This post is sponsored by Suntory Toki Whisky and Drizly but all opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands I love that make this blog possible!
The holidays are officially here, and I couldn’t be more excited. I look forward to December all year long. There’s nothing better than gathering with friends and family to catch up and celebrate. And I absolutely love giving gifts. While it’s obviously important not to get swept up in the more materialistic aspects of the season, I appreciate the opportunity to make someone happy by giving them something they love.
Liquor is obviously one of my favorite things to gift, and this time of year I like to have a few extras of my favorite bottles to bring to holiday parties or give to friends. My go-to for this is a Japanese whisky like Suntory Toki. It’s the perfect spirit to gift. First of all, it’s a beautiful bottle that’s better left unwrapped – I like to simply add a bow or tag. And most whisk(e)y drinkers I know either already love Japanese whisky or have heard a lot about it and are excited to try the category. And because it’s so so light and subtly sweet, the Toki is also a great option for those who don’t normally reach for whisky to sip on. With its lovely balance of fruit, citrus, spice, and oak, it’s a wonderful introduction to the category as a whole.
While Toki is absolutely lovely on its own, it’s also versatile and affordable enough to mix into cocktails. This year I mixed up two of my favorites from Suntory, both very whisky-forward (which is exactly how I like them). It also means you can batch them for easy serving, or bottle them up and bring them to your next holiday party pre-mixed. The recipes are below!
If you’d like to pick up your own bottle of Toki to enjoy or to gift, it’s available on Drizly along with the House of Suntory’s entire amazing collection. Roku Gin and Hibiki Japanese Harmony are two more favorites of mine – check them all out! And happy holidays!
Okinawa Old Fashioned
2 parts Toki Whisky
1/4 part Demerara syrup
2 dashes cherry bark vanilla bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube. Garnish with brandied cherries.
Sunset Hour
2 parts Toki Whisky
1/2 part Amaro Nonino
2 dashes grapefruit bitters
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube. I garnished mine with rosemary and star anise.
Recipes adapted from Beam Suntory.