Yuzuri Yuzu Liqueur

Yuzu is one of the more fascinating fruits, especially if you love cooking. Though usually quite seedy and extremely tart on the inside, the grapefruit-like fruit — which grows primarily in Japan and Korea, where it’s known as yuja — features a peel with vivid aromatics, like lemons and mandarins and pomelos on methamphetamine.

This new liqueur from Soh Spirits (makers of the very popular Kikori Whiskey) involves handpicking the whole fruit each fall and steeping it for 30 days with rice spirits, Japanese sugar beets, and Australian sugarcane. The result is a swirl of sweet, sour, hot (due to the alcohol), and cool (due to the desired temperature), making it a great option to add a unique citrus blast to cocktails or just to sip on its own.

I found the 30 percent alcohol drink a little too thick on its own, and though I fancy myself a good cook, I am not a cocktail wiz. So I found my best success by simply adding a splash of Yuzuri ($45) to scotch or bourbon on ice, as the yuzu flavors added intrigue and roundness to each sip.

See yuzuriliqueur.com.