Picture this: The year is 1978 and “Stayin’ Alive” is blasting from the speakers at New York City’s hottest nightclub, Studio 54. You somehow gain access to the exclusive discotheque and, after sweating with your fellow clubbers for a few songs, you make your way over to the bar. The bartender thrusts a Hulk green cocktail into your hands and you take a sip, allowing the melon-flavored concoction to wash over your taste buds.
“What is this?” you ask the bartender. “A Japanese Gin & Tonic,” they respond, hands already busy prepping the next drink. “It’s to celebrate the launch of Midori, this new Japanese liqueur.”
This conversation, of course, never actually happened, but Midori — a bright green Japanese melon liqueur — did actually make its U.S. debut at the iconic nightclub during a party featuring the cast and crew of “Saturday Night Fever,” including John Travolta. And while the stars may have been sipping on a G&T variation that evening, it was the Midori Sour that truly embedded itself in the ‘70s and ‘80s cocktail canon.
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Made with one part Midori and one part sour mix, the Midori Sour in its original form lacked balance, with sweet, borderline cloying flavors stealing the show. Coupled with its vibrant hue, the cocktail — and the fruity liqueur — was something bartenders were eager to move away from by the time the cocktail renaissance kicked off in the early aughts.
But something shifted in the mid-2010s. Midori got a refresh in 2012, with a reformulation that cut the amount of artificial flavorings by 20 percent and introduced natural ingredients like Japanese Yubari and muskmelons. By 2019, the Midori Sour was hot once more — only these modern versions were unlike anything the latter half of the 20th century saw, shaken up with ingredients like citrus cordials, real fruit juice, and egg whites. Now, bartenders are eager to demonstrate that Midori is more than just a one-trick pony.
The liqueur has found its way into everything from a riff on the Alaska served at the buzzy NYC hotspot Coqodaq to herbaceous sippers developed by the team at Boston’s Temple Records. And with continued interest in Japanese culture, nostalgia in full swing, and a certain slime-green pop culture reference still gripping the cultural zeitgeist, Midori is just getting (re)started.
American Interest in Japanese Ingredients
American fascination with Japan is nothing new. The nation’s cuisine has long been adored by U.S. diners, Japanese video games are played in households nationwide, and each year, a growing number of U.S. residents board 14-plus-hour flights to visit the island country. In recent years, Americans have demonstrated a particular interest in one aspect of Japanese culture that was previously relatively overlooked: alcohol.
Sake, despite failing to take off as predicted in the early 2010s, has experienced a tremendous rise in the last decade with export volumes shooting from 14 million liters per year in 2012 to almost 36 million liters in 2022. While not nearly as popular as sake, shochu is experiencing growth of its own as drinkers become interested in lower-ABV cocktails and labeling regulations on the beverage loosen up. No Japanese spirit, however, has received as much attention stateside as Japanese whisky, a style characterized by its delicate flavor profile and refined texture.
According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), Japanese whisky was the fastest-growing luxury spirit from 2015 to 2020, with volume sales increasing 42 percent in that period. Its growth carried into this decade, with the category reporting a 30 percent sales volume increase in 2023 alone.
“I think with how much people have gotten into Japanese spirits, they understand the quality aspect of the craft and how much care goes into almost everything created in the country,” explains Meaghan Dorman, bar director of NYC’s Raines Law Room, which currently offers a cocktail made with mezcal, Midori, ancho verde, lime, falernum, and pineapple salt. “I think this made people look at Midori again, but this time in relation to the quality of shochu and all these whiskies that weren’t really a thing in the States before the craft cocktail movement.”
“As craft cocktails push the boundaries of what bars can do, bartenders have been able to use Midori in unprecedented ways. It’s less the base of a cocktail, and instead used with a little more intention.”
As Midori undergoes its second rediscovery in recent memory, bartenders are using the liqueur in supporting roles rather than placing it front and center, allowing the flavor to merely whisper. Blink and you might miss it, but trust that your cocktail wouldn’t taste the same without it.
In the case of the Quetzal, juicy melon takes a tango with smoky, vegetal agave and fire-roasted spice to provide the base for a cocktail Dorman compares to a Mezcal Margarita. Further bolstered by falernum and given a tropical zap via lime juice and dehydrated pineapple, the cocktail is a medley of powerful ingredients that allow Midori to shine without dominating.
“It’s a really unique cocktail and it’s one of our top five sellers,” she says. “And it’s fun to introduce Midori to people who haven’t tried it before, or even reintroduce it to people who have.”
Deliciousness aside, if there’s one thing that certainly isn’t hurting the Quetzal’s popularity, it’s the drink’s eye-catching color.
