Japan's Top Gin ROKU

Text/Su Zhong　Picture/Toukaya Sweet

The Taipei Bar Show, the annual bartending industry's major event, enters its 10th anniversary this year, and will be held expansively at the Huashan Cultural and Creative Park on 11/09 (Sat) and 11/10 (Sun). Suntory Taiwan launched ROKU Japanese top-quality gin to participate in the exhibition, and cooperated with the founder of Taiwan's famous wagashi store Toukaya Sweet, Wu Huijing (Emily). We worked together to integrate ROKU gin into Japanese confectionery, and specially prepared six unique Japanese local plant-flavored wagashi. At the same time, Suntory Taiwan also specially invited two popular Japanese bartenders Hisatsuki Saito and Satomi Nakajima. At the ROKU booth, based on the theme of the four seasons of Japan, six limited edition special cocktails will be provided, allowing exhibitors to appreciate the delicate flavors of Japan through a double feast of vision and taste buds.

Teacher Wu Huijing, who has more than 10 years of experience in making wagashi, said that Japanese wagashi simplifies the experience of nature, integrates feelings and dynamics into the form, and pays attention to the production steps and details; similarly, ROKU inherits the legacy of Suntory's founder Torii Shinjiro's dream: "To create a Japanese gin that is loved by people all over the world." Through a century of brewing technology, flavors of six Japanese native plants found in the four seasons of Japan are combined to create a delicate aroma with rich layers. Japan's top-quality gin demonstrates the perseverance of the craftsmen.

ROKU x Toukaya presents Six unique Japanese local plant-flavored wagashi

ROKU x Toukaya Founder Emily Wu’s shokunin spirit

Suntory's first premium gin ROKU uses 6 classic Japanese plants including cherry blossom, sakura leaf, sencha, gyokuro, sansho pepper, and yuzu as raw materials. The style is delicate, clean and mild, with a perfectly balanced taste. Adding ROKU when making wagashi can highlight the undefined parts of the raw material - bean paste. During the heating process, the alcohol will evaporate, retaining the mellow aftertaste of ROKU, making the original single taste of the bean paste richer.

Guest events by popular Japanese bartenders Satomi Nakajima and Hisatsuki Saito will be held at the Taipei International Spirits & Mixology Show on 11/09 (Sat) and 11/10 (Sun) at 14:00, 15:30, and 17:30. Limited-edition cocktails and wagashi are available during these three periods, allowing participants to enjoy the four seasons in one day. Details of the event are as follows:

l Spring: 14:00-14:30 Satomi Nakajima will be hosting, offering two special cocktails "Sakura Drop" and "Apple Roku Cha", paired with wagashi "Cherry Blossom" and "Sakura Leaf".

l Summer: 15:30-16:00, Hisatsuki Saito will be hosting, offering two special cocktails "Long After Midnight" and "Eastern Gimlet", paired with wagashi "Sencha" and "Gyokuro".

l Autumn & Winter: 17:30-18:00 Satomi Nakajima and Hisatsuki Saito will be bartending together, offering two special coktails of "Sweet Momiji" and "Yellow Snapper", paired with wagashi "Sansho" and "Yuzu".

At the Taipei International Spirits & Mixology Show, the ROKU booth not only provides free limited special drinks during guest event periods, but also provides free ROKU Pure drinks full of Japanese flavor during other times: ROKU Japanese Gin & Tonic and ROKU Sakura Vinegar Gin & Tonic.

The first 100 participants of the limited event will have the opportunity to receive ROKU limited edition souvenirs. The Taipei International Spirits and Mixology Exhibition will be grandly held on 11/09 (Sat) and 11/10 (Sun) at East Hall 2A-2D of Huashan Cultural and Creative Park. The event time is 13:00-19:00. Drinkers on site are welcome to joyously try ROKU's various special cocktails and wagashi, and enjoy the flavours of the four seasons of Japan.

Reprinted from · Wine Forum (November 8, 2019)