Valley's best cocktails

Yukata Watermelon

November 10, 2008

The Place: Roka Akor, 7299 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480-306-8800, rokaakor.com

Roka Akor is the best place in the Valley to sample shochu, a distilled Japanese spirit that's stronger than sake. Roka Akor uses fresh herbs and fruits to make its delicious shochu infusions, all directed by shochu expert and Bar Chef Carson Quinn. Quinn's Yukata Watermelon creation is among the most popular shochu cocktails. It's made from freshly scooped watermelon, shochu, lemon and gomme. (Gomme is a sweetener made with sugar, water and gum arabic added as an emulsifier. It lends a kind of luxurious texture to a cocktail, as well as sweetness.) The fancy-pants presentation will win you over before the drink is even poured. Miniature icebergs are carved from a large, purified ice block that sits on the bar. The mini iceberg is used as a battering ram to macerate the watermelon. The mixture is delicately poured in a martini glass, no garnish needed. The intensely fresh and earthy flavors are treats for the taste buds.

The Price: $12

The Magic: Shochu, macerated watermelon, lemon and gomme, on the rock - just one, big rock.