In this cocktail series by Japanese legend Nikka and VisitChef magazine, where selected bartenders create original cocktails, we present a drink by Sulajman Bajčabajev from My Friends Bar in Plzeň.
“The Kaze no Mi cocktail, meaning ‘fruit of the wind’, is based on the idea of transience—a flavour that is neither heavy nor static, but flows like the wind,” explains Sulajman Bajčabajev. “The apricot reflects ripeness, summer, and sunshine. Yuzu and kumquat represent the wind, movement, and freshness. The spices—cardamom and coriander—represent an invisible layer that only emerges when you focus. Soda water ensures lightness, ephemerality, and the moment,” says the bartender from My Friends Bar.
This highball is not based on a single dominant flavour, but on a transformation over time. The first sip is fresh and citrusy, then the fruit comes through, and only at the finish do the whisky and spices emerge. “Just like the wind, which you feel but cannot see.”
Name: Kaze no Mi
Recipe:
35 ml Nikka From The Barrel
30 ml house cordial (apricot, yuzu, cardamom, coriander)
10 ml lemon juice
Top up with soda water
Garnish: halved kumquat
Taste profile:
Nose: delicate citrus oils (yuzu, kumquat); floral notes; light wood
Palate: delicately sweet apricot, citrus acidity, lightly spiced with the warmth of whisky
Texture: light body, high carbonation, crisp finish
Seasonality:
Late spring and summer
Apricots—seasonal peak
Highball—refreshment
Citrus and fizz = hot evenings
It also has a subtle depth from the whisky, making it suitable as an evening drink, not just for ‘day drinking’
Author: Sulajman Bajčabajev, My Friends Bar, Plzeň
