Welcome the Year of the Dragon!  Lunar New Year 2024 begins on February 10th marking the start of a new annual cycle in the lunisolar calendar. Lunar New Year celebrations typically last fifteen days, through February 24, 2024 this year, but can vary culture to culture to welcome both the year and spring season. It is estimated that over 2 billion people take part in Lunar New Year celebrations across the globe. Here in the U.S., we have over 18.43 million citizens in the AAPI community from many different cultures celebrating Lunar New Year honoring their rich customs, traditions and beliefs to keep them alive and thriving here in vibrantly rich diasporas and share with family and friends of all cultures.

For 2024 and the Year of the Dragon, specifically the Year of the Wooden Dragon, three New York City Bartenders share their stories, personal connections to Lunar New Year celebrations and inspired cocktails recipes with Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey. Let’s celebrate Lunar New Year with Tsunetaka Imada, Greg Kong and Carlun Lee. These are the perfect cocktails to celebrate throughout the Year of the Dragon.

And check out the 2023 Lunar New Year inspired cocktails by bartenders Gin Choe, Haera Shin and Lauren Leigh.

CELEBRATING LUNAR NEW YEAR WITH TSUNETAKA IMADA, GREG KONG, CARLUN LEE AND JACK DANIEL’S SINGLE BARREL SELECT TENNESSEE WHISKEY

TSUNE IMADA: LOOKIN’ EAST

In East Asia Lunar New Year is a time to gather family members and celebrate with new hope, to show each other respect and love. My family shares traditional Japanese New Year food. As with many cultures each dish is endowed with hope for the new year but it was dessert where we branched out. Ginger bread and cheese cake aren’t part of the traditional menu and were not common in Japan at the time. Since leaving home I have come to appreciate these as my family’s flavor of new year’s celebration.

Lookin’ East Cocktail Recipe

  • 30 ml of Walnut oil fat washed Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey
  • 60 ml of Strawberry apple juice
  • 15 ml Galangal ginger honey
  • Vinegar mix (red wine vinegar & balsamic ) 1:1 7ml
  • Mascarpone yogurt espuma

Shake up all of the ingredients and top with the mascarpone yogurt espuma.

GREG KONG: RENEWAL TODDY

The cocktail is a mash up of two traditional treats my family would always enjoy during any holiday. One is Yaksik, or Yakbap (translates to medicine rice) which is a sticky rice dessert that can be made with sesame, chestnuts, and jujubes. The other is Sujeonggwa, which is a cinnamon and ginger punch that is typically served cold and garnished with pine nuts. Given the current weather conditions I decided to marry the flavors into a spicy, warming, toddy style cocktail to invigorate and renew the body and symbolize good fortune and strength in the coming Year Of the Dragon.

Renewal Toddy Cocktail Recipe

  • 1.5 oz Sesame-Infused Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey*
  • 0.25 oz px sherry
  • 4 oz Sujeonggwa Tea*
  • 5 Pine nuts
  • Orange express/discard

Method: Warm the glass with some hot water, then discard water. Add sherry, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey and tea to glass and give a light stir to mix. Add pine nuts garnish, express orange oils over top and discard.

** Sujeonggwa Tea

  • 75 gm fresh ginger
  • 75 gm cinnamon
  • 50 gm dried jujube
  • 2000 ml water
  • 50 gm white sugar
  • 50 gm brown sugar

Method: Peel ginger and cut into thin slices. Rinse off cinnamon in cold water. Add ginger, cinnamon, jujubes and water into a pot and bring to a boil. Once at a boil reduce heat to low and let simmer for one hour. Strain immediately, then add both white and brown sugar to tea and stir until all sugar is fully dissolved.

*Sesame Infused JJack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey
– 250 ml Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey
– 15 gm roasted sesame oil

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Method: Add Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey and sesame oil into a container and stir to mix. Let infuse at room temperature for 2 hours, then put in freezer until sesame has solidified. Strain through a coffee filter, discard sesame oil, and store Whiskey at room temp.

CARLUN LEE: GIFT OF GOLD

My Lunar New Years cocktail is inspired by the Chinese tradition of gifting Mandarin Oranges during Lunar New Year. In Cantonese Mandarin Oranges are called “Kam” which sounds like the character for Gold. Mandarin Oranges are exchanged between family and friends during Lunar New Year’s as a way to wish prosperity and wealth to each other. You will also see them adorning counter tops and place.

Gift of Gold cocktail recipe

  • 2 oz of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey
  • 0.75oz of Five Spice Mandarin Orange Oleo Syrup*
  • 1 oz of Lemon Juice

Combine all ingredients into a shaker tin, shake and strain into Old Fashioned glass with ice and garnish with Lime peel and a sprinkle of Five Spice powder.

Five Spice Mandarin Orange Oleo Syrup*

  • 1 quart of Mandarin Orange juice
  • 1 quart of cane sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon of Chinese Five Spice Powder
  • Shells/husk (from the juiced Mandarin Oranges)of 6 Mandarin Oranges (12 halves)

Method: Combine in a pot and bring to boil. Stirring continuously to ensure sugar does not burn at the bottom of the pot. Once all the sugar is melted and the syrup starts to bubble, lower the heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes. Let cool and then strain.

FOLLOW ALONG ON @THIRSTY AND @THIRSTYCOMMUNITY TO CELEBRATE LUNAR NEW YEAR WITH FOR EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS WITH TSUNETAKA, GREGORY AND CARLUN.

All Photography featured by Rich Godd.

IN PROUD PARTNERSHIP WITH JACK DANIEL’S SINGLE BARREL SELECT TENNESSEE WHISKEY, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY. JACK DANIEL’S SINGLE BARREL SELECT TENNESSEE WHISKEY, 47% ALC. BY VOL. (94 PROOF.) DISTILLED AND BOTTLED BY  JACK DANIEL DISTILLERY, LYNCHBURG, TENNESSEE.

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