How do you make a Zen Green Tea Shooter?

Question from Bob: How do you make a Zen Green Tea Shooter

There have been quite few searches for Zen Green Tea Liqueur recipes in the last week. It is a rather unique liqueur to say the least. Recipes tend to lean toward a Japanese influence with Sake or white wine.

Scanning restaurant cocktail listings is the best place to find the trendiest drinks, since this is where cutting edge bartenders work their craft. To be honest, I have not had a Zen Green Tea Shooter. However, I found one recipe in particular that could be what Bob is referring to.

This cocktail, Zenergy, was featured in Entrée Magazine Summer 2007 edition.  Larry ‘Smokey’ Genta created this cocktail for BluSushi. I found the information online here. While the Zenergy is formulated for a cocktail it can be pared down into a shooter as many cocktails are such as the Lemon Drop or Oatmeal Cookie.

Zenergy

1-1/2 ounce Volta Vodka

1/2 ounce Zen Green Tea Liqueur

1/4 Sour Mix

1/4 ounce Energy Drink

Lemon Twist Garnish

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a Lemon Twist. Make this a shot by dividing the mixture into two shot glasses.

A shooter is anywhere from an ounce and a half to two ounces of liquid as opposed to a shot which is an ounce to an ounce and a quarter. Adjust your portions accordingly. Sip from a martini glass or shoot your concoction from a shot glass. The choice is yours.

Some other recipes I came across that may or may not fit the bill of a Zen Green Tea Shooter, but will absolutely give more options of Zen cocktail recipes follow below.  Their ratios can also be adjusted to fit a shooter or shot glass if you choose to do so.

Tea Time

I ounce Zen Green Tea Liqueur

2 ounces Dry Sake

Combine in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Serve.

Green Tea Martini

This one comes from Japonais in New York City from their spring cocktail menu.  You can get a taste of how modern day Japan meets European Elegance by clicking here.

2 ounces Hendrick’s Gin (Hendricks Gin has cucumber undertones)

2 ounces Zen Green Tea Liqueur

3/4 ounce Half & Half

3/4 ounce Bar Syrup

Green Tea Powder – optional

Combine all ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to chill. Strain into a well-chilled martini glass. Garnish with a sprinkle of green tea powder on top if available.

The easiest of all however to convert to a shooter is the Citrus Green Tea. With so little ingredients, it would be difficult to muddle it up.

Citrus Green Tea

1-1/2 ounces Citrus Vodka

3/4 ounce Zen Green Tea

Lemon Twist Garnish

Combine in a cocktail glass filled with ice. Shake thoroughly. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Hope this helps!

Email your questions to str8upcocktails @ gmail.com. I will do my best to answer as quickly as possible. Thank you!

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Cheri Loughlin is the Omaha writer and photographer behind www.intoxicologist.net and author of Cocktails with a Tryst: An Affair with Mixology and Seduction. You can email Cheri with comments and questions at str8upcocktails@gmail.com.