Nostalgia and the Return of Striking Visuals
In the thick of the craft cocktail movement, if a vivid, neon drink made its way to a guest, many likely would have high-tailed it right out of the bar. With a color like that, they might assume, it’s sure to taste sub-par. But just like fashion, bar trends are cyclical, and nostalgia for bright-colored cocktails is back in full force as drinkers seek concoctions that perfectly skirt the line between thoughtful and fun. With the knowledge and quality products provided by the cocktail renaissance, bartenders have all the right tools to achieve both.
“It’s exciting to discover an ingredient that has been proven tried and true for years and experience why these products have lasted the test of time. The color is a bonus.”
What was once a liqueur used to wow guests with its color (while getting them drunk fast) has transformed into a tool that can imbue flavor, subtle sweetness, and a luscious mouthfeel.
“As craft cocktails push the boundaries of what bars can do, bartenders have been able to use Midori in unprecedented ways,” says Leonardo Tedesco, bar manager of Boston’s Somaek and Temple Records. “It’s less the base of a cocktail, and instead used with a little more intention.”
At Temple Records, Midori acts as the sweetening agent in the Off Minor, a gin-based cocktail that fuses flavors like garden basil, tangy yuzu, and absinthe. Used in small quantities like this, Midori provides just a hint of sweetness and roundness while allowing the herbaceous notes and zippy citrus to shine. “The color really helps bring our cocktail to life, and it’s a great boost for our socials,” Tedesco says.
Beyond nostalgia, Tedesco argues that a large factor in Midori’s current resurgence is bartenders’ desire to rediscover ingredients that have been around for decades. The fascination with turning the old into the new is ever-present.
“Modern bartenders are challenged with the task of reinventing what has previously been done with Midori,” he explains. “Americans have been using it since the disco era, it’s a quintessential part of American bar culture, [and] with the continued growth of Japanese-inspired bars, it would not be wise to overlook the liqueur.”
“As long as we treat the intention of flavor and color aesthetic with respect, Midori will continue to be a darling ingredient among modern bartenders.”
It’s a sentiment shared by the team at Coqodaq, with bar manager Matt Chavez explaining that there’s an inclination among mixologists to tinker with spirits that have been in circulation, though hardly used, for decades.
“There’s a certain fascination with bottles that have quietly existed behind most backbars for decades — unnoticed by many, but cherished by those who enjoy cocktail culture,” he says. “It’s exciting to discover an ingredient that has been proven tried and true for years and experience why these products have lasted the test of time. The color is a bonus.”
Midori stars alongside Boatyard gin, Chopin vodka, Green Chartreuse, and Lustau Blanc vermouth at the Korean fried chicken outpost in a luminous riff on the Alaska. Chavez and Sondre Kasin, the director of bars at Gracious Hospitality Management, wanted to create a green version of the classic cocktail so they turned to the melon liqueur.
Combined with Green Chartreuse and gin, a medley of bitter botanicals drives the cocktail, with a subtle melon twist arriving on the finish. Garnished with a fluorescent red cherry, the drink is the perfect storm of nostalgia.
“We knew the color would amp up in an almost neon glow. We also thought the color and nostalgia aspect would benefit from the color juxtaposition of a bright red atomic cherry,” Chavez explains of the recipe and development process. “We were not wrong.”
The ‘brat’ of It All
Off-premise, Midori has gained just as much traction as at-home mixologists reach for the liqueur, specifically because of its color’s likeness to the cover art for Charli XCX’s sixth studio album “brat.” The record, released in early June, took the world by storm and had pop culture aficionados viewing the world through slime-green colored glasses as they prepared for a “brat summer.”
Obsession with the color shot to the mainstream in late July. The British pop star tweeted “kamala IS brat” following the vice president’s announcement that she would be seeking the Democratic bid in the upcoming presidential election. After that, nothing was immune to the power of brat green. Not clothing. Not cosmetics. Not even Harris’s own campaign could resist the temptation to lean in.
The same holds true for cocktails.
Social media has since been flooded with brat-themed drink recipes ranging from Martini riffs and Mules, to “brat summer water” and more. One thing these drinks share: spotlighting Midori.
While the spirit’s color may be the most important factor for these at-home mixologists, most have incorporated the same mindfulness as the pros, deploying the liqueur in small quantities to allow other flavors to shine. And if Midori is to cement itself in the current cocktail canon, it’s that mindfulness that is truly key.
“As long as we treat the intention of flavor and color aesthetic with respect, Midori will continue to be a darling ingredient among modern bartenders,” Chavez says. “It’s been a fascinating (brat) summer. We’re witnessing a new generation exposed to a new ingredient, and I’m glad to be around for it.”
