Cocktail Friday: Japanese Yuzu and Ginger Cocktail

I made it a point this week to give you two dazzling cocktail posts! Seeing as how I try my very best to keep my promises, here is this week’s second cocktail post and recipe.

Yesterday, I posted a recipe for a “Killer” Whiskey Cocktail made with calamansi citrus. Today, I am giving you another unique citrus based cocktail using Japanese yuzu. I must confess that I was totally confused when I moved to Japan and bought what I thought was a tiny lemon. After one taste I knew I had something much more special than a lemon.

Yuzu is a sour tasting fruit and I find it quite similar to calamansi. They are about the size of a clementine (or tangerine) and the flesh and rind are yellow. These beautiful little citrus fruits are bursting with fragrance and flavor and can be used in drinks, sauces, savory and sweet dishes.

For this cocktail, I decided to pair the yuzu juice with ginger-mint simple syrup. These flavors help to round out the sourness of the citrus without covering it up too much. I especially love the garnish of ginger root and mint leaves.

For another great take on a yuzu cocktail, check out this one posted by The White on Rice Couple. Their concoctions-food and otherwise- never fail!

Japanese Yuzu and Ginger Cocktail
Makes 2 cocktails

6 oz. gin or vodka
juice of 1 yuzu fruit (if you can’t find yuzu, you may use lime instead)
2 tablespoons ginger-mint simple syrup (recipe follows)

Combine gin, yuzu juice and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Shake shake shake…shake shake shake…shake your booty (I mean shaker.) Pour into a glass filled with ice, garnish with thinly sliced ginger root and mint leaves.

Ginger-mint simple syrup
Makes about 1/3 cup

1/2 cup honey (or sugar)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup roughly chopped mint leaves
1 inch piece ginger, chopped

Combine all ingredients in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly for 3 minutes to dissolve honey in the water. Continue cooking over medium heat for another 5 minutes or until a syrup-like texture is achieved. Pour the syrup into a small glass bowl and allow to cool slightly before use. (I have found that when using a cocktail shaker it is helpful to use the syrup while it is still slightly warm, stirring it with the cocktail ingredients to ensure it is well combined before adding ice.)

Tagged as: Cocktail Friday, Cocktails, ginger, yuzu