Yuzu, Miso and Koji in a UK Cocktail Trends Report｜How Much of Their Provenance Travels with Them?

This spring, this blog covered a survey of bartenders compiled by a US industry magazine in which koji was named as a cocktail ingredient. Now, a report from the UK has also highlighted koji.

In October 2026, a British drinks industry magazine introduced a trends report by a company that develops drinks and provides staff training for hospitality venues. It was the company’s first report, looking ahead to spring and summer 2027.

Cocktail sales in UK hospitality venues reached £733 million in the year to March 2026, up 3% on the previous year. Meanwhile, a separate survey cited in the same report found that 44% of UK consumers said they were “drinking less than a year ago.” The company’s head connects these two figures by suggesting that people have not stopped going out, but are giving more thought to what they order.

The report’s list of flavors includes yuzu, miso, koji, shiso, matcha, toasted rice and cherry blossom. Yet the article introducing it does not group these together as ingredients connected with Japanese food culture. When the names spread first, how much information about their places of origin and producers travels with them?

How the UK Report Categorizes Yuzu, Miso and Koji

The report organizes future menus around four directions: adding a single twist to familiar flavors, offering lower-alcohol options and less-sweet formulations, creating experiences with carefully chosen highlights, and emphasizing quality.

Ingredients closely connected with Japanese food culture appear in separate categories within the section on flavor trends.

Yuzu appears among citrus fruits other than lemons and limes, alongside grapefruit, bergamot, pomelo and calamansi. Shiso, matcha and toasted rice sit with pandan, tamarind and dates in the global flavors category. Miso appears in the “swavoury” category alongside salt, sesame and tomato water. Together with koji, it also appears among fermented and culinary ingredients, alongside tomatoes, corn and vinegar. In the bitter and botanical category, Italian amaro and aperitivo appear alongside tea and herbs.

At least in the article introducing the report, these ingredients are not grouped by country. Instead, they appear across several categories based on characteristics such as flavor and production methods. Yuzu is treated as one citrus ingredient, and koji as one fermentation ingredient. Their connection with Japan is not presented as a basis for classification.

The Provenance Behind the Name｜What the Report Cited as Signs of Quality

Yet the same report identifies clean flavors, purposeful garnishes and provenance, meaning places of origin and producers, as clues to quality.

In the article introducing the report, the flavor list offers no explanation of origins or producers, while the discussion of quality includes provenance. As far as the article shows, these two points are not discussed in connection with each other. What bridges that gap is likely to be the explanation provided by those who work with the ingredients.

For example, three Japanese beverages discussed in previous articles offer examples of these categories. In the citrus category is Shio Yuzu, made by Kitajima Sake Brewery in Shiga by combining junmai sake with sea salt from Izu Oshima. In the bitter and botanical category is AO-ONI DRY, developed by Kanegasaki Herbal Distillery in Iwate from rice-based alcohol and herbs including wormwood. In the fermentation category is KOJI CLEAR, an alcohol-free drink made in Akita using only rice koji, rice and water. Previous articles have explored how each is made in detail.

These examples connect the words yuzu, wormwood and koji with the places where the beverages are made and the choices of their producers. None of that is visible in the list published in the article.

Reading UK Figures in Thailand

These are, of course, UK figures. The same pattern will not necessarily reach Thailand’s hospitality venues unchanged.

Even so, a pattern in which ingredient names become known first and explanations of their provenance are sought later may also emerge in Bangkok. The article on koji and cocktails published this spring examined the role of flavor: the umami that koji brings. This UK report raises another point. As more people become familiar with words such as yuzu and koji, they may also begin to ask, “Where is it from, and who makes it?”

The UK report listed yuzu as one citrus ingredient. A drink made with it has a more specific context: a place of production and a producer’s choices. When those details can be explained, the ingredient’s name carries something of the place and people behind the drink.

This article is intended solely to explore the blending craftsmanship and cultural heritage of Kitajima Sake Brewery, Kanegasaki Herbal Distillery and Es Inc., and the Shio Yuzu, AO-ONI DRY and KOJI CLEAR brands, and does not aim to promote or encourage the consumption of alcohol.

บทความนี้จัดทำขึ้นเพื่อนำเสนอข้อมูลเกี่ยวกับศิลปะการผสมผสานและมรดกทางวัฒนธรรมของ Kitajima Sake Brewery, Kanegasaki Herbal Distillery และ Es Inc. และแบรนด์ Shio Yuzu, AO-ONI DRY และ KOJI CLEAR เท่านั้น มิได้มีเจตนาเพื่อส่งเสริมหรือโฆษณาเครื่องดื่มแอลกอฮอล์ สำหรับผู้มีอายุ 20 ปีขึ้นไป โปรดดื่มอย่างรับผิดชอบ