Recipe
- 2oz Japanese whisky (Hibiki Japanese Harmony)
- 1oz fino sherry (Tio Pepe)
- .5oz salted pandan syrup
- .5oz lemon juice
- 2 dashes of orange bitters (Regans’)
- Dried Candy Cap mushroom “dust”
Shake all liquid ingredients and double strain. I added a small cube of ice. Grate some dried candy cap mushroom over top with a micro plane zester.
About
This was inspired by one of my favorite drinks from one of my all-time fav bars in SF – Pacific Cocktail Haven (PCH). The original drink is named Kung Fu Pandan and features 2 unique ingredients you don’t see much: 1- salted pandan; 2- “candy cap dust”
- Salted Pandan: pandan is a common southeast Asian ingredient, sometimes regarded as the vanilla of the East. It’s an aromatic leaf that has a somewhat nutty flavor that adds really nice depth to dishes both savory and sweet. You can usually find it in the freezer section of Asian groceries. Recipe for the syrup can be found here.
- Candy Cap Dust: candy cap is a type of intensely aromatic mushroom that is uniquely reminiscent of maple syrup. As such, it’s used in fancy desserts to add a savory touch. It’s sold in dried form and is pretty expensive (a la truffles, morel, other highly aromatic mushrooms, etc) but a tiny bit goes a loooong way.
Back to the drink:
It’s light yet super savory without feeling like you’re drinking your meal. It’s definitely very unique and a step away from most cocktails, but that’s what I love about it. The flavors are utterly magical. The original recipe from PCH uses sake instead of sherry, but hey, that’s what sequels are for. 😉