Ukiyo marks Hanami with gin cocktails

Kirker Greer Spirits has developed bespoke cocktails featuring its gin brand Ukiyo to celebrate Japan’s Hanami festival.

The Hanami festival is a celebration of the blooming of cherry blossom in Japan’s parks and countryside, traditionally held in Spring.

Ukiyo is marking the occasion with its Japanese Blossom Gin cocktails. Recipes have been posted on the brand’s website and social media, and include a spin on the Martini and Ramos Fizz.

The Blossom Gin is crafted in Kagoshima, close to the Sakurajima volcano. It is made from grains that have been distilled into shōchū, then redistilled to include botanicals such as juniper, mandarin, spice plus the fragrant sakura flower.

The result is said to be a balanced spirit, celebrating Japan’s ‘bounty of blossom’. The liquid is recommended served in a gin and tonic, or in a Spritz.

Clocking in at 40% ABV, the 700ml bottling can be purchased from Master of Malt for £41.95 (US$54.53).

Ukiyo Rice Vodka was launched in December last year, and is crafted on the tropical island of Okinawa. It was produced in a distillery that makes the local rice spirit awamori, a liquid indigenous to Okinawa.

The brand is distributed worldwide by Kirker Greer Spirits, which also distributes whiskey-and-stout spirit drink Black Irish. A trademark dispute between Mariah Carey and Black Irish recently resulted in the singer being unable to sell her cream liqueur of the same name in the European Union.

Earlier this year, Ukiyo expanded its international presence and launched in Australia, securing a listing with drinks retailer Dan Murphy’s.