A versatile liqueur for all seasons. Serve Tatenokawa Kodakara Yuzu Liqueur chilled, over ice or topped with soda in the summer months, or gently heated as a citrussy winter warmer when things get cold. Tatenokawa Kodakara Yuzu Liqueur is made with the brewery’s exceptional Junmai Daiginjo sake, shochu (a Japanese distilled spirit) made with the lees (spent yeast) of the same sake, a touch of sugar and lots of yuzu (a sweet-sour citrus fruit that looks a bit like a knobbly grapefruit) from Kochi Prefecture. The result is pure pleasure, with the sweetness perfectly balanced by the tangy citrus. Sharp, sweet and deeply moreish, it’s a taste like no other. And if you’re worried about how to use it, fear not because we have a whole stack of ideas. Firstly, the addition of shochu protects this liqueur once opened, so there’s no rush to consume it once you’ve twisted that cap off, just keep it in the fridge and it will last for several weeks. Then you’re free to get creative with it. Serve it chilled or on the rocks, and it works equally well as an aperitif or as a dessert wine alternative. Pour it over sorbet or vanilla ice cream; top it with soda or tonic to create a long and refreshing summer drink; add a splash to a glass of sparkling wine to create a very Japanese spritz; heat it gently to create a yuzu toddy in the winter; or use it instead of other citrus-based liqueurs in cocktails (maybe a Yamagata Margarita?) when you need to add that sweet and sour combo. You’ll soon wonder how you lived without it. Tatenokawa (meaning “Castle Brook”) is a sake producer with a long and illustrious history, going back almost two hundred years. What we love about them is that they don’t get bogged down in all that tradition though, leaving them free to innovate and spread the word of sake culture throughout the world. So, expect a very modern style of sake aimed at a younger audience, and also one or two very exciting celebrity collaborations. Located in Sakata City, Tatenokawa was the first brewery in Yamagata Prefecture to make only Junmai Daiginjo – the most refined kind of sake. They focus on locally grown rice and particularly one called Dewasansan, a sake-specific rice that creates complex, slightly sweet and wonderfully aromatic flavours that remind us of top-quality Pinot Gris.
£5.28 per 100.00ml
