Kamikaze Recipe

About the Kamikaze

The Kamikaze cocktail dates back to World War II, but it was popularized in the 1970s and 1980s, when fun and colorful cocktails were en vogue with bartenders and drinkers. The Kamikaze is essentially a variation on the classic Gimlet, but you can also think of it like a Margarita that's made with vodka instead of tequila. The recipe features vodka, triple sec, lime juice, and simple syrup. As with all drinks, we strongly recommend making this cocktail with fresh lime juice, which results in a much better tasting drink than anything you'll get using sweet and sour or another bottled sour mix, like Rose's lime. Basic triple sec works fine here, but if you want to class things up a bit, try using Cointreau orange liqueur. Then shake all the ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and you're good to go.Similar to other recipes like the Lemon Drop, the Kamikaze can also be served as a shot. (See our Kamikaze shot recipe.) In that case, make the drink as instructed, but divide the liquid contents between two shot glasses.By some accounts (notably that of cocktail historian Dave Wondrich), the Kamikaze shot was the original shooter. According to his research, it was invented in 1976, making it one of the true "disco cocktails" of that oh-so-maligned era. Compared to some of its contemporaries, though, the Kamikaze is a downright sophisticated drink, and it's certainly salvageable if you know what you're doing. If you enjoy the Kamikaze, you may also like the Cosmopolitan. It has similar vibes, but calls for citrus vodka and a splash of cranberry juice.