Yuzu Sour Cocktail Recipe
A shōchū sour built on yuzu, the fragrant East Asian citrus, with just enough sugar to frame its perfume and soda to lift it.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 7%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~4 min
Ingredients
- Shochu45 ml (1.5 oz)
- Yuzu juice20 ml (0.7 oz)
- Simple syrup10 ml (0.3 oz)
- Soda water90 ml (3 oz)
How to Make It
- Fill a tall glass with ice.
- Add the shōchū, yuzu juice and simple syrup.
- Stir briefly to chill and combine.
- Top with chilled soda water and float a thin slice of yuzu on top.
Garnish
A thin slice of yuzu
What it tastes like
The citrus acidity leads, it smells of lemon and lime peel, it is carbonated and it drinks cool and easy.
The technique
Layering. The liqueurs sit on each other by sugar density — the sweetest one goes in first, at the bottom. Each layer is poured slowly over the BACK of a bar spoon so it spreads instead of punching through. Rush it and the layers fold together, and there is no fixing that.
Glass and ice
A tall, narrow highball. The narrowness does real work — less surface area means the carbonation lasts longer and the ice melts more slowly.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Simple syrup
- One part sugar to one part water, stirred until it dissolves — no need to boil it. Keeps a month in the fridge. No syrup? Use the same amount of honey, loosened with a little water.
- Soda water
- Plain carbonated water. It goes in LAST and nothing is stirred after it. An open bottle goes flat fast, so small bottles make more sense than big ones.
The Story
Japanese izakayas serve a whole family of 'sours' — shōchū lengthened with citrus juice and soda — and the yuzu version is among the most prized, since the fruit's juice and fragrant peel have long been treasured in Japanese cooking.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Yuzu Sour mixed?
- It is layered and served in a highball glass.
- How strong is a Yuzu Sour?
- Roughly 7% ABV as served — lighter than a beer — a long-conversation drink that takes a second round.
- Can a Yuzu Sour be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Yuzu Sour hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.