How To Make Cocktails Inspired By Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka

In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, comedian Atsuko Okatsuka and Kikori Whiskey (an AAPI, female-founded brand) have created two cocktails inspired by Okatsuka herself.

If you haven’t yet seen the comedian stirring up laughs around L.A. clubs or her laugh-out-loud HBO special The Intruder, you’ve likely seen her worldwide impact as the creator of the #DropChallenge on TikTok. Hit play on Beyoncé’s “Partition” and you’re slowly dropping it low.

In fact, one of the cocktails, the Tea Shop Drop, is inspired by the #DropChallenge. It’s also inspired by Okatsuka’s personal connection to lemons.

When Okatsuka first moved from Japan to the United States, she and her family lived with her uncle, who had a lemon tree. “My grandma was so stoked to have free hookups to lemons,” she explains. “She made lemonade every single day and forced me to never buy lemonade from anyone else ever again.”

Okatsuka first launched the #DropChallenge with her grandma, so it's only fitting the Tea Shop Drop honors her grandma’s affiliation with both lemons and the TikTok challenge. The lemon-accented cocktail also features Kikori Rice Whiskey, simple syrup, oolong tea and, if you prefer, boba.

Kikori Whiskey and Okatsuka also are paying tribute to the comedian’s signature bowl-style haircut with the Bowl’d Fashioned. The cocktail is anchored by Kikori’s Japanese whiskey distilled from rice and features toasted rice syrup. What’s more, Okatsuka explains that, as someone who is half Japanese and half Tawainese, rice is what glues the two cultures together.

See also: How To Make Kikori's Spicy Yuzu Passionfruit Sour

She adds, “It’s an extra special thing in our family because my grandma can no longer eat gluten. That’s right. When noodles said, ‘I give up on you.’ Rice said, ‘I’m still here.’”

And alongside honoring all the wonderful laughs Okatsuka inspires, Kikori has donated $10,000 in her name to the Asian Mental Health Collective, a nonprofit organization that aspires to make mental health easily available, approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide.

See the full recipes for the Tea Shop Drop and Bowl’d Fashioned below.

Tea Shop Drop

Created by Daijoubu: A Super Asian Cocktail Pop-up

1.5 oz Kikori Rice Whiskey

.75 oz lemon juice

.75 oz simple syrup

3 oz strongly brewed oolong tea

Boba (optional)

Strongly brewed oolong tea: brew the oolong tea at 2x the strength.

Shaken with ice

Strained over cubed ice in a Collins glass with a metal boba straw

Garnish with cut fruit (apples, lemons) and a boba straw

Bowl’d Fashioned

Created by Daijoubu: A Super Asian Cocktail Pop-up

2 oz Kikori Whiskey

.25 oz Toasted rice syrup

2 dashes Angostura bitters

2 dashes orange bitters

Toasted rice syrup: In a pan combine ½ teaspoon of sesame oil with 1 cup brown rice. Toast until lightly brown. Steep in simple syrup for 2-4 hours.

Simple syrup:

1 cup white sugar

1 cup hot water

Stir until fully incorporated.

Stirred and poured over a large cube in a round bowl-like glass. Garnish with an orange peel shaped like a flower (or fresh flowers).