The 5 Best Godzilla Cocktails

Godzilla, or Gojira, has been on a hot streak the past few years, following a dormant period (which is just like him!). Godzilla vs Kong wasn’t great, but it set the stage for Kong: Skull Island (amazing), Giant Monsters All Out Attack (big Kaiju fun), Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (a great reason to finally get Apple TV+) and Godzilla -1 (a Best Visual Effects Oscar winner, which apparently you won’t get to catch again till next year).

Now we’re gearing up for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the next spectacle due out March 29. It’s not the first time Kong and Godzilla have teamed up to defeat a common enemy, but it’s definitely the most CGI heavy. So we’re gonna need some drinks.

If you find yourself in Japan, head straight to Tokyo Confidential, where Holly Graham and her team serve up the colorful Destroy All Monsters, recipe below. If you time it right, the bar’s mascot, a large custom-made Godzilla cocktail fountain will be pouring the drink on tap. They even have a mini Tokyo Tower (the real version is visible from the bar’s outdoor 9th floor seating), so you can embody our favorite radioactive lizard yourself.

Whether you’re hosting a watch party or celebrating/commiserating after seeing the movie, consider these five cocktails, which emphasize Japanese whisky, shochu, or colorful ingredients for maximum fun:

Blossom Sour

2 oz iichiko Silhouette

.5 oz plum wine

1 oz fresh lemon juice

.5 oz simple syrup

1 egg white

Fresh Picked Cherry Blossoms for Garnish

In a cocktail shaker without ice, combine all ingredients. Dry shake for one minute, add ice and shake well, and strain into a Spritz or Highball glass filled with ice. Double strain into a cocktail glass or coupe. Garnish with fresh-picked flowers or a Cherry Blossom twig.

ALSO: Shochu varies wildly from brand to brand and style to style, thanks to a wide variety of base grains / vegetables, and proprietary koji fungi. Aim for a lighter un-aged spirit, with an emphasis on fruit and barley notes, and a just a hint of umami.

Suntory Toki Highball

1.5 oz Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky

4 oz Fever Tree or Q Club Soda

Favorite garnish

In a Highball glass filled with fresh ice, pour one to two ounces of whiskey. Top with fresh club soda. Stir lightly and garnish with lime or lemon wheel or wedge, basil, mint, or dehydrated orange. Savor.

ALSO: Japanese Highballs can be serious business, with attention paid to ingredient proportions, levels of carbonation, etc. Want to explore it the more? Hunt down a bar that uses a Suntory or Nikka Highball Machine. Read more about highballs.

Destroy All Monsters

Tokyo Confidential Bar

2 oz miso brown butter-washed Fords Gin

.25 oz manzanilla sherry

Barspoon dry vermouth

Dash ponzu sauce

In a cocktail shaker, combine all ingredients with ice. Shake well and strain into a Nick and Nora glass with no ice.

ALSO: For the brown butter-washed gin, combine one 700- or 750ml bottle of London dry gin, one cup of unsalted butter and about a quarter cup of miso paste. Blend with a hand blender and freeze covered overnight. Strain solids through a coffee filter.

Blackberry Bite

1.5 oz Moonlight Mayhem! Extended Cut Cask Strength Straight Bourbon Whiskey

.75 oz fresh lemon juice

.5 oz simple syrup

Club Soda

4 large blackberries

3-4 frozen blackberries for garnish

Muddle together simple syrup and blackberries in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, bourbon and lemon juice, shake and strain into a highball glass with fresh ice. Top with club soda and garnish with frozen blackberries.

ALSO: Filmland Spirits produces delicious ryes and bourbons. But what makes them particularly fun are their classic horror film-inspired logos, looking like movie posters of old. Perfect for running from Kong and Godzilla, or whatever the heck they’re fighting.

Nuclear Lavender Lemonade

2 oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin

.5 oz Maraschino liqueur

1 oz lavender honey syrup

2 oz lemonade

Lavender Sprig for Garnish

Fill a large wine glass with crushed ice. In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine lemonade, maraschino liqueur and syrup. Shake well and strain into the glass. Layer Empress 1908 Gin on top and add more crushed ice, stir lightly to combine and swirl ingredients together. Garnish with a fresh lavender sprig.

ALSO: Spirits like Empress Indigo, Conniption Kinship, or the Unicorn portfolio incorporate the butterfly pea flower which dramatically changes color with the addition of citrus, acid, or tonic. Use clear mixers and liqueurs, and wait till it’s in the glass to add either the citrus or the spirit for maximum visual effect.

CocktailsRobert Haynes-PetersonMarch 22, 2024JapanComment