Ingredients

• 3oz A Thousand Cranes sake
• 0.5oz fresh lime juice
• 0.5oz simple syrup

Preparation

• Shake with ice
• Strain over an ice-filled rocks glass
• Garnish with an orange zest

Ingredients

• 2oz White Lotus sake (gently invert and swirl the bottle before pouring)
• 1oz Pisco 
• .5oz pear, ginger, mint syrup
• 2 dashes of bitters

Pear, Ginger & Mint Syrup

• 325g cubed pear (approx. 2 whole pears)
• 25g freshly shredded ginger
• 25 mint leaves (medium-sized)
• 350g sugar
• Method 1 (preferred): Combine all ingredients into a vacuum-sealed bag and place in sous vide bath at 135 F for 2 hours, mixing once or twice throughout by gently rolling the bag in hand. Remove from bath, strain through a fine mesh and refrigerate. Discard solid leftovers, or reserve for ice cream topping, etc.
• Method 2: Combine all ingredients into a sealable container. Let sit at room temperature in a cool, dark space for 48 hours, stirring occasionally. Strain through fine mesh and refrigerate. Discard solid leftovers, or reserve them separately.
• Output: approx. 478g

Preparation

• Stir on ice, and strain into a cold/dry martini glass
• Garnish with a dehydrated pear slice (very thinly slice and pre-treat with citric acid solution or lemon juice and dehydrate at 135 for 6-10 hours until crispy and slightly brittle)

By: Evan Adney

1st Place Winner of the 2024 Craft Cocktail Challenge

Ingredients 

• 2oz A Thousand Cranes sake
• .5oz Chartreuse Green
• .5oz Averna
• 1 bar spoon honey syrup (2:1 grade A raw honey to water)
• 2 dashes of bitters

Preparation

• Stir on ice
• Strain into a Nick & Nora glass or small coupe
• Garnish with a thinly sliced apple fan, dipped in leftover cherry syrup from a maraschino cherry jar, sprinkled with demerara or turbinado sugar and bruleed

Ingredients

• 3oz Origami White Lotus sake (gently invert and swirl the bottle before pouring)
• .5oz lemon juice
• .5oz Giffard Banane du Bresil
• .5oz Giffard Crème de Cacao

Preparation

• In a shaker tin combine the ingredients
• Shake and strain to a Collins glass
• Fill with crushed ice (if crushed ice is unavailable,  pour the ice from the shaker.)
• Garnish with a cocktail parasol

By: Merrick Fagan

2nd Place Winner of the 2024 Craft Cocktail Challenge

Ingredients

• 2oz Origami A Thousand Cranes sake
• 1oz Cocchi Americano aperitif wine
• 2 dashes of grapefruit bitters
• 5 drops 33% savory salt solution

Savory Salt Solution

• Combine 2 parts water by weight to 1 part by weight Accent seasoning (or another food-grade monosodium glutamate).
• Agitate until well combined.

Preparation

• In a stirring vessel combine the ingredients
• Stir with ice for 20-30 seconds and strain to a chilled coupe.
• Garnish with an expressed lemon zest.
  

By: Merrick Fagan

2nd Place Winner of the 2024 Craft Cocktail Challenge

Ingredients

• 2oz White Lotus sake (gently invert and swirl the bottle before pouring)
• 2 slices fresh apple (about 1/8 of a whole) muddled in a shaking tin
• 2oz Matcha Liquor Mix

Matcha Liquor Mix:

• 2 teaspoon matcha powder
• 1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
• 2oz limoncello
• 2oz Grand Marnier
• 2oz Giffard Ginger
• 2oz Midori
• .5oz Lime juice
• 3 dashes of Curry bitters

Preparation

• Long / Hard Shake
• Double strained
• Double OF Glass
• Large Cube of Ice
• Orange coin in middle of cube

By: Lucas Hornerberger

3rd Place Winner of the 2024 Craft Cocktail Challenge

Ingredients

• 2oz A Thousand Cranes sake
  
• 1.25oz Aloe simple
• 4 parts aloe water (asian market or amazon)
• 1 part table sugar
• .5oz Lemon Juice
• .5oz Yuzu Juice (asian market or amazon)
• .5oz Aperol

Preparation

• Long / Hard Shake
• Double strain
• Coupe (chilled)
• Crane lemon twist

By: Lucas Hornberger

3rd Place Winner of the 2024 Craft Cocktail Challenge

Ingredients

• 3oz Thousand Cranes
• 2oz botanical gin
• 1oz star anise lemon grass syrup
• .5oz lemon juice
• 1oz egg white 

Star Anise Lemon Grass Syrup Recipe

• Muddled kiwi
• 1 star anise
• 2 quarts sugar
• 1 drop of lemongrass oil
• 1 quart of water
• Simmer for 45 min and chill

Preparation

• Dry shake
• Wet shake
• Serve in chilled coupe glass

By: Tyler Jones

Ingredients

• 2oz A Thousand Cranes sake
• 1oz White Rum 
• .5oz Pear Williams Pear Brandy
• .5oz Apple Sake
• .75oz Spiced Pear Syrup
• .50oz Lemon Juice

Spiced Pear Syrup Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 D'Anjou Pears
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks
• Pinch Kosher Salt

Preparation

1. Combine sugar, water, diced pears, cinnamon sticks, and salt into a saucepan, bringing to a boil then reducing to a simmer for approx. 20-30 minutes. The syrup should have a subtle cinnamon note.
2. Shake and double strain into a coupe or nick & nora glass.
3. Garnished with a fanned pear.

By

Ingredients

• 2oz White Lotus sake (gently invert and swirl the bottle before pouring)
• 1oz Dolin Genepy
• .75oz Midori Melon
• .75oz Pistachio Orgeat
• .50oz Lemon Juice
• 1oz Calpico Original - found at kroger and amazon
• 2 dashes of Celery Bitters

Pistachio Orgeat

• 50 grams shelled pistachios
• 195g Hot water
• Seeds from 2 cardamom pods
• 165 grams sugar

1. Soak Pistachios in cold water then hot water for 5 minutes each and remove skin/film
2. Add Pistachios, 195g hot water, the seeds from 2 cardamom pods and 165g sugar into blender.
3. Blend until smooth, approx. 90 seconds. strain through fine mesh or nut bag.
4. It’s possible to skip soaking the pistachios in cold/hot water and removing skin, however the orgeat may be more brown than green.

Preparation

• Shake and Strain into footed pilsner glass with crushed ice
• Add a cantaloupe ball garnish

By: Taylor Clark