Matcha Midori Sour; A Green Cocktail to Try this St. Patrick’s Day
A touch of the green
Besides a great Irish stout or a light and nearly fruity Irish whiskey, Saint Patrick’s day is known for folks donning the green. A fun and at times kitschy way to “be Irish” whether you are for the rest of the year or not.
To usher in the St. Paddy’s spirit we will be taking a look at a truly nuanced and superb green cocktail to celebrate the snake-banishing saint’s day. Though beer dyed green has its charm we think we would like to introduce our readers and Pressice Barware fans with something more complex; the Matcha Midori Sour.
Tea, but not for teetotaling
We know this cocktail may sound a bit too adventurous for Saint Patrick’s day; it evokes Japan rather than Ireland, and features as one of the main ingredients, tea? Yes, tea.
As for using mostly Japanese ingredients, we don’t see much of a problem there, St. Paddy’s Day has become quite global not to mention everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s day. As for the tea part, hear us out, matcha, and tea, in general, are great components to any cocktail. Take for instance the Hot Toddy!
But matcha is much more than just “tea”. Matcha is usually prepared from premium green tea plants that are packed with antioxidants and other health-enhancing benefits. One benefit, in particular, is reported to be of interest to our liver. Need we say more? What is a better antidote on St. Paddy’s Day than a cocktail that helps to potentially heal our livers?
The way matcha is processed and prepared are pretty incredible, too. Once the premium green tea plants have been harvested, they are painstakingly stripped of all the veins and twigs in their leaves, left to dry, and then pulverized into a soft, green, aromatic powder.
To turn this powder into tea has become a whole cultural art form we know today as the Japanese Tea Ceremony. However, at its simplest, the powder is whisked with a special bamboo brush until it bears a layer of frothy jade-colored foam. The flavor is often an intense, innervating, and phenomenally aromatic grassy and herbal flavor.
To answer your next question, no, you cannot reproduce this with a baggy of Lipton’s!
As for the Midori, well, for starters it is green. But also it is a sweet, melony liqueur. It balances out the more bitter and grassy flavors that matcha can be known for. Together these two make for a unique, nuanced, and unforgettable Saint Patrick’s Day emerald cocktail. Keep reading to learn how to make one.
The Cocktail: Matcha Midori Sour
- Though this verdant cocktail requires some special ingredients, don’t be daunted because the specialized ingredients and utensils are worth the purchase, or can be improvised with common household utensils. Luckily, the main utensil for the matcha; the bamboo whisk, can be found online. No need to head to a sleepy tea shop in Kyoto, though that’s never a bad vacation itinerary. Come for the tea whisks, stay for the excellent Japanese whiskey. But speaking of whiskey, here are some of the ingredients needed for this emerald beverage.
What you will need:
- Pressice Barware Ice Ball Press Kit
- Pressice Barware Silicone Ice Cube Mold
- Pressice Barware Tongs
- Highball Glass
- Midori Liqueur
- Irish Whiskey of Choice - We suggest Jameson
- Sprite
- Matcha Powder
- Matcha Sieve
- Matcha Serving Spoon - Or Teaspoon
- Matcha Whisk
- Two Bowls
- Hot Water
How to Make The Matcha Midori Sour
• First, to prepare your matcha, boil your water and pour some into the first bowl. Use this water to clean off your matcha whisk from any dust or debris.
• Next, use your bamboo serving spoon to scoop some matcha into your matcha sieve and into your other bowl. In case you do not have these items, that is okay, you can use a teaspoon to scoop some matcha into your other bowl. Crush up any lumps of matcha powder with your spoon.
• Now, pour just a little bit of water into the bowl with matcha powder. Only enough that you can start to form it into a green paste. Once the paste is formed, add a little bit more water then whisk and whip your matcha with your bamboo whisk in a kind of “W” movement back and forth. Your matcha is whipped enough when the bigger foam bubbles have been beaten into a layer of tiny, light green foam bubbles.
• Now that your matcha has been whisked, feel free to add a bit more hot water and then pour the matcha mixture into your Pressice silicone ice cube mold. Thanks to the Mbemba Effect, your hot matcha will actually cool faster than if you wait for it to chill out on its own, so freeze away!
• With your wondrous matcha ice cube ready to be sculpted, just run your Pressice Barware ice sphere press under some warm water to heat before use, then place your ice cube in the center. In under a minute you will be treated to a wondrous green sphere worthy of the Emerald Isle itself.
• Use your Pressice Barware tongs to place your immaculate 2.5” green ice sphere in the highball glass.
• Then, add 1 ounce of Midori, 1 ounce of your chosen (Irish) whiskey, and top it all off with your Sprite.
Finally, enjoy your green Matcha Midori Sour. A blarney-free cocktail for sure.
Erin Go Bragh
This cocktail is certain to turn heads and get your drinking buddies and fellow revelers alike talking about this verdant beverage. The Matcha Midori Sour is perfect for early evening drinking, like say for a nice aperitif before your corned beef and cabbage, or as a nice drink to sip and enjoy out and about or during the high points of the evening. Though as a nightcap we would suggest taking a look at our classic Jameson on the Rocks cocktail guide.
Regardless of when you are choosing to enjoy the Matcha Midori Sour, we know its jade appearance will make your St. Paddy’s Day unforgettable and certainly festive.
Happy Sipping!
-Pressice Barware
Interested in seeing how an Ice Ball Press works? Check out our video below!