Savory cocktails are all the rage these days, but of course they are nothing new. From a dirty dry martini to a classic Bloody Mary, their appeal as aperitifs and brunch buddies cannot be denied. Take the meteoric rise of Mexico’s humble michelada across the U.S., for instance. The thirst for spicy and savory libations is real.
These days, it’s not uncommon to see cocktails featuring Parmesan cheese, mushrooms, soy sauce and other umami-loaded ingredients popping up in menus worldwide. Culinary cocktails, made with kitchen ingredients and designed to even resemble a food item, are definitely a thing. This list of Asian-inspired cocktails is a clear example of our fascination with beverages that read like a meal.
Is it because they are incredibly food-friendly? Perhaps conscious drinkers are looking to cut down on sugary libations? Is it that our palates crave salty, spicy flavors when we consume alcohol? All good reasons, but perhaps not the only ones. But who needs a reason anyway? If you love a savory cocktail, check out these recipes from bartenders across the country.
Mr. Pickles Martini
Named for Master Distiller Ben Green’s pit bull rescue pup, Mr. Pickles is a smooth international style gin distilled in Eugene, Oregon from 100% white winter wheat, mono-sourced down the road at the Camas Country Mill. It is triple distilled with the final distillation including a vapor basket to introduce the botanicals, including sencha green tea, pink peppercorns, and marshmallow root.
This savory martini uses all Oregon-based ingredients, but use the vermouth, olive oil and dill pickles of your choice.
- 2 ounces Mr. Pickles gin
- ¾ ounce Ransom dry vermouth
- 1 bar spoon pickle juice (or to taste)
- 1 bar spoon olive brine (or to taste)
- Garnish: Durant extra virgin olive oil and Oregon Brineworks Garlic Dill Pickles
Stir all ingredients with ice. Strain into Martini glass. Dot surface with 3 – 5 drops of extra virgin olive oil. Garnish with pickle slices on a skewer, or slice and slide onto rim of glass.
Ketel One Green Mary
- 1 oz Ketel One Family-Made Vodka
- 3.5 oz freshly juiced celery and cucumber in equal parts
- 0.5 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 pinch rock salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and dried chili flakes
Add all ingredients to the glass, stir well, add ice. Garnish with a salted cucumber slice.
Texas Medley
This savory drink was created by Matthew Le of Austin bar Nickel City for Fierce Whiskers Bourbon‘s second annual Bourbon Battle last year. Le’s use of innovative ingredients drew a lot of admiration and was highly favored among the crowd at the event.
- 1.5 oz. Fierce Whiskers Bourbon washed with corn chips (recipe below)
- 1 oz. Virtue Craft Lemon Juice
- 0.75 oz. Virtue Craft Cucumber Juice
- 0.5 oz. Liber & Co Gum Syrup
- 2 Tbs herbed sour cream (recipe below)
- 1 dash celery bitters
Add all the ingredients to a cocktail tin, fill with ice and shake. Double strain into a stemmed glass. Garnish with a cucumber fan.
Combine two cups Fierce Whiskers Bourbon with 400gs corn chips and let sit for 24 hours, then strain.
Blend 1 cup of sour cream with 20-25 fresh mint leaves and two sprigs of dill in a food processor.
Tom Kha’llins
Tanner Agar, CEO and Creative Director of Dallas’ Apothecary, created this amazing cocktail, a Tom Collins infused with the flavors of Tom Kha, the popular Thai lemongrass and coconut soup.
“If you don’t have sous vide, either combine the ingredients in a sealed jar and let infuse on the counter for a week, or cook together in a pot on a very low heat for 2-3 hours to infuse, BUT make sure it’s well sealed or the alcohol will escape!”
- 1.5 oz. lemongrass and makrut lime infused gin (recipe below)
- 1.5 oz. soup base (recipe below)
- 0.25 oz. simple syrup
- 0.5 oz. lime soda
Add ingredients to a Collins glass and stir to combine. Fill with ice and top with soda, stirring gently. Garnish with fresh basil and pickled mushroom.
