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How to make a Paper Lantern, a great Japanese whisky cocktail

A drink featuring whisky, apricot, and amaro

By Mark Stock Jan 15, 2026 9:24 AM

Paper Lantern cocktail. — Alex Quirk

Bars around the globe are greeting guests with seasonal cocktail menus. Mixologists and their teams are fixing up everything from non-alcoholic cocktails to riffs on classics like the Tom Collins. Some are showcasing cool ingredients like calamansi while others are spotlighting spirits from far-away places.

By now, you probably know about a few of the top Japanese whisky brands. The category continues to grow and some of the best options in the market come from the Land of the Rising Sun. These spirits are working their way into not only Highballs, but cocktails of all kinds, in cities all over the planet.

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Sure, winter can spell warm cocktails. We love a good Hot Toddy recipe and Irish Coffee recipe. But it’s also good to have some other options in your back pocket.

This recipe comes to us from The Ariston, a cocktail bar in Nashville. Read on for details.

Paper Lantern

The brainchild of Alex Howard over at The Ariston, this drink hits all the high notes. Oh, and let’s prime citrus season, so pick out the best lemon you can find.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky
1/4 ounce Giffard Apricot Liqueur
1/4 ounce Amaro Nardini
1/2 ounce ginger syrup
1/2 ounce lemon juice
Soda
Lemon for garnish

Method:

Build in a Collins glass with ice and garnish with lemon.

Keep it tuned to The Manual for more great recipes. We’ll also keep turning out intriguing features on your favorite chefs, food personalities, mixologists, winemakers, and more.

Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since… Read Full Bio

Tequila vs. vodka: Exploring the key differences between two popular spirits

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I’ve been writing about spirits for almost two decades. I’ve learned the ins and outs of every popular hard alcohol. But if you’re new to the spirits world, you might not know the differences between tequila and vodka. Tequila vs. vodka –this is especially true when both are unaged. In appearance alone, the two spirits look remarkably similar. When made with high-quality ingredients, distilled multiple times, and filtered a handful of times, both tequila and vodka are crystal clear. There aren’t any noticeable differences. The same could be said for a bottle of gin or a glass of tap water.

Once you take a whiff, the differences begin to reveal themselves. Unaged (or blanco) tequila carries aromas like vegetal sweetness, cooked agave, vanilla, and cracked black pepper. Vodka has different aromas based on its main ingredient (wheat, rye, corn, potatoes, or something else), but you can bet you find scents of neutral ethanol, minerality, vanilla, cracked black pepper, and even citrus peels.

The liquor gift guide for the man who has spirit in your life

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The holidays are some of our favorite times of the year. It is all about the parties and the get-togethers that bring everyone in your circle to the same place for celebration, no matter what your background is. That also means you have to spend significantly more time with people. And, if you are like me, most of these parties get a little too peopley for me, causing me to need a bit of liquid social lubricant. Whether you are like me, or you know someone like me, spirits are a great way to show someone in your life you care. So, here are our favorite gifts for the man in your life with spirit.

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Cazcanes’ new 108-proof extra añejo is about as strong as tequila legally gets

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There’s high-proof tequila, and then there’s tequila that’s up against the legal limit.

If you’re a fan of the latter, you’ll be thrilled with the new Extra Añejo No. 10 Tributo Edition from Los Angeles-based Cazcanes, a 108-proof, or 54% ABV, extra añejo celebrating 10 years since the brand’s first batch was distilled.