Cocktail of the week: Ayllu’s sakura no hana – recipe | Cocktails

Inspired by our restaurant’s Japanese-Peruvian roots, and to mark the 1-2 November Day of the Dead celebrations, this drink combines white rum and sake with a dash of bitters and a red-wine float: the result is a light, layered cocktail with delicate, floral notes, juicy berry fruit and just enough theatre to impress without being hard to make.

Sakura no hana

Serves 1

50ml white rum – we use Bacardi

25ml sake

10ml standard 1:1 sugar syrup

2 dashes bitters
– we use Angostura

15ml red wine, ideally malbec, to float on top

1 edible flower (we use a cherry blossom when it’s in season), to garnish (optional)

Fill an old fashioned glass with ice, then add all the liquids except the wine and stir to combine. Slowly pour in the malbec, so it sits as a separate layer on top of everything else, garnish with the edible flower, if using, and serve.

• Shak Nematulloev, bar manager, Ayllu, London W2