Midori Sour

Party like it’s another decade with a bright green Midori Sour in hand. This colorful, old-school cocktail is fun for reminiscing, dancing like it’s the 80s or even celebrating holidays like Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day.

About this Midori Sour recipe

The Midori Sour is an iconic cocktail. Not iconic like the martini or the old-fashioned. This drink is bright neon green and definitely doesn’t look like something a grown-up would drink. No, iconic like nostalgia. It’s the epitome of stories from your favorite college bar or nightclub. And many bartenders love to hate it.

It’s also iconic because it is one of the drinks that introduced the world to the Japanese liqueur, Midori. It is made from two types of melons and has a bright and fruity flavor.

And you can’t miss it iconic electric green color, either. When you mix it with lime juice or lemon juice, the color gets even more bright, even more chartreuse. (Not to be confused with Chartreuse — another liqueur altogether!)

So how do you make this icon of a libation? Let’s get right to it!

More watermelon cocktail recipes: Watermelon Margarita • Tequila Mockingbird • Watermelon Sangria • Watermelon Mimosa

Why you’ll love this recipe

You’ll love this Midori Sour recipe, for a few reasons:

• Bright green and full of nostalgia, it’s just like the one you loved in clubs, dives and bars.
• If you have Midori in your bar cart, this is a great drink to use it in.
• It works for a summer sipper or you can serve this green juice for a Halloween party.

What is Midori?

Midori is a Japanese melon-flavored liqueur made by Suntory. The liqueur was first introduced in 1964 as “Hermes Melon Liqueur,” but in 1978 changed the name to its present-day moniker.

Bright green in color, it’s sold in a matching green bottle with a bumpy melon-like skin. It’s used in cocktails like the Midori Sour, Midori Fizz or Scooby Snack shots.

The melon flavor and aroma in Midori is quite strong, but not cloying. It’s made with Yubari King and muskmelon, similar to cantaloupes. These are rare, expensive melons that can go for $300 per melon or more!

History

Midori first came on the scene as “Hermes Melon Liqueur” in 1964, but didn’t make its way to the United States until 1978. It made its debut at a party at Studio 54 to celebrate the release of Saturday Night Fever.

In 1978, Bobby Batugo won the U.S. Bartenders’ Guild competition with the Universe cocktail, a drink with vodka, Midori, pineapple juice, lime and pistachio liqueur. After that, Midori took off.

Tasting Table reports that Midori’s first popular cocktails were the Universe and the Melon Baller, a drink of Midori, vodka and orange juice. The Midori Sour didn’t come on the scene until the 1980s.

The 1980s were a popular time for sour mix, a sweet mixer that was ubiquitous in 80s drinks but less so today. Mixing the sweet lemon-lime mixture with melon liqueur created a simple fruity cocktail with a very, very tiny nod to the classic whiskey sour.

The Midori version sometimes gets a splash of soda for bubbles, and it was often garnished with a lemon or lime wedge and a maraschino cherry. Today, craft cocktail bars are finding new ways to serve this drink, including with homemade melon liqueur or egg whites for a frothy top.

Tools & glassware

For this recipe you will need a cocktail shaker, strainer and jigger. These are all part of a basic bartending set, so if you have one of those you’re good to go.

If you don’t, you can measure the ingredients in tablespoons: 1 ounce is equal to 2 tablespoons. (And ¼ ounce is equal to ½ tablespoon.)

The Midori Sour can be served in all kinds of glassware, but usually on the rocks. Here, I used a rocks glass. A stemless wine glass or a highball glass would work, too.

Ingredients

You can shop for Midori sour ingredients at your local grocery store and/or liquor store. Here’s what’s in it:

• Midori melon liqueur: Find this one in the Liqueur section of your liquor store. It’s in an emerald-green bottle with a bumpy texture.
• vodka: Any quality vodka will do here. Don’t go for the cheapest. We like Tito’s at our house.
• lemon juice: Fresh citrus juice really lets the Midori Sour grow up, as the ones from cheap bars use sour mix.
• lime juice: Ditto for the lime juice. Fresh juice really takes things up a notch here.
• blue curaçao: Just a drop! It makes the drink even greener. Totally optional though.
• club soda: This adds a few bubbles to the drink, but you can skip this if you like.

Garnishes

The Midori Sours of the 80s often featured a lemon wedge or lime wedge and a bright red maraschino cherry to match the neon green of the cocktail.

Since this is a grown-up version, you can stick to a pretty slice of lime or lemon here. If you want to add a cherry, go for a more sophisticated cocktail cherry. You can make your own or use my favorite, Luxardo Cherries.

Instructions

Ready to make a better-than-you-remember Midori sour? Here’s what to do:

First fill a cocktail shaker with ice, and add the Midori and vodka.

Next add the lime juice and lemon juice. Remember, fresh juice is always worth the effort!

If you want a darker green hue, you can add a tiny bit of blue curaçao. It tastes like oranges, so it won’t change the flavor, just the color.

Shake vigorously, then strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.

Top it up with a splash of soda. Garnish with a citrus slice. You can also add a cocktail cherry if you like.

Leftover Midori? Use it to make Scooby Snack Shots or a Frog’s Breath Cocktail for Halloween.

Tips & tricks

To make this drink like a pro bartender:

• Use fresh citrus juice if you can!
• Add a tiny amount of blue curaçao to the mixture to get a less sickly green color.
• Don’t add the club soda to the cocktail shaker. Add it on top of the drink.

Food pairings

The Midori Sour is great with all your favorite dive bar foods, like pizza and chicken wings. Or even totchos.

You could also serve this grown-up version for a summer dinner party or cookout along with fresh melon or dishes like watermelon salad and mozzarella melon salad.

FAQ

More old school cocktails

• Cosmopolitan
• Appletini
• French Martini
• Grasshopper