Kamikaze
Vodka, lime, disco spirit.
Vodka, triple sec and lime in equal parts: a vodka Margarita, tart and direct. Born as a shot in the 1970s, it is also served in a cocktail glass.
- After dinner
- Shaken
- Glass
- Cocktail glass
- Method
- Shaken
- Strength
- Medium
- Time
- 2 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Ice
- No ice
Ingredients
Measures for 1 serving
-
Vodka
30 ml
-
Triple sec
30 ml
-
Lime juice
30 ml
Garnish
- Lime slice
Proportions
How to make
- Chill a cocktail glass.
- Pour the vodka into the shaker.
- Add the triple sec.
- Add the lime juice.
- Fill the shaker with ice.
- Shake hard.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Garnish with a lime wheel.
The story
Origins
ProbableA plausible account, without definitive proof.
The Kamikaze appeared in the United States in the mid-1970s, in the early years of disco: historian David Wondrich places it around 1976. It started out as a shot and only later spread as a cocktail. Early versions may have used just vodka and sweetened lime, making it a close relative of the Gimlet. There is also a story of an origin at an American naval base in Japan after the war, but it is unconfirmed. Heywood Gould's novel Cocktail (1984) and the 1988 film of the same name with Tom Cruise made it famous. Its main legacy is the Cosmopolitan, which added cranberry.
Sources (5)
- The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails — Kamikaze (Robert Simonson) (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- Master of Malt — Cocktail of the Week: The Kamikaze (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- Difford's Guide — Kamikaze (opens in a new tab) recipe
- Wikipedia — Kamikaze (cocktail) (opens in a new tab) recipe
- IBA — All cocktails, page 3 (opens in a new tab) recipe
Taste profile
- Citrus
- 4 out of 5
- Strong
- 3 out of 5
- Sour
- 3 out of 5
- Sweet
- 2 out of 5
