Japanese Slipper Cocktail Recipe
An equal-parts shaken sour of melon liqueur, orange liqueur and lemon juice, vividly green and sweet-tart.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Martini glass
- ABV: 17%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Melon liqueur (Midori)30 ml (1 oz)
- Triple sec30 ml (1 oz)
- Fresh lemon juice30 ml (1 oz)
How to Make It
- Chill a cocktail glass.
- Add the melon liqueur, orange liqueur and lemon juice to a shaker filled with ice.
- Shake hard until the outside of the shaker frosts.
- Double strain into the chilled glass and garnish with a melon ball.
Garnish
A honeydew melon ball or a maraschino cherry
What it tastes like
The citrus acidity leads, the sweetness is pronounced and fruit notes come forward.
The technique
Shaking. Anything with juice, syrup, egg white or cream gets shaken: the shaker chills the drink and adds roughly 20% water, and that water is what takes the edge off. Twelve to fifteen seconds, until the tin frosts over. Under-shaking leaves the drink harsh because it never got enough dilution.
Glass and ice
The conical martini glass. Made for drinks served without ice — the stem keeps your hand off the bowl and the cone funnels the aroma upward.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Triple sec
- The general name for orange-peel liqueurs, running anywhere from 15% to 40% depending on the brand. That range changes the drink directly, so it is worth reading the label.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Freshly squeezed lemon; one lemon gives 30-40 ml. It can swap with lime, but lemon is softer and less aromatic, so use a touch more.
The Story
Despite the name, the drink is Australian: it is credited to a Melbourne restaurant bar in the 1980s, and takes its name from Midori, the Japanese melon liqueur that gives it both its colour and its character.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Japanese Slipper mixed?
- It is shaken and served in a martini glass.
- How strong is a Japanese Slipper?
- Roughly 17% ABV as served — right around a glass of wine — an aperitif or an early-evening drink.
- Can a Japanese Slipper be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Japanese Slipper hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.