Do you know ponzu sour?
Hello, this is Nabeko, an ASCII drinker. These days, it's hard to go out for drinks, so many people may be working hard to "drink at home". Therefore, we will introduce “Ponzu Sour” that you can easily make at home. Huh, ponzu sauce? "I think some people were surprised." Have you ever imagined a dark flavored ponzu sauce made by adding soy sauce to citrus juice? Ponzu sour uses Mizkan's "Ponzu", which is light in color. It is also called “Shiropon” because it looks different from “Ajipon”.
We use “Shiropon”
Ponzu is a seasoning of citrus fruit juice and vinegar that does not contain soy sauce. By the way, "Ponzu" was released in 1960 (Showa 35). Nowadays, not only Mizkan, but seasoned ponzu with soy sauce is also popular, but originally the one without soy sauce was the prototype.
Ponzu can be used for hot pot dishes, boiled tofu, and fried foods. It is also convenient to mix with olive oil and use it in salads. Also, by adding soy sauce later, you can make your own original strong seasoned ponzu sauce, so it's pretty versatile if you use it sparingly.
It is also introduced in Mizkan's official recipe. *Image from Mizkan official website
Here's how to make the "Ponzu Sour" that you're interested in. If you refer to the recipe written in Mizkan, ① put ice in a glass and pour ponzu and shochu. ② Gently pour carbonated water into [1] and mix lightly. This completes. The recommended ratio of ponzu: shochu: carbonated water is 2:3:7.
Shochu sour is added with citrus juice and sourness of vinegar for a very refreshing drink. It doesn't taste like soy sauce, so it doesn't feel like you've added any seasoning, and it's a stylish sour with a hint of vinegar. If you were served with a name such as “Vinegar Citrus Wari”, you wouldn’t think that it uses ponzu sauce.
It's refreshing, so it's recommended for hot days or damp days. Sensually similar to lemon sour, it goes well with food, and if you drink it with fried food or grilled meat, your mouth will feel refreshed.
In addition to soda, it's also delicious with ponzu squash *The image is from Mizkan's official website
In addition to alcohol, Mizkan also has a recipe for “Ponzu Squash” on their official website. Put ice and ponzu in a glass, pour carbonated water or cider gently, and mix lightly. In other words, just add ponzu to carbonated water. When I tried it, the vinegar and citrus juice were added to the carbonic acid, making it refreshing to wake up from sleep. It's also perfect for a change of pace when working from home.
There is no designated alcohol, so please mix it with your favorite shochu.
In fact, this ponzu sour has been treated as a local menu at some izakayas mainly in Tokyo. About 10 years ago, the owner of a kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers) restaurant in Tokyo mistakenly ordered ponzu sauce for miso ponzu. Despite the unexpectedness of using seasoning as a split ingredient, it seems that it has become popular as it is delicious and spreads slowly.
At Mizkan, we are currently developing a project to promote the charm of ponzu sour by making glasses for ponzu sour for stores and conducting sales promotion activities, disseminating information on SNS such as Instagram. At first, it was only available at some local stores in Tokyo, but now there are more than 600 stores nationwide, from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south, that carry ponzu sour. In particular, it seems that the store in Okinawa has a good reputation and is getting a lot of inquiries. Isn't it a bit surprising that ponzu sour is spreading nationwide and becoming major?
Mizkan's ponzu sour project is centered around Mr. Kagawa, a young employee who has been with the company for five years. Ponzu sour has an image of a popular bar, so I was surprised to hear that young people are promoting it.
Mizkan CRM Headquarters CRM Promotion Team Mr. Kagawa
In his third year with the company, Mr. Kagawa was assigned to the New Development Section of the Product Planning Department, where he struggled to create new value based on "services" and "things" rather than products. Last year, in my fourth year with the company, I was assigned to the Media Communication Section. However, when he first said, "I want to promote the ponzu sour," the response within the company was not very favorable. The fact that ponzu can be used as a splitting ingredient for drinks was already well known within the company, which is why it was overlooked as ``not very new''. Mr. Kagawa threw a light on it.
"Ponzu sour is a product that has been sold for a long time. By changing the point of view, the appeal of ponzu sour can be expanded. I didn't know much about popular bar culture until then, but I found it interesting when I learned about ponzu sour, and now the retro atmosphere of popular bars is popular with young people. Therefore, I thought that people of all ages would be interested in it,” says Kagawa.
Novelty glasses (not for sale) distributed to stores. The “Marupo” logo is cute
Mr. Kagawa was involved in the design planning of the glass for the ponzu sour, and while referring to the design of a manufacturer that has been loved by popular bars for a long time, it seems that it has been devoted to a simple design that can be used for a long time. “I want ponzu sour to become established rather than a passing trend, so while researching beer mugs that are loved at bars, I added the Marupo logo, which makes it easy to recognize ponzu sour at a glance. I made it a design."
Ponzu sour was born in a popular restaurant. Actually, the ponzu sour varies depending on the shop. There is no rule about the base sake, and the atmosphere changes depending on the ratio of the mix and the presence or absence of toppings. It is attractive that you can enjoy different "horse mackerel" at each shop. According to Mr. Kagawa, "With regard to ponzu sour, we would like to explore initiatives that we can do together with restaurants, such as introducing the efforts of restaurants, rather than one-sided communication from the manufacturer." That was it.
Nowadays, it's difficult to eat out or drink outside, but isn't it one of the ways to enjoy drinking ponzu sour at home and thinking about a public bar?
Sake lover writer and editor. I am active in alcohol. Participating in "TV Champion Kiwami-Queen Senbero Battle". The days when the hot carpet feels so good that I fall asleep on the floor and wake up in the morning sun. I have to put on the pajamas I put down at the beginning of the year... ♪ Delivering delicious information on ASCII gourmet ♪