Haccoba Sansho Lemonade

"Sansho Lemonade" is a craft sake collaboration between haccoba, a craft sake brewery in Fukushima, the restaurant TANIGAKI in Hyogo, and our dear friend Takasaki Jo of Takasaki no Okan in Tokyo. 

TANIGAKI makes a sansho lemonade at their restaurant for diners, but the leftover press cake-- a mix of fresh lemon peel and Asakura sansho pepper-- is diverted from the trash, and instead goes to Fukushima where it is infused into this unique sake, where it lends a mellow but super-delicious refreshing and tart citrusy lemon-sansho flavor. A little bit of green cardamom is added for complexity and depth. The citrus flavor is rich with aromatic oils, not the sharp acidity of fresh juice.

Takasaki no Okan was involved in conceptualization, recipe development and of course, heating: okan is a colloquialism meaning hot sake. This sake is delicious whether chilled or warmed, as a highball, paired intentionally or unintentionally. We're huge fans, and so excited to have been involved in getting the first Japanese craft sake to American shores.

For a full background on the brewery and the craft sake category, read our article here.