Yuzushu (柚子酒, homemade yuzu liqueur)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •3-liter glass storage jar with a tight lid
• •Small sharp knife
• •Fine cloth or coffee filter for straining
• •Clean glass bottles

Instructions

1. 1

   Sterilize the jar

   Rinse a 3-liter glass jar, then pour boiling water through it and let it air-dry completely. The jar must be dry before the fruit goes in, because stray water weakens the alcohol and gives spoilage an easier invitation. We are making a liqueur, not asking trouble to join us.

2. 2

   Clean the yuzu

   Wash the yuzu gently under running water and wipe each fruit dry with a clean towel. Pick out any fruit with soft spots, mold, or a tired skin. The peel is staying in the jar, so it must be clean, bright, and fragrant.

3. 3

   Score the fruit

   With a small knife, make three or four shallow cuts through the peel of each yuzu, just enough to open the skin without cutting the fruit apart. This gives the shochu a path into the peel and flesh while keeping the fruit whole, so the liqueur extracts slowly and stays clear.

4. 4

   Layer and pour

   Put half the yuzu in the jar, scatter over half the rock sugar, then repeat with the remaining yuzu and sugar. Pour in the shochu until everything is covered. The fruit may float at first. That is ordinary. The alcohol is doing the quiet work now.

   Use 35% ABV shochu or white liquor if you can. Lower-proof spirits extract less cleanly and are less reliable for a long steep.
5. 5

   Steep six weeks

   Seal the jar and keep it in a cool, dark place for six weeks. Turn the jar gently every few days for the first two weeks, just enough to wet the fruit and help the rock sugar dissolve. Don't shake it hard. Bruised fruit and broken pith make a rougher drink.

6. 6

   Strain and rest

   After six weeks, strain out the yuzu and pass the liqueur through a fine cloth or coffee filter if you want it clear. Removing the fruit now keeps the bright peel perfume from turning bitter. Bottle it, then let it rest another week before drinking if you can bear the restraint.

7. 7

   Serve cold

   Serve yuzushu chilled in small cups, over one large ice cube, or lengthened with cold soda water. Keep the pour modest. This is a fragrant winter drink, not a bucket with manners painted on.

Chef Tips

• •Choose yuzu that feel heavy for their size, with yellow, aromatic skin and no soft patches. If the fruit smells dull before steeping, the finished drink will not suddenly become graceful.
• •Rock sugar is not decoration. It dissolves slowly, which keeps the extraction steady and the flavor cleaner than fine sugar dumped in all at once.
• •If your yuzu are very bitter or thick-pithed, strain at five weeks and taste. The peel gives the perfume, but the white pith will eventually take more than it gives.
• •Check your local rules for making fruit liqueur at home. In Japan, home steeping is tied to alcohol strength and household use, and the details matter.

Advance Preparation

• •Yuzushu needs six weeks to steep, plus a week of rest after straining for a rounder pour.
• •After bottling, keep it in a cool, dark place or the refrigerator. The flavor stays best for several months while the yuzu fragrance is still clear.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 31g)