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    A New Tradition

    Masters 2024: New sake brand Sake ONO debuts fresh twist on classic Azalea cocktail

    April 08, 2024
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    The Masters is all about tradition. It’s right there in the slogan: “A tradition unlike any other.” So each April we tune in for the tinkling of the piano, spread our pimento cheese on white bread and celebrate the start of another major season just as we did the year before.

    But if rules are meant to be broken, then traditions are built to evolve, and that’s where Sake ONO—in its own roundabout way—comes in. For years, the signature cocktail of the Masters has been the Azalea, a combination of vodka, grenadine and lemonade as colorful as Augusta National’s trademark flowers. This year, however, Sake ONO has crafted a refreshing alternative utilizing its proprietary Junmai Daiginjo sake that may change the way you think about the classic cocktail. Here's what you'll need to make it.

    Sakeazalea

    1.5 oz Sake ONO

    .75 oz pineapple liqueur

    .75 oz pineapple gum syrup

    .75 oz fresh lemon juice

    .25 oz premium dry gin

    1 bar spoon amarena cherry syrup

    Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill it with ice. Shake them well for about 15 seconds and strain into a rocks glass. Top with ice and garnish with a skewered amarena cherry and a lemon wheel.

    For those who prefer to simply sip their sake, Sake ONO is more than up to the task as well. Though new in name, Sake ONO is years in the making, with the company’s founders scouring Japan before finding Yoshi No Gawa, a brewery founded in 1548 by a former samurai. Renowned for producing clean, smooth tasting sake, Yoshi No Gawa brews Sake ONO in small batches with the site’s Koji rice, yeast and water, producing a sake with tasting notes of honeydew, lemon peel, peony and green apple with umami undertones. Sake ONO is now available for purchase through the brand’s website for $49.99.