While Australian Gin distillery, Four Pillars, has often experiemented with Yuzu in a number of gins in the past, the brand has now introduced fresh Yuzu as a stand alone flavour to the Four Pillars core range.

Native to China, Tibet and Japan, Yuzu is a citrus fruit with amazing aromatics that are a mix of lemon, mandarin, cumquat and grapefruit. The new expression, made with local Yuzu,  grown near their main distillery site in Healesville, offers a bright, citrusy, aromatic and fresh dry gin.

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In the past, the brand has used Yuzu in such expressions as their Pure Kisumé Gin with Melbourne’s Kisumé restaurant in 2017, then again with their Changing Seasons Gin with the Kyoto Distillery in 2019. Later, in 2020, the brand released the Yuzu Gin under the guise of the limited batch Rarer Dry Gin.

Well know for their love of bright flavour and the cornucopia of great Australian-grown citrus, the brand has now decided that it was time for a more permanent fixture for this increasingly in-demand yellow citrus fruit in the Four Pillars family.

“Yuzu brings amazing aromatics that are a mix of lemon, mandarin, cumquat and grapefruit – all bright and fresh citrus notes – while the addition of finger lime adds some deeper citrus character,” said Four Pillars Co-founder and Distiller Cam Mackenzie

“We’ve also learnt a lot (from the best) in our adventures making gin with Japanese friends, so in our take on Yuzu gin, we’ve used ginger, turmeric and sencha genmaicha, a Japanese green tea with roasted brown rice, for depth of flavour. A canvas of strong pine-needle juniper and a bit of lemon myrtle add a touch of lemon curd.”

Four Pillars suggests that you should drink the expression as you would your favourite gin, but if you are looking for some ideas, we have four bright and refreshing cocktails (below) that will highlight all the citrusy flavours of this new expression.

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Yuzu Highball

Ingredients

• 45mls (1.5oz) Fresh Yuzu Gin
• 100mls (3.38oz) soda water

Instructions

Mix gin and soda water in a highball glass over ice.

Garnish with a wedge of lemon.

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Cosmopoli-Gin

Ingredients

• 50mls (1.7oz) Fresh Yuzu Gin
• 30mls (1oz) cranberry juice
• 15mls (0.5oz) fresh lime juice
• 10mls (0.33oz) triple sec
• 5mls (0.169oz) sugar syrup [1:1]

Instructions

Shake ingredients over ice then fine strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Garnish with orange zest.

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Yuzu Gin Fizz

Ingredients

• 45mls (1.5oz) Fresh Yuzu Gin
• 30mls (1oz) fresh lemon juice
• 20mls (0.67oz) sugar syrup [1:1]
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 1 egg white [optional]
• Soda water

Instructions

Shake gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup, egg white and bitters over ice. Fine strain into a chilled rocks glass and top with soda water.

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Yuzu Drop Martini

Ingredients

• 60mls (2oz) Fresh Yuzu Gin
• 20mls (0.67oz) fresh lemon juice
• 10mls (0.33oz) sugar syrup [1:1]
• 10mL (0.33oz) triple sec

Instructions

Rim a chilled cocktail glass with caster sugar. Stir ingredients over ice in a mixing glass, then strain into the cocktail glass.