🍑 Sweet, sour, fruity, tart - what type are you? 🍯

Sweet, sour, tart or fruity? Which flavor do you like best? Liqueurs are one of the most varied categories in the world of spirits. Cocktails would be unthinkable without them. But some people also like to treat themselves to a liqueur on its own.

While liqueurs produced in the EU must contain a minimum of 10 grams of invert sugar per 100 milliliters, in Japan it is only 5 grams. This is why Japanese liqueurs are usually less sweet, as most manufacturers adhere to this requirement.

Today we are showing you an example of a liqueur from each of the four categories: sweet, sour, tart and fruity.

Sweet: 20 Years Aged Black Mirin

The 20 Years Aged Black Mirin is definitely sweet. Hon Mirin is a high-quality Japanese sweet liqueur and one of the most important condiments in Japanese cuisine, where it is used in many ways. The most famous example is probably teriyaki sauce.

Black Mirin is an absolute specialty, as it matures for 20 years in steel tanks. This is Hon Mirin, which consists exclusively of natural ingredients, namely steamed glutinous rice, rice koji and rice shochu, and matures for at least 40 to 60 days. During this time, the enzymes in the rice koji break down the starch and protein in the glutinous rice to produce various sugars, amino acids and flavor components. The alcohol in the shochu interrupts further fermentation, similar to the production of port wine. Mirin therefore has an elegant sweetness without the addition of sugar and can be drunk wonderfully as a liqueur or like a sweet wine. It is just as enriching as an ingredient in cocktails as it is as a condiment or as an exciting component for exciting culinary experiences.

Sour: Suntory Kanade Yuzu

The Suntory Kanade Yuzu liqueur uses the great aromas of the yuzu, in which the freshness of the fruit and the bitterness of the peel complement each other perfectly. To make this liqueur, the juice, pulp and peel of the fully ripe yuzu are first soaked in alcohol for a long period of time and then distilled. This method gives the liqueur an extremely natural taste. The tart and bittersweet taste of the yuzu is clearly evident, while the spicy aromas provide an invigorating freshness.

The Suntory Kanade Yuzu liqueur can be enjoyed neat or on the rocks. It is particularly fantastic as an exciting ingredient for cocktails and long drinks and as a sparkling aperitif.

Tart: Awamori Coffee 35 Sango Liqueur

Awamori Coffee 35 Sango is a coffee liqueur of superlatives! The manufacturer takes a very special approach to roasting the coffee: the coffee beans are roasted at up to 200° Celsius over weathered coral. This is similar to a stone roasting method and produces a particularly smooth and mild, yet aromatic coffee. Incidentally, sango means both coral and 35 in Japanese. The coffee beans used for the production process are first soaked in awamori for a month before roasting. The liqueur is extremely aromatic and has subtle bitter notes with a light and pleasant acidity. No artificial flavorings or sugar are added. 3.5% of the proceeds are used to protect the endangered coral reefs in Okinawa.

The 35 Sango Liqueur can be enjoyed on the rocks or straight. It is also ideal for cocktails or for refining desserts.

Fruity: Kaga Sparkling Umeshu

Kaga Sparkling Umeshu is absolutely fruity. For the production of Kaga Sparkling Umeshu, the well-known Kaga Umeshu was lightly carbonated. The result is a smooth, sparkling and delicious drink with 7% alcohol, which is ideal to enjoy as an aperitif or during a meal.

Only Benisashi Ume is used for Kaga Umeshu. This special type of apricot only grows in Kanazawa City (Ishikawa Prefecture) and in neighboring Fukui Prefecture. "Beni" means "red" and "sashi" means "shining". The name therefore stands for the deep red and radiant color of the ripe ume. The ripe fruits of Benisashi ume have more amino acids than other high-quality ume varieties (Nankounai ume).