Try These Savory Whisky Cocktails

Whisky is good friends with four of the basic elements of flavor: sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. But it’s time to lean into a less frequently noted element: umami. Considered a flavor enhancer, umami lends a savory, meaty component to dishes—and drinks.

“In the world of cocktails, few ingredients offer the depth, richness, and mysterious allure of umami. It doesn’t compete with whisky, it completes it,” says Freddy Salazar, beverage director at Enso in Brooklyn. “Whether you’re experimenting with infusions or subtle seasoning, think of umami as a way to elevate the emotional tone of a whisky cocktail. It’s the fifth element of taste, but it may be the first one your guests will remember.”

Ingredients like miso, wasabi, tomatoes, soy sauce, dried mushrooms, toasted sesame seeds, and MSG are rich in umami and can create unexpected harmony in cocktails. As in any perfectly seasoned dish, you only need a hint of umami to add that little something extra.

Momotaro

Created by Jesse Carr, food and beverage director, Virgin Hotels New Orleans

“This cocktail is like a tomato-strawberry salad with a Japanese flair,” Carr says. “The soy sauce adds a light salinity that helps the drink pop.

• ¼ oz. tomato-infused scotch (recipe below)
• ¼ oz. dry vermouth
• ¼ oz. Amaro Sfumato Rabarbaro
• ½ oz. brewed black tea
• ½ oz. fresh lemon juice
• ½ oz. Strawberry Reàl strawberry puree syrup
• 3 drops of soy sauce
• Furikake rice seasoning for garnish

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir for 15 to 20 seconds until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over a large cube. Garnish with furikake rice seasoning.

Tomato-Infused Scotch

• 1 cup Glenfiddich 12 year old (or other Speyside single malt)
• 1 large heirloom tomato, roughly cut

Add scotch and tomato to a blender. Blend for 30 to 60 seconds, until well combined and mostly smooth. Let sit in the refrigerator overnight, then strain through cheesecloth and squeeze out remaining liquid. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 months.

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Created by SIRI, bartender, 48 Record Bar, Philadelphia

Tamari lends a salty note to this rich cocktail with layers of flavor from the syrup, savory and sweet bitters, and malt whisky.

• 2 oz. Nikka Coffey Malt (or other Japanese malt)
• ¼ oz. tamari syrup (recipe below)
• 3 dashes Nickel 9 Wild Ontario Mushroom bitters
• 2 dashes orange bitters Orange peel for garnish

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir for 15 to 20 seconds or until the mixing glass becomes cold to the touch. Strain into a rocks glass over a large cube. Garnish with orange peel.

Tamari Syrup

• 1 cup turbinado or dark brown sugar
• ½ cup tamari
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds

Add all ingredients to a sauce pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir until all sugar is dissolved, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep about one hour until cool. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Penishirin

Created by Jean Carlo Cárdenas, global beverage director, Osaka Nikkei and KERO Bar, Miami

This Japanese-inspired riff on the classic Penicillin layers smoky, spicy, and savory flavors for a bold, balanced cocktail.

• 1¾ oz. Suntory Toki (or other Japanese blend)
• ¼ oz. Laphroaig (or other peated scotch)
• ¾ oz. fresh lime juice
• ¾ oz. ginger-honey syrup (recipe below)
• ½ tsp. wasabi paste
• 1 pinch smoked salt (and caviar, optional) for garnish

Add all ingredients to a shaker tin with ice. Shake for 15 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass over a large cube. Garnish with smoked salt and caviar (optional).

Ginger-Honey Syrup

• ½ cup honey
• ¼ cup hot water
• 1 Tbsp. ginger extract

Add all ingredients to a nonreactive container and mix until fully integrated (about 30 seconds). Transfer to an airtight container. Keep refrigerated for up to 15 days.

Miso Old Fashioned

Created by Freddy Salazar, beverage director, Enso in Brooklyn

Miso adds unexpected depth, while the brightness of orange lifts the bourbon, creating a sweet, savory, velvety cocktail, Salazar says.

• 2 oz. Green River (or other high-rye bourbon)
• ½ oz. red miso syrup (recipe below)
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• 1 dash orange bitters
• Orange peel disc and caramel disc for garnish

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir for 20 to 30 seconds until well chilled and diluted. Strain into a rocks glass over a large cube and garnish with orange peel and caramel discs balanced on the ice.

Red Miso Syrup

• ¼ cup white sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 1 Tbsp. red miso paste
• Zest of half an orange

In a saucepan, combine water and sugar over medium heat. Stir until fully dissolved, about 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in red miso paste and orange zest. Simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes without boiling. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain into an airtight container. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Truffle & Citrus Foam

Created by Laura Robbins, owner, Fireside Tavern Sherborn, Sherborn, Massachusetts

Subtle, earthy truffle oil balances fresh citrus and wheated bourbon in this invigorating yet comforting sipper.

• 2 oz. Bully Boy (or other wheated bourbon)
• ¾ oz. fresh lemon juice
• ½ oz. maple syrup
• 1 dash white truffle oil
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 2 oz. apple cider
• Thin apple slice and ground cinnamon for garnish

Add bourbon, lemon juice, maple syrup, white truffle oil, and bitters to a shaker tin. Add a few large ice cubes and shake vigorously for 10 to 15 seconds until well chilled. Add apple cider and shake for an additional 5 seconds to incorporate. Double strain into a chilled martini glass. Float apple slice on top and dust lightly with cinnamon.