"A Story of Midori"

Greetings, Blog Friends.

As a student of bartending and mixology during my college years, I aspired to learn as much as I could about the fine art of making cocktails. Back at that time I was waiting tables in a family-run restaurant and service bartenders (who make drinks for the tables in the restaurant) were not on schedule. A chart by the full-service bar in the kitchen was composed by a lead waitress, telling us which glass each commonly-ordered cocktail went in, how to prepare (shake, build, blend, etc) and the proportions of each ingredient that went into making the cocktail. By age 20 (I started waiting tables at 18 years old) I had become, through my research and application, a fairly decent mixologist!

One summer I worked at a student cafeteria on the UNH campus and I asked a foreign exchange student from Japan if she had ever heard of Midori, the honeydew flavored liqueur made in her home country. Her knowledge of alcohol was small and she shook her head. The next day, however, she happily ran up to me and said: "Yesterday you asked about Midori. Yes, yes! It is made in Japan." I smiled. "Do you know what Midori means in Japanese?" she asked with a grin. I shook my head. "It means "green." (I did not know that! I then knew my first Japanese word!)

Midori is a light, melon-flavored liqueur used in many fruity libations, such as the Melon Ball (vodka, Midori, and OJ) and the Pearl Harbor (vodka or rum, Midori, and pineapple juice). Midori is also excellent with (or without rum) in a Midori Colada (a melon version of the Pina Colada). Many imitations of Midori exist, and while they are a little more syrupy and sweeter than their inspiration, they work just fine in the above cocktails.

The bottle of Midori, too, looks much like a tall Japanese temple. Like many liqueurs, it is rather low in alcohol--only 40 proof (whiskey is 80 proof). Still apply with moderation, of course!

Hoping you will try some recipes using Midori over the Summer months and trust that you are able to spend time with friends and family (or at the Inn at Long Lake, too!).

Keith A. Neubert
Innkeeper-Chef
The Inn at Long Lake