostini over the top). This cocktail would have been a lovely pairing for that course! If I find any red shiso I'll be sure to try the shiso shochu. Love it!

      Reply
    6. Prerna@IndianSimmer says

      August 23, 2010 at 12:58 am

      Love the top view of the glass with mint leaf! Awesome shot!

      Reply
    7. Cooking Gallery says

      August 22, 2010 at 4:46 pm

      Stunning photography and the cocktail sound nice!

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Marc Matsumoto, a retired chef living in Tokyo, and I founded No Recipes to empower home cooks of all levels by sharing essential techniques and my kitchen secrets.

    Start Here →

    Trending Recipes

    • Crisp juicy fried chicken glazed in a sweet and sour orange sauce that's redolent of fresh citrus thanks to a triple dose of orange.
      Orange Chicken
    • Dipping coconut fried shrimp in a orange chili sauce.
      Crispy Coconut Shrimp
    • Crispy panko chicken tenders served with lemon wedges and lettuce in a basket.
      Panko Chicken Tenders
    • Spicy and loaded with flavor, Kimchi Fried Rice is an easy meal that comes together from just a handful of ingredients.
      Kimchi Fried Rice
    • With creamy avocado and flavorful king crab, this California Roll recipe is easy and delicious!
      California Roll
    • Shrimp and Pork Shumai dumplings being picked up with chopsticks.
      Shumai

    Trending Categories

    • Fall
    • Japanese (Modern)
    • Japanese (Traditional)
    • Japanese (Chinese)
    • Stir Fry
    • Easy Weeknight

    Footer

    About

    • About
    • Help Me
    • Hire Me
    • Photography
    • FAQs

    Connect

    • Email Updates
    • Contact

    Legal

    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy

    Copyright © 2023 Marc Matsumoto. All rights reserved