sparkling yuzu sour.
sour, sweet, and bubbly, this summery cocktail is a simple twist on a whiskey sour using just one unique ingredient: sparkling yuzu juice.
Makes: 1 cocktail Prep time: 1 minutes Build Time: 5 minutes
I really love a good sour- a margarita is one of my favorites, and I’m a sucker for the creamy egg whites in a whiskey sour. What is especially appealing about a whiskey sour is that the base is dark, nutty, smooth bourbon- something you’d normally hesitate to combine with lemon and egg, let alone shake with them. It’s a perfect example of how to break the rules well.
So this is almost no different than a whiskey sour: I used plenty of bourbon, lots of lemon, equal parts sweetener, and the white from an egg. The change? Yuzu sparkling juice. I found it while shopping a few weeks ago and- truthfully- was drawn to the minimalist packaging. It’s just one fruit, in the middle of an expanse of white, with the company’s logo drawn small at the top, “Kimino”. The ingredients are written in Japanese, but it’s not hard to figure out: it contains yuzu juice.
What is yuzu?
Don’t worry, I googled it too, since the fruit pictured on the label did nothing for me. It looks like a lemon crossed with a sumo orange and tastes like lemonade crossed with grapefruit. Clears that up, right?
Basically, think lemonade, but tart. It’s good, sharp, and refreshing. It’s also a new product, at least in Ohio stores, so if you have trouble finding it in your local supermarket, try your local asian grocery store and look for sparkling soda, water, or juice. It’s also likely that all you’ll find is yuzu juice, not sparkling: no fear, that works great, too.
What if I can’t find this fancy sparkling yuzu juice?
No worries. Sparkling yuzu water is making its way into mainstream, but I haven’t seen as many bottles of sparkling juice floating around quite yet. You can swap regular, flat yuzu juice by shaking 1-2 ounces with the other ingredients and straining into the coupe. This is easier to find and is often located in asian supermarkets.
Otherwise, you can use sparkling lemonade, which is carried by most stores. Trader Joe’s has a sampling of interesting sparkling juices like sparkling pineapple juice. Any citrus works in place of the yuzu- you just won’t get the unique tart-sweet flavor of yuzu fruit.
And why are we adding sparkling beverages to a whiskey sour?
Ah, you called me out. This is somewhat of a crossover between a gin fizz and a whiskey sour- gin fizz is made the same way, but with gin. I tried this cocktail with a few different spirits and loved it the most with bourbon; even Japanese whisky didn’t taste exactly right. The bourbon balances out the tartness of the yuzu so the drink has the best mouthfeel with bourbon- but feel free to experiment on your own with gin or whisky and see what you prefer! And don’t worry about adding bubbles to an egg white sour- it does cause the foam to dissipate faster, but the creamy egg is still present. Best of both worlds!
Hope you get a chance to try this, it’s one of my favorite cocktails of the summer. Cheers!
sparkling yuzu sour ingredients
bourbon whiskey: We use Benchmark for cocktails because we love how good and complex it is for a budget bourbon. It’s hard to bring yourself to use a fancy bourbon in a cocktail, so we always have a sturdy budget bourbon on hand for old fashioneds or sours. Benchmark is made by Buffalo Trace, which is also one of our favorite distillers. We also love Suntori Toki Japanese whisky and swapped it out for the bourbon a few times. This whisky is much lighter, sharper, and a bit sweeter than a typical bourbon. It pairs well with ginger ale and is what we use for whiskey highballs. In the yuzu sour, we preferred the dark caramel notes of the bourbon, but I’d encourage you to try Japanese whisky, especially if you don’t love the taste of bourbon!
lemon juice: Use fresh! This drink doesn’t have very many ingredients, so it is important to use the best, freshest ingredients. You can squeeze it all into the shaker, don’t worry about seeds- you’re straining it anyway.
simple syrup: Used to sweeten an otherwise very sour drink- yes, we love sours, but not too literally. You can use honey or agave in a pinch.
eggs: You only need the whites from one egg- so you can crack and separate it over your shaker and discard the shell and yolk (or use it for carbonara). You can also use the boxed egg whites for an easier option- plus, those are almost always pasteurized and super safe. Your chance of contracting salmonella are very low- but if in doubt, look for pasteurized eggs.
sparkling yuzu juice: I bought mine from the brand Kimino and found this at the supermarket on an unrefrigerated end cap. There are other brands offering similar products like sparking water- use what you can find! If you really want to try Kiminos, they do offer online shopping.
You can also commonly find yuzu at asian supermarkets. You’ll want to check any aisle that has juices and the refrigerated drink section. Most likely, you’ll find a flat juice- totally fine! You can combine this with the other ingredients and shake.
sparkling yuzu sour pairing options
Did you know sours are apertifs? It’s one of my favorite fun facts, because I never thought of them that way: but they actually stimulate the appetite, making them perfect for pre-dinner drinks. Here are some appetizer pairing options for the yuzu sour:
oysters, especially with soy or sesame dressing
potstickers or dumplings with chili crisp
spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce
chicken satay with peanut dipping sauce
salted nuts or edamame