Ingredients
The drink
- 45 mldry sherry, fino or manzanilla
- 45 mldry vermouth
- 2dashes orange bitters
- 1dash Angostura bitters
To garnish
- a lemon twist
- or an olive
Equipment
- a mixing glass
- a bar spoon
- a strainer
- a chilled coupe glass
Directions
- Use a dry white vermouth of decent quality. French dry vermouth is the traditional choice. Keep both in the refrigerator after opening. Use them within a month at the outside.
- Put a coupe glass in the freezer for ten minutes. Alternatively fill it with ice and cold water.
- Discard that just before you strain the drink in. A warm glass ruins a delicate cocktail quickly. Fill a mixing glass with good hard ice. Pour in the sherry and the vermouth.
- Add both kinds of bitters to it. Stirring it properly takes about thirty seconds. Stir smoothly with a bar spoon.
- Keep the spoon against the side of the glass. The outside of the glass should frost over.
- Taste a drop from the spoon if you are unsure. Strain it into the chilled coupe. Twist a strip of lemon peel over the surface.
- Rub the twist around the rim and drop it in. Serving it is done immediately while very cold. Make one at a time rather than a batch.
Technique
- The Bamboo is closely related to the Adonis, which uses sweet vermouth instead of dry.
- The attribution to Louis Eppinger at the Grand Hotel Yokohama is the standard account and is widely repeated, though the documentary evidence is thin.
Substitutions
- Any good dry sherry works, and manzanilla gives a slightly more saline drink.
- A quality dry vermouth is essential and a cheap one will show immediately.
Variations
- The Adonis uses sweet vermouth for a richer and rounder drink.
- Some bartenders shift the ratio toward more sherry for a drier result.
- A dash of maraschino is added in some modern versions.
History
Credited to Louis Eppinger at the Grand Hotel Yokohama in the 1890s, one of the first cocktails invented in Japan.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bamboo Cocktail?
Bamboo Cocktail is a cocktail from Japan: dry sherry and dry vermouth stirred with bitters; light aperitif. Credited to Louis Eppinger at the Grand Hotel Yokohama in the 1890s, one of the first cocktails invented in Japan.
How long does Bamboo Cocktail take to make?
Bamboo Cocktail takes 5 minutes of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes 1 cocktail. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Bamboo Cocktail?
Yes, within limits. Any good dry sherry works, and manzanilla gives a slightly more saline drink. A quality dry vermouth is essential and a cheap one will show immediately.
What is the most important thing to get right in Bamboo Cocktail?
Rub the twist around the rim and drop it in. Serving it is done immediately while very cold. Make one at a time rather than a batch.
