Paulius Musteikis
Sushi Muramoto's "Bury the Hatchet" cocktail.
The cocktail program at Sushi Muramoto features a few, presumably necessary, Japanese-themed martinis. Digging beyond these, the menu quickly sets itself apart, showing depth and skill in pairing flavors.
Take, for instance, the Don’t Talk Back, a seeming riff on the Hemingway Daiquiri (rum, maraschino, grapefruit, lime) that switches to aged rum and adds lychee liqueur. It’s a delicious cousin to the original, and one that Papa would approve of — low sugar, maximum flavor and acidity.
Likewise, the Big Breakfast Chu-Hai, featuring bacon-infused bourbon, is a maple and orange juice blend that’s worth the risk. Smoky mezcal lifts it out of potential flavor miasma for a drink that’s shockingly tasty with sushi (especially with anything featuring a fried element).
A couple of light gin cocktails (Jin Kollins and Water Lilly) pair beautifully with delicate sashimi, but the novel star on the list is the Bury the Hatchet, a bourbon-based cocktail. It is a reminder that whiskey, especially when given a touch of fruit, can pair well with Japanese cuisine. At Sushi it appears with the addition of amaro (the herbaceous Italian liqueur) and bitters, and the drink is smashing. The extra flavor kick from Meletti amaro is precisely what the drink needs. With a salmon skin roll? Knockout.
