In this cocktail series by Japanese whisky legend Nikka and VisitChef magazine, in which selected bartenders create original cocktails, today we present a drink by Carola Urru from Savage Bar in Prague.
“Every great drink has a story. Mine begins in 1934 – not with whisky, but with apples,” says Carola Urru. She is referring to the very beginnings of the Nikka brand and its founder, Masataka Taketsuru, who, upon returning from Scotland, first set about producing cider and fruit juices under the name Dai Nippon Kaju – and that is where the name Nikka originated.
“Apples were his first bridge, the orchard his first distillery. And it was precisely this moment that I wanted to capture in my cocktail,” she explains.
Name: Eternal Bridge
Recipe:
4 cl Nikka From The Barrel
2.5 cl yuzushu
1 cl apple syrup
top with smoked apple soda
Garnish: isomalt apple glass
Technique: build
Taste profile: A fresh, layered highball with a subtle smokiness, fruity notes, and elegant acidity, combining the sweetness of apples with the citrus freshness of yuzu and the complexity of whisky.
The cocktail features a clearly defined structure of flavours that unfold gradually. The smoked apple soda pays homage to the orchards of Hokkaido, where Nikka has its roots. Yuzushu brings the lightness and elegance typical of the Japanese approach to flavour balance, while Nikka whisky forms the solid core of the entire drink.
“For me, the highball is a symbol of the present – a modern Japanese ritual that is fresh, sociable, and yet steeped in history,” adds Urru.
But there is another powerful story behind the cocktail: the relationship between Masataka Taketsuru and Rita Taketsuru – a Japanese visionary and a Scottish woman who together transcended cultural and geographical boundaries. “Their love is the invisible spirit of Nikka. And it is precisely this bridge between worlds that I wanted to capture in my drink,” she concludes.
Eternal Bridge is thus not just a cocktail, but a narrative divided into four chapters: apples as the beginning, yuzu as the freshness of Japan, whisky as a dream come true, and the highball as the path forward.