- 1 (13.5oz) can coconut milk
- 12 oz. sugar
- 14 oz. vegetable stock
- 1 oz. fish sauce
- 1 oz. gochujang
- 25g fresh galangal, sliced
- 1.5 stalks lemon grass, chopped
Simmer for 15 minutes and strain.
- 1 liter gin
- 7.5g black lime leaf
- 7.5g dried lemongrass
Sous vide for two hours at 135 F. Strain, let it cool, and store back in the bottle until ready to use.
Classic Bunny Mary
“Savory cocktails and drinks are very on trend right now, and the most classic savory drink of all is the Bloody Mary,” said Johnna Rossbach, founder and president of Mixly Cocktail Co. “We reimagined and elevated this classic cocktail, lovingly called the Bunny Mary because we use fresh carrot juice. It’s savory yet refreshing.”
It mixes well with gin, vodka, or tequila, and it’s also great as a non-alcoholic cocktail on its own or as a base.
- 1.5 oz. Vodka
- 3 oz. Bunny Mary mix
- 0.5 oz. dill pickle brine
- A few dashes of your favorite hot sauce
Shake ingredients with ice, strain over a highball glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a dill pickle spear and a Castelvetrano olive. Pair with eggs, bacon and hashbrowns.
Umami Manhattan
The menu at Houston’s Katami, the restaurant helmed by four-time James Beard Award-nominated chef Manabu Horiuchi, includes this savory version of the classic Manhatan.
- 2 oz Manhattan Blend
- 1 oz Umami Vermouth Blend
- 2 dashes angostura bitters
- 1.75 oz. Knob Creek Rye
- 0.75 oz. Oka sweet vermouth
- 0.25 oz Averna Amaro
- 0.25oz Umami Vermouth
Combine all ingredients, stirring well.
- 40 oz. Cocchi Americano
- 50g dried shiitake mushrooms
- 6g Kombu
Combine and blend all ingredients. Let soak for one hour and strain. This should yield 750ml of vermouth for use.
Mina Martini
Ian Torres, Bar Lead at Val+Tino created this amazing martini. Mirepoix is a classic French culinary base composed of diced onions, carrots, and celery, typically used to add flavor and aroma to various dishes such as soups, stews, sauces, and braises.
“Savory is all the rage in modern cocktail innovation, and hand making Mirepoix Vodka at home can become your signature spirit,” says Torres. “To sous vide without a machine, you can heat water in a medium/large pot and place a freezer-safe bag with the ingredients into the water. Make sure the top of the bag is slightly open so that air can escape. Once the food is in the pot, make sure the water stays at the desired temperature since it will fluctuate, and heat until ready.”
- 2 oz. Mirepoix Vodka (recipe below)
- 1 oz. dry vermouth
- 2-3 cocktail olives to garnish
Chill your favorite martini glass. Combine ice and the mirepoix vodka in a cocktail shaker. If you do not have a shaker use a mason jar with a lid – works like a charm! Shake shake shake – give the mixture a good shake to combine flavors. Strain into glass and garnish with a skewer of olives.
- 38g each diced celery root, carrot, and onion
- 3 oz. grapeseed oil
- 1 bottle (750ml each) Chopin Potato Vodka
- Dave Arnold’s Peppercorn Tincture
Combine the veggie mixture in a one-quart mason jar, adding the grapeseed oil. Using the sous vide method, cook at 60º Celsius, or 140º Fahrenheit, for 120 minutes and allow the mixture to rest for 24 hours.
Combine 8 oz. of the mirepoix mixture per bottle of vodka in a freezer-safe container — we recommend using the original bottle— and let the vodka mixture freeze for 24 hours. Strain the vodka mixture with a separatory funnel or a chinois strainer with a coffee filter, and funnel back into the original bottle.
Be sure to top off your mixture with 4 dashes of peppercorn tincture and a dash of saline solution.