Why this New Year we will toast with Japanese Roku gin?

Roku Gin is one of the greatest gins we discovered this year! With six unique botanicals from Japan: Yuzu, Sakura blossom, Sakura leaf, Sansho pepper, Sencha tea (green tea) and Gyokuro tea (refined green tea) it takes you on a travel through the four seasons.

What a cool bottle I think when the Roku bottle arrives at our doorstep. Easy to find from above in my minibar ! Roku is the Japanese word for ‘six’ and in each (hexagonal) Roku Gin bottle you will find six unique botanicals from Japan: Yuzu, Sakura blossom, Sakura leaf, Sansho pepper, Sencha tea (green tea) and Gyokuro tea (refined green tea). These botanicals characterise Roku’s dedication to using only the best ingredients, harvested in the best regions of Japan and at the peak of its season to extract the best flavor. Eight traditional botanicals are added for an authentic gin taste, they include juniper berries, coriander, angelica seed and root, cinnamon, cardamom, bitter orange and lemon peel.

Every aspect of Roku Gin is rooted in Japanese craftsmanship and rooted in centuries-old traditions. The parent company Suntory has a rich experience of gin production in Japan and based on this developed for Roku a specific, multiple distillation process that makes the most of all the individual botanicals, resulting in a superior gin. When you smell the gin, the cherry blossom and tea aromas tickle the tip of your nose. In the mouth, you will taste the cherry blossom again, but now clearly mixed with juniper berries and green tea.

How to prepare the Roku signature serve ?
– Fill a long drink glass with ice, add 5 cl of Roku Gin and then 15 cl of tonic.
– Stir briefly and garnish with ginger. Preferably serve with thin sticks of freshly cut ginger but dried ginger will do as well.

– With this particular aromatic and floral gin, we suggest a a neutral bitter tonic that emphasises the delicious aromas and flavours of the gin. For my own version of the ‘Perfect Serve’ I chose the Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic which is softer than the original one and appears to do the gin justice. Kampai!