YOHAKHU The Originals

In Saku, Nagano, Fuyo Shuzo combines sake-lees shochu with grain and fruit spirits for this 45% dry ginDry ginGin with no perceptible sweetness: in the European Union, the word "dry" allows at most 0.1 g of sugar per litre.GlossarySee Dry gin gins. Apple, kuromoji and green sansho give its locally sourced botanical recipe a clear Japanese character.

Dry · Spicy · Fruity · Herbal

Apple and juniper give the first taste a familiar point of reference; kuromoji, kumazasa and green sansho make the progression more distinctly Japanese. Sage, angelica, liquorice and clove add darker herbal and spice notes, so a little salt and soda are enough to extend the glass without burying the fruit.

The base combines sake-lees shochu, grain spirits and fruit spirits, reduced with soft Nagano groundwater.

The recipe names Juniper berriesJuniperThe one compulsory botanical: gin must taste predominantly of juniper. Its "berry" is really a small conifer cone, resinous and peppery.Glossary, Coriander seeds, Apple, Cardamom, Kuromoji, Kumazasa bamboo grass, Green sansho berries, Sage, Angelica root, Liquorice root, Cloves among its botanicals. Juniper and apple lead; kuromoji, bamboo and green sansho distinguish this recipe.

For this long drink, combine 4.5 cl of gin with 9 cl of Schweppes Soda Water. Taste before adding Apple Slice and Sansho Peppercorns; then use the garnish sparingly so the mixer and botanicals remain distinct. The soda-and-salt preparation keeps the distinction between fruit, herbs and spice intact. Apple provides an easy first cue, but the finish returns to kuromoji, sansho and the dry roots. Keep the salt to a pinch: its role is to sharpen the drink, not make it taste saline. Add the garnish after the ice and mixer; one clear aromatic cue is enough to keep the gin botanicals legible. Nagano groundwater is also used to reduce the spirit before bottling.