The Yuzu has been the darling of the high end culinary world for quite some time, so I’m not exactly sure why one hasn’t crossed my path before now. What I am sure of, is that I regret it. I should have gotten my hands on these years ago. For one thing, I’m working on an alphabet book of exotic or unusual fruit and Yuzu fits the bill for the Y category perfectly.
For another reason, the cocktail options are absolutely blowing my mind. I mean just look at it. (Sidenote to say that I can’t wait for “the future” to bring us technology with smells associated with pictures. Not to mention the individual flying pods the Jetsons promised me years ago.) The second the fragrance hit my nostrils, I started salivating and heading for the gin. It was only the passing of the garbage truck indicating it was about 8:00 am in the morning that stopped me. Never one to be delayed too long from a new tipsy treat, I came back to it later and transformed this lucky lady in to a drink to die for. Scroll down for the recipe because you aren’t going to want to miss it.
APPEARANCE Rating: 
Golf ball size citrus with bumpy surface ranging from green to yellow. Pale yellow flesh with lots of seeds.
AROMA Rating:
Intense citrus perfume that sings through the room. Smells like every citrus you’ve ever smelled combined in to one. Absolutely intoxicating.
TEXTURE Rating:
Plump and juicy.
TASTE Rating:
The flesh is quite sour but less so than a lemon or lime. It has an extremely complex profile with grapefruit standing out the most for me. I took a little nibble of the peel as well and it adds a lively bitter component that I kept wanting.
OVERALL Overall Rating:
This isn’t a fruit you would eat fresh as a snack, much like most of the other acidic citrus you’ve had. The fragrance will knock you out and my mind is simply racing with culinary ideas for it. Next to the Kaffir Lime and the Armenian Tigger Melon, I’ve never smelled anything so powerfully mesmerizing. I’m seriously in love.
| FRUIT Yuzu |
PEAK Winter |
PURCHASED Specialty Produce |
| GROWN Fallbrook, California |
..
YUZU 75
This cocktail is based on my very favorite cocktail of all time: the French 75. The “75” is a reference to having such a kick that it felt like being shelled with the powerful French 75mm field gun.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 to 1 oz fresh Yuzu juice (depending on how sour you like it)
- 1 tsp superfine sugar
- 2 oz gin (I happen to like Hendricks)
- 5 oz sparkling wine or champagne
Instructions:
- Pour Yuzu juice, sugar and gin into chilled cocktail shaker with ice
- Shake your heart out
- Strain in to glass
- Top with champagne
- Garnish with a twist of Yuzu peel
- Swoon…
..
