Kakuzo Yuzu Gin Liqueur. Gin liqueur with yuzu and mandarin, delicate acidity, gentle sweetness, 20% ABV, 700 ml – from Berlin.

Kakuzo Yuzu Gin Liqueur is a gin liqueur from Berlin: gin made from select botanicals, distilled according to the manufacturer in one of the oldest distilleries, combined with yuzu and mandarin – delicate acidity, gentle sweetness, a light bitter note, 20% ABV, 700 ml. Not a dry gin, not an Italian-style lemon liqueur, not syrup with a kick – a sun-yellow liqueur that works over ice and in a tonic.

Yuzu Gin Liqueur by Kakuzo is a liqueur where gin provides the base and citrus fruit sets the tone. A gin liqueur is created when finished distilled gin is combined with fruit and sweetness – with significantly less alcohol than gin, in this case 20% ABV. The yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit with a flavor profile between grapefruit, mandarin, and lime. The mandarin rounds out what the yuzu makes sharp. Imagine your first warm evening on the balcony: 5 cl of liqueur over ice, topped with tonic, and a grapefruit zest – first acidity, then sweetness, and a hint of bitterness at the end.

Delicate acidity, gentle sweetness, a light bitter note – yuzu up front, mandarin rounding it out behind

The liqueur tastes of yuzu first: bright, acidic, with the light bitterness of the peel. Then follows the mandarin with its juicy sweetness, with the gin lying underneath, spicy and understated. Kakuzo describes this interplay as delicate acidity, gentle sweetness, light bitter note.

At 20% ABV, it is a liqueur: sweetness is part of the character, and the botanicals form the foundation rather than the leading role. The manufacturer provides no information on the sugar content. Anyone wanting the juniper to take center stage should reach for the Organic Dry Gin at 44% ABV – the same citrus profile, just dry.

Yuzu Tonic with grapefruit zest, Yuzu Sour with lemon juice – or neat over ice

Over ice, as a drink, or with tonic – that is how Kakuzo recommends the liqueur. It is a liqueur with 20% ABV; sales are restricted to persons aged 18 and over.

The Yuzu Tonic is made as follows: 5 cl of liqueur in a long drink glass over ice, top up with 10 cl of tonic water, stir, add a grapefruit zest. For the Yuzu Sour, shake 6 cl of liqueur with 2 cl of lemon juice over ice and strain into a tumbler over ice – the liqueur provides the sweetness itself.

Store in a cool, dark place; keep the bottle tightly sealed after opening.

Our tip: Lengthen the Yuzu Sour with a splash of soda if the acidity is too much – the liqueur can handle it, and the grapefruit zest can still go on top.

From Berlin, with an eye to Japan – yuzu and mandarin on a gin from an old distillery

Kakuzo is a Berlin brand from Paul and Marc, two friends with a penchant for their city's bar scene and extensive travel experience in Asia. They started in 2017 with a tea-infused vodka, developed in their own bathtub; the gin liqueur with yuzu was added later. According to their own description, Kakuzo has the gin for it distilled in one of the oldest distilleries – which one remains their secret.

The brand name goes back to Okakura Kakuzō, the Japanese scholar who explained his country's tea culture to the West in 1906 with "The Book of Tea." Dragons, koi, and fox spirits from Far Eastern myths populate the labels. The claim is "Formed by Time"; in the context of the liqueur, this refers to the patience a yuzu requires until it is ripe.

For summer evenings, for gin and tonic drinkers who prefer something softer, and as a gift with a Japanese connection

The Yuzu Gin Liqueur is the bottle for anyone who finds the classic gin & tonic too harsh and fruit liqueur too sweet. For the balcony, it is the tonic base; for the home bar, the two-ingredient sour; and as a gift, the yellow bottle with a Japanese connection. Its red sister is the Cherry Bitter; you can find all four bottles on our Kakuzo page, and other liqueurs in the Liqueurs category. The liqueur is not suitable for anyone looking for a dry gin – it has 20% ABV and its own sweetness.

Yuzu and mandarin on gin, delicate acidity and gentle sweetness, 20% ABV – the gin liqueur from Kakuzo in Berlin for the Yuzu Tonic, the Sour, and a glass over ice.