Cocktail: Hara-kiri

Hara-kiri - or seppuku - is the Japanese term for the act of ritual disembowelment with a knife or short sword expected of samurai who disappointed in the job or who expected imminent capture.

In the Japanese hotel Nikko's Sky Lounge, however, it is a cocktail. It was devised by chief sommelier Sam Chong, who started as a bartender and likes to keep his mixology skills sharp. At the time of tasting it had only been on the Sky Lounge list for four days, but Japanese guests find the name amusing.

They also like wasabi in their drinks. Chong has experimented with several recipes for classic cocktails using the fiery green paste - it has worked so far with martinis and mojitos.

In this concoction it is offset by the sweetness of the syrups and the citrus of the Grand Marnier.

"The Grand Marnier is important," says Chong. "You can't do this properly with triple sec. And only put in half the Grand Marnier while you are mixing up the ginger and wasabi, otherwise it doesn't combine properly."

The drink has a relatively restrained spiciness, given the name, with the ginger more prominent on the nose and palate than the wasabi, and pronounced orange notes from the Grand Marnier. However it intensifies after a few sips. Not quite a blade in the entrails, but you certainly know it is there.