How it is made

Macerating botanicals separately to build layers

Its character comes from the way the main ingredient meets the base spirit. Two choices are central to the result.

Three to four macerations by ingredient

Ingredients are extracted separately so each keeps its own aromatic definition.

Blending the individual extracts

The extracts are composed so aroma, sweetness and bitterness unfold in sequence.

The result

Layered aromatics inspired by winter

Sweet-tart strawberry is followed by sansho tingle, chilli warmth and green-tea grip.

Taste profile

Winter herbs, fruit and measured bitterness

Sweet-tart strawberry is followed by sansho tingle, chilli warmth and green-tea grip.

Food affinities

Where a winter-toned layering meets the table

The food affinities below for WAKA Hajime are not pairings the distillery has stated officially — they are a reading of the characteristics recorded on this page. Four directions are built around the winter-toned layering of strawberry’s sweet-tartness, sansho’s tingle, chili heat, and green tea astringency.

Strawberry’s sweet-tartness leading into acid-forward startersA strawberry cream-cheese tart, a cold tomato-and-strawberry gazpacho, and a mixed fruit salad (yum ponlamai). Because strawberry’s sweet-tartness rises first, pairing it with fruit of a similar sweet-tart register, or another acid-forward starter, keeps the aromatic entry smooth.

Sansho’s tingle cutting the fat of charred, seared dishesA charcuterie board, unglazed grilled eel (shirayaki), and crispy pork belly (moo krob). Sansho’s tingling sensation lightens the fat of charred or fried food and tightens the finish.

Chili heat answering rich, slow-cooked braisesChili con carne, a Japanese offal hot pot (motsu-nabe), and jungle curry (gaeng pa). Chili’s heat runs in the same direction as the richness of a slow-cooked braise, so the spice and the umami answer each other.

Green tea’s astringency closing out rich fried foodOnion rings, fried spring rolls (poh pia tod), and Japanese breaded pork cutlet (tonkatsu). Green tea’s astringency tightens the oil in the back half of the dish, lightening the finish of a rich fried plate.

This pairing rationale draws on the following reference books: Food Pairing Encyclopedia notes that strawberry resonates with tomato and cream cheese, and that chili resonates with beef and shiso leaf, citing chili and beef (chili con carne) as an example. The Science of Food Pairing explains that heat from spice extends how long an aroma lingers, helping a finish stay in memory. Under the five-taste theory in Logical Pairing, astringency has a contrasting or suppressing relationship with fat and sweetness — which matches how green tea’s astringency here cuts the oil of fried food.

Pairing guide — Umeshu

The producer

Kanegasaki Herb Liqueur Distillery in Kanegasaki, Iwate

Kanegasaki Herb Liqueur Distillery is based in Kanegasaki, Iwate. For this liqueur, it brings ingredient selection and established production craft together in a distinctly Japanese expression.

Official producer website

WAKA HAJIME Japanese Aperitif