Midori Sour

Midori is made using Japanese muskmelons and rare Yubari melons infused into neutral spirits, blended with brandy and sugar, and given its signature bright green color.

It initially began when the Japanese conglomerate Suntory (of Toki Whiskey fame) launched Hermes Melon Liqueur in 1964. Upon introduction to the US in 1978, the liqueur was renamed to Midori (Japanese for "green") and launched at a lavish launch party at New York City's famous Studio 54 nightclub during a cast party for Saturday Night Fever.

The Midori Sour is a vibrant, neon-green cocktail born out of the disco-era excess of the late 1970s and 80s. It was an emblem of optimism, neon aesthetics, and playful party culture during the '80s. The classic cocktail as it first started out combined Midori with commercial, pre-made sweet-and-sour mix (or split lemon-lime juices), sometimes with a splash of vodka or club soda, served over ice with a maraschino cherry and citrus wedge.

After the craft-cocktail renaissance of the early 2000s, the neon-colored commercial sour mixes have been replaced with fresh lemon juice, lime juice, and balanced simple or agave syrups. Although this recipe uses vodka, another classic variant serves it without the added liquor, in the more traditional sour format:

- 2 oz Green melon liqueur

- 0.5 oz Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

- 0.5 oz Lime juice (freshly squeezed)

- 1 egg white (optional)

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into ice-filled glass. If using egg white, then strain back into shaker after initial shake and dry shake without ice before fine straining into ice filled glass.