Japanese Desserts And Beverages: 5 Wagashi And Drink Pairings To Try Out
Japanese cuisine is a repository of sweet and savoury culinary treats complete with acidic, tangy and umami flavours. Wagashi or Japanese desserts are broadly confections made with rice flour, flavoured with bean paste and lots of seasonal produce. They are subtly sweet preparations with soft textures and rather nuanced flavours that make them interesting offerings after a dinner complete with robust, earthy notes emanating out of Japanese broths and sushis.
Wagashi, served at a Japanese themed gathering can be complemented with different classic cocktail and mocktail blends that pair well with their seasonal, fruity and sometimes even dense flavours. Japanese desserts and beverages is then an excellent pairing for elaborate meals complete with a wide array of sweet and savoury offerings
Read on below to know more about some of the wagashi or Japanese desserts that pair well with different cocktails and mocktails:
Daifuku Mochi And Lychee Sakitini Cocktail
Mochi is essentially a soft rice cake made out of glutinous rice that is rolled up into round balls filled with different flavourful stuffings. One such mochi variation is the daifuku which is made up of a soft filling comprising cream, fruits or anko. This dessert has a very light, pillowy texture and a subtle sweetness that makes it a suitable pairing with the savoury-sweet notes of a good quality 30 ml sake and 30 ml Tanqueray No. 10 Gin or any other premium gin of choice brought together to prepare a classic sakitini cocktail infused with 15 ml fruity lychee liqueur.
Monaka And Citrus-Infused Iced Tea
A Japanese sweet treat made using thin wafer biscuits that are stuffed with azuki bean paste, monakas have a nutty, toasty quality and a crispy texture which makes them a light dessert offering after a particularly heavy meal. The subtly sweet anko and thin wafer can be paired well with a chilled iced tea infused with citrusy notes of lemons and limes. The light flavours of the sweet treat and the freshly brewed tea come together in a complimentary mix that is well-suited as a post lunch sweet offering.
Dorayaki And Mudslide Cocktail
A Japanese confection popular for its pancake-like patties that are wrapped around a chocolatey sweet azuki bean paste, dorayaki is yet another interesting wagashi that can be served at a Japanese themed event. These round cylindrical sweets akin to a macaroon or stuffed biscuit go well with a classic drink such as a creamy mudslide cocktail brought together with the addition of 30 ml Ciroc Ultra Premium Vodka or any other premium vodka of choice as well as 15 ml coffee liqueur and 15 ml Baileys Original Irish Cream Liqueur or any other premium whisky of choice.
Warabi Mochi And Warm Latte
Another variant of mochi, or the soft rice cake, warabi is jelly-like in texture and most often than not is served with kinako or lightly roasted soybean. Warabi also comprises a black bean syrup dressing which makes its flavours appear more dense and sweet, yet quite umami. Such a classic Japanese confectionery dessert can be paired with a well-made, freshly brewed warm latte. The earthy and aromatic notes of the drink would go well with the toasty flavour and jelly-like texture of warabi to make for an interesting dessert offering with coffee that is served post dinner.
Taiyaki And Citrus Old Fashioned
A type of fish shaped cake that is a popular Japanese street food, taiyaki is a stuffed chewy sweet which generally contains an anko bean paste stuffing. This is a rather sweet dessert with a thick pastry and can be suitably paired with an old fashioned made out of 30 ml Johnnie Walker Black Label or any other premium whisky of choice. When infused with the citrusy and tart notes of orange bitters or lime juice, the old fashioned manages to undercut some of the overt sweet notes in taiyaki to offer a balanced dessert and drink pairing.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
