This Midori Sour is by far the best! It is tangy and not too sweet and emphasizes the melon flavour in the Midori Liquor. It only contains three ingredients. This is the place to go if you want the perfect green drink!
What is in Midori?
Midori is a Japanese melon-flavoured liqueur. It contains 20% alcohol (40 proof). It has a melon-flavoured blend that is mainly made from Japanese muskmelons. Fun fact: Japanese Muskmelons are the world’s most expensive fruit. This is because this fruit requires a lot more manual labour.
Midori was first created under the name Hermes Melon Liqueur in 1964. It was first introduced in the USA in 1978 with a new name, Midori (the Japanese term for green – Lu). Studio 54 loved the sweet, tart, and fruity liqueur. The unique flavour and bold colour of the Midori Sour made it a hit in the nightclub scene.
Although Midori’s popularity has declined since its original heyday, it is still very popular today. You can use its versatile flavour and green colour in many different mixed drinks.
Ingredients
Things get tricky when a liqueur becomes the main spirit, or in this case, the only spirit, in a drink. You don’t need much syrup for liqueurs that already contain a lot of sugar. To make a perfect cocktail, the sugar in the liqueur must be balanced with sourness and bitterness.
John Debary, a New York-based mixologist and author of this particular recipe, created it. Its simplicity is what makes it shine. Here are the ingredients you will need:
- Midori Liquor – This melon-flavoured liqueur has a legendary bright green colour. For more information on Midori, see About Midori Liqueur.
- Lime juice – Preferably fresh-squeezed.
- Egg white – Ideally, from a carton. Pasteurize eggs at your home. This gives the drink a rich, creamy mouthfeel. It also softens both the sweetness and sourness.
Substitutions
These are some ways to substitute the ingredients for this drink.
- Midori is hard to replace, but Bols Melon is the closest. It is also available in green and comes with a honeydew-melon flavour.
- Lime juice – Although lime juice is the best option for this drink, and lemon juice can be used instead. Even though the sweet-and-sour mixture was part of the original Midori Sour recipe, I want to warn you not to use it. I promise that lime juice and extra sugar are not necessary. They also provide enough acidity to balance the Midori’s sweetness.
- Egg white – You can make this drink plant-based by using an ounce of aquafaba instead of an egg white. Aquafaba is water from chickpeas. A cocktail foamer is also available for vegetarians.
Variations
Are you looking for other cocktails? These are some other options for this cocktail:
- Back at the original – The Studio 54 Midori Sour does not contain egg whites or foam. It contains 2 ounces Midori, 1 cup sweet-and-sour lemonade or sweet-and-sour mix, and 3 ounces seltzer. The garnish is maraschino cherries. You’ll be surprised at which one you prefer!
- Vodka Midori Sour is a low-alcohol cocktail about 3/4 of a standard drink. A half-ounce vodka can be added to make it stronger, but you might also add some simple syrup.
- Midori Sour with triple sec – Reduce the Midori to 11/2 ounces and add 1/2 ounce Triple Sec (Cointreau) This will not affect the alcohol content, but it gives it an orange-y flavour. For a stronger drink, you can add 1/2 ounce more Triple Sec to the mix without reducing its Midori.
Equipment
You will need a measuring cup or jigger, a cocktail shaker, strainer (preferably both a regular and fine mesh strainer), as well as a serving dish. This martini glasses were used. But you can use whatever glass you prefer! A stemmed glass is better because it’s being served.
This milk frother is optional, but I use it to make foam-topped cocktails, instead of a dry shake. It gives me consistent, fast results and is very inexpensive.