Matcha · With alcohol
Rikyu Sour
A gin sour with the tea whisked in properly. Named for the man who made restraint a status symbol.
Matcha in full, from where it grows to how it reaches a glass in Europe, is in the Matcha chapter.
GlassChilled coupe.
Build
- 50 mldry gin
- 25 mllemon juice
- 20 mlhoney syrup (see Sourcing and syrups)
- 1.5 gculinary grade matcha
- 20 mlwarm water, for the matcha
- 20 mlaquafaba, optional, for foam
MethodWhisk the matcha into the warm water until no lumps remain. Add everything. Dry shake without ice if using foam, then shake hard with ice and double strain. Serve immediately.
GarnishA light dusting of matcha through a fine sieve, over one half of the foam only.
Cost estimateCHF 4 to 5
What to expect in the glass
Botanical, grassy and drier than the word sour suggests. Gin and matcha share vegetal territory, so juniper and tea reinforce each other instead of arguing. Honey bridges them.
Matcha brings tannin and umami together, which lengthens the finish and gives the drink a savory tail. The foam is textural rather than decorative: it softens the tannin on the first sip. Dust only half of it, so the guest chooses between the drink and the tea.
Whisking the matcha into warm water first is not optional. Added dry to a shaker it clumps and never recovers.
Balance note
Serve immediately. Chlorophyll degrades in acid, so 25 ml of lemon pulls the color from jade toward olive within minutes of shaking. No ratio prevents this. Build fast and never batch it in advance.
Simon's note after tasting
Aroma: fresh green tea and juniper, with lemon zest and a soft honeyed sweetness behind it.
Palate: dry, botanical and layered. Matcha gives a grassy, faintly savory depth that sits under the gin rather than on top of it, and the honey keeps the lemon from taking over.
Finish: long and green, with lingering tannin, citrus peel and clean bitterness.
Overall the most serious drink in the book: dry, adult and quietly complex. Not one to batch, or to leave standing.