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Aug 19, 2009

No goldfish were harmed in the making of this drink

The goldfish sour was lined up on the menu with the fruit juice cocktails - the grapefruit sour, the lemon sour, the lychee sour. We thought it would be more fun not to ask what was in it. When Betty ordered, the waiter didn't write it down.

"It's spicy."

Betty said that was okay. He looked worried and finally shrugged and jotted down the order like, okay, your dime. The mystery deepened.

A goldfish sour turns out to be shochu (clear booze) and soda water with two hot dried chillies swimming around a shiso leaf at the top.

Another waiter came around and I asked if they had invented the drink. "They have it other places, but I think not too many. It's kind of unusual. By the way, do you... like it?"

Betty nodded. I asked if he had tried it.

"Me? No." He leaned down a little. "I'm scared of it."



4 comments:

Holly said...

adorable! i want this drink.

Dekooning said...

I don't drink that much, but maybe I would try the Goldfish Sour!

Mahala Mazerov said...

That's courage for you! I remember reading a label for something I was about to buy in a Kyoto grocery store. The translation read "fish guts." After that, I pretty much wanted to know what was in anything. That would include such a beautiful drink as this one if the waiter raised his eyebrows.

Sandra Barron said...

Try it at home, friends! use vodka instead of shochu?

Mahala, nice to see you here! We didn't even imagine that it wouldn't be some kind of fruit...

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