Cocktails with Yuzu juice
Yuzu juice is the sour, aromatic juice of the East Asian citrus yuzu.
How it's used
Its aroma sits between mandarin and grapefruit, and neither lemon nor lime has it. The aroma survives dilution better than the acid does. So in a long drink a little yuzu can be stretched with lemon, which also saves an expensive juice. Gin, vodka and sake suit it, and honey is a good partner.
Substitutes for Yuzu juice
Bottled 100% yuzu juice
Swap it in at the same measure. Just check the label to make sure you are not buying a salted version.
Lemon and mandarin juice blend
A solid backup. Mixing them half and half captures the mandarin note and matches yuzu's lower acidity. Orange works instead of mandarin too.
Salted yuzu juice
This is a seasoning. The salt stands out harshly in a sweet drink, so save it for savory recipes.
Yuzu peel or zest
Cannot replace the juice alone. A strip expressed over the glass adds incredible aroma, but you still need citrus juice for the acid.
Description
Fresh fruit is scarce outside East Asia, so the juice usually comes bottled and sometimes salted. That takes it a good way from freshly squeezed.
