This is the house Martini at Bar Goto, a New York cocktail bar owned by bartender Kenta Goto, who was born in Tokyo. The drink, which has the novel garnish of a cherry blossom, was the first Goto created for the bar. “That’s one thing I always, always wanted to do—use the cherry blossom,” said Goto. “Everyone loves cherry blossoms. That’s the national flower of Japan, too.” That blossom, as well as the addition of sake and maraschino liqueur to the usual gin, result in a very delicate Martini. Salted cherry blossoms (the salt is a preservative) can be purchased at large scale Japanese grocery stores or on Amazon.

Ingredients

　　1 ounce Plymouth gin

　　1⁄2 teaspoon Maraska maraschino liqueur

　　Cherry blossom

　　Combine the liquid ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice and stir until chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a cherry blossom.

　　Excerpted from The Martini Cocktail: A Meditation on the World's Greatest Drink, with Recipes © 2019 by Robert Simonson. Photography by Lizzie Munro. Reproduced by permission of Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. All rights reserved.Buy the full book from Amazon.