Sake Fizz Cocktail
This Sake Fizz Vodka Cocktail features vodka and sake as the base for the drink, alongside peach syrup, which is added to provide a sweet component to the cocktail. Yuzu juice, which comes from the Japanese citrus fruit by the same name, provides a uniquely tart and zesty component that is also slightly floral in flavor. Yuzu juice adds a delightful punch of acidity to this Sake Fizz Vodka Cocktail, which perfectly balances out the sweetness from the peach syrup. The cocktail is topped with soda water to add that delightful fizzy profile to the cocktail. Lastly, an Asian tea called Butterfly Pea Flower Tea is added on top to accomplish that beautiful yellow to lavender color gradient, while also imparting a slight earthy and floral component to the Sake Fizz Vodka Cocktail! This is inspired by a drink I enjoyed at a Canadian restaurant called Cactus Club.
What is Yuzu Juice?
Yuzu juice comes from the yuzu fruit. Yuzu fruit is a Japanese citrus fruit that tastes like a cross between lemon, lime, and grapefruit. It is actually quite an unique flavor, but also very good! The juice is very concentrated and tart – similar to lemon or lime juice. Along with it’s great acidity and fresh citrus flavor, yuzu juice also imparts a very slight floral flavor, making it a beautiful addition to cocktails!
You can find yuzu juice at Asian grocery stores, or on Amazon as well! If you’re looking for a substitute for the yuzu juice, there are a few options. A great substitute would be meyer lemons, as they offer the same acidity that is vital to this cocktail, while also lending that same floral background that yuzus do. However, if you are in a pinch lemon and lime juice can work as well.
Butterfly Pea Flower Tea
Butterfly pea flower tea is a herbal tea that is made from dried pea flowers and dried lemongrass. The flavor of this tea is earthy and slightly floral, similar to green tea, which plays beautifully in this cocktail. But the main reason for the inclusion of this tea in this drink is for the gorgeous color it provides! This tea is gorgeously deep blue in color on its own, but completely transforms once you add the yuzu juice to it! This tea changes colour from that deep blue to a vibrant purple in the presence of an acid! Cool right? Kind of like doing a science experiment in your very own kitchen!
Substitutes and Variations
• Gin would be an excellent substitution for the vodka, adding a delicious bitter bite to this cocktail.
• As mentioned above, meyer lemons are a great substitute for the yuzu juice.
• While the butterfly pea flower tea does add a slight flavor to the cocktail, don’t stress if you don’t have it. Green tea could work as a substitute, or you could leave it out all together (just don’t leave out the yuzu juice or yuzu substitute). By substituting or eliminating, however, just remember your cocktail will not have that beautiful lavender color.
• You can make your own peach syrup if you do no wish to buy any. Simply buy peach juice and reduce it down on the stove until it reaches a syrup consistency, then allow it to cool. White peach juice would be best, as the color of it will be superior for this cocktail, but regular peach juice will be just fine for flavor.
• If you can find peach soda that could work to replace the peach syrup + soda water.
Get the Recipe: Sake Fizz Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 oz Vodka
- 2 oz Sake, such as Gekkeikan
- 1 ½ oz Peach Syrup
- Soda Water
- 2 oz Butterfly Pea Flower Tea, cooled
- 2 tsp Yuzu Juice
Instructions
- Brew butterfly pea flower tea with hot water for 5-6 minutes, then allow to cool completely in the fridge.
- In a tall highball glass filled with ice, add vodka, sake, and peach syrup. Add enough soda water to the glass so that there is about 2 inches of space still left at the top.
- In a shot glass measure out the cooled butterfly pea flower tea and add the 2 tsp of yuzu juice to it. Mix to combine, then pour on top of cocktail. Stir to combine before enjoying.
