Cloak & Petal honors Oda Nobunaga’s Demise

• Alec Randall
• Cloak & Petal
• 1953 India Street
• Little Italy

Underneath an indoor cherry blossom tree, bartender Alec Randall serves up one of Cloak & Petal’s most popular drinks, Nobunaga’s Demise. He tells me it’s named after Japanese warrior and conqueror Oda Nobunaga. “It’s a fun and eye-catching cocktail that gives a nod to Japanese history, and something we have fun in putting together for guests.”

“Nobunaga’s Demise is comprised of two types of gin,” says Randall, breaking down components of the tropical cocktail. “Broker’s London dry gin, and Plymouth Navy Strength — gives it more of a boost. It will have lemon, pineapple, a cream of coconut and banana that we make in-house, and we also have a Midori float.” He then garnishes it with an orchid, a Luxardo cherry speared by a paper parasol, and a silly straw, “just to make it more festive. It gives it a little kitsch.”

Randall says the visually stunning cocktail “was created by Faisal Asseri, with the thought to get people out of their comfort zone and give gin a try in an otherwise vodka-dominated bar. A lot of people, when they hear ‘gin,’ they get a little afraid of it. So the color captures the eye. And then a lot of the tropical fruit notes, the creaminess of it, just makes it a really well-balanced drink. It trends a bit on the sweet side,” he notes, “but I think that sweetness helps round out the assertive boldness of the gin.”

The floater creates electric green streaks that begin to seep downward. “Midori is a liqueur infused with Japanese melons. So it is a Japanese product and it’s also a nice nod to the aesthetic.” An advocate for adapting vintage recipes, Randall also feels the muskmelon-flavored liqueur is coming back into vogue. “[We’re] taking something that was kind of frowned upon maybe 10 or 15 years ago, and now it’s back, because it’s fun. And drinking should be fun.”

Blue Curaçao is what makes the creamy cocktail so vibrant. “It has a nice blue color, but it also has orange notes to it, which help bolster the cocktail. I think [that’s] what really makes the drink,” he says, citing “The Blue Drink” as another moniker for Nobunaga’s Demise. “Come down and try one — it’s hard to miss!”

Cloak & Petal’s

Nobunaga’s Demise

• 1 ½ oz. Brokers Gin
• ½ oz. Navy Strength Gin
• ¼ oz Blue Curaçao
• 1 oz coconut / banana blend
• ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
• ¾ oz pineapple juice

• Whip shake, pour into 14 oz glass and add fresh pebble ice. Top with Midori float, garnish with an orchid, Luxardo cherry, and an umbrella.