Midori Sour Recipe: Melon, Vodka and Fresh Citrus

Ingredients

1 oz Midori melon liqueurBuy on Amazon →
1 oz vodkae.g. Absolut · Smirnoff · Grey Goose · Ketel One · Belvedere
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz lime juice
top up with soda water

Garnish: Lemon wheel · Ice: Ice cubes

Method

Fill a Collins glass with ice cubes.
Add Midori, vodka, lemon juice and lime juice.
Stir briefly to mix and chill.
Top with soda water and give one gentle lift with a bar spoon.
Garnish with a lemon wheel.

Watch it made

Midori Sour

Taste

Sweet melon balanced by sharp lemon and lime, light in body and gently sparkling. Easygoing and moderate in strength.

History and origin

Midori, the bright green melon liqueur from the Japanese drinks company Suntory, was introduced to the United States in 1978. Its launch is often linked to a party at New York's Studio 54, and the liqueur quickly found a home in the colorful, sweet drinks that defined late 1970s and 1980s nightlife.

The Midori Sour was the obvious showcase: melon liqueur, a base spirit and citrus, served long over ice. Many bars made it with sour mix from a gun, which is a large part of why serious bartenders later dismissed it. Built with freshly squeezed lemon and lime, it is a much better drink than its reputation suggests, and it has enjoyed a quiet comeback as retro cocktails returned to fashion.

Bartender tips

Fresh citrus is non-negotiable here: bottled sour mix is exactly what gave this drink its bad name.
For a silkier, more cocktail-like version, shake everything except the soda and strain over fresh ice.
If it tastes too sweet, add 5 ml more lemon juice rather than more soda.

Variations

Midori Sour with Egg White: Shake Midori, vodka, citrus and 20 ml egg white without ice, then with ice, and serve up in a coupe without soda for a foamy sour.
Japanese Slipper: A related drink: Midori, Cointreau and lemon juice in equal parts, shaken and served in a cocktail glass.