Yuzu Hydrosol Distilled At Our Apothecary

Until this last winter, I was faithful to the local Japanese grocery store, buying incredibly expensive tiny bottles of yuzu juice for my homemade Ponzu sauce. Typical ponzu is produced using lemon or lime for the citrus component which truly takes away from what is a beautiful dipping sauce. Once I discovered how much yuzu and soy sauce were meant to be together, I realized there had to be someone who was growing them here in the sunny citrus state of California. 

Working with the fresh fruit has opened up the floodgates of creativity. Aside from the distillation which requires almost three hours of hand peeling, when mixed with honey, the juice makes one of my favorite additions to San Pelligrino water. It can also be used in tea similar to the Korean syrup yucheong. The hydrosol is also delicious in a little sparkling water. I’ve been lucky to have an opportunity to produce the trinity of exotic citrus; bergamot, etrog and yuzu. I can see why all three are loved. They smell much like their flowers and a neroli absolute I’m bringing into the apothecary. There’s a sweet note that supersedes lemon, a sensual floralness that is so enjoyable to inhale. I took samples to the farmers market in January while doing a photo shoot with the fresh fruit and was met with a crowd in minutes as the farmer let everyone know I had distilled the fruit. I’m just going to call yuzu what it is, magic.

Shelf life: approximately 6 months. Refrigerate to prolong freshness.

Packaged in 3.3oz/100 ml tamper proof refillable glass bottles.

Our hydrosols are kept in dedicated refrigeration until shipped.