Chances are you’ve never heard of Jabara sake. For the first time in history, this special mix of sake and citrus comes to the Netherlands. Even for the first time outside Europe! The Netherlands is the first country outside Japan where the Jabara drink is introduced.
You can taste this drink at various places in Rotterdam. And a bottle of Jabara sake is also an excellent gift to give! Ideal for the upcoming holidays.
The story behind Jabara
The Jabara fruit is a very rare hybrid mikan citrus from Japan. What is special is that the Jabara citrus only grows in Kitayama, a small Japanese village with five hundred inhabitants in the Wakayame prefecture. In this village, Jabara was discovered when only one tree was left. To make it a local specialty, all villagers have been involved in Jabara harvesting since the 1960s. Because of their hard work there are now thousands of Jabara trees.
The Yoshimura Hideo Shoten brewery in Wakayama prefecture has created a special sake that matches the taste of Jabara. The Japanese sake brewery works with the village to produce and sell the sake; they hope to introduce the whole world to this special citrus.
Entrepreneurs Alina and Yasuhiro brought this special drink to the Netherlands. Yasuhiro: “Jabara is truly a hidden gem. Europe is already familiar with Japanese sake; this has been imported from Japan for years. But the ingredient Jabara has never crossed the borders of Japan.”
The perfect blend of sour, bitter and slightly sweet
Jabara sake is aromatic and has a low alcohol content. The mix of specially made sake, Jabara juice, Jabara peel, beet sugars and cane sugars creates a great blend of sour, bitter and slightly sweet. Three sensations that compliment each other beautifully.
Alina: “The Jabara sake has a very unique citrus aroma. It’s almost bitter, like dark chocolate. Mixing it with sake gives it a real umami taste. Only natural sugars are used in the drink: sugar beet and sugar cane. To prevent waste, even the peel is used in the production. This gives the drink extra spice and aroma. The peel contains a lot of flavonoids, which can be effective in reducing hay fever symptoms, for example.”
Tasting Jabara sake in Rotterdam
Would you like to taste the Jabara sake? Or maybe you want to buy a bottle? There are several restaurants and (online) shops where you can find Jabara sake, namely at restaurants SHIN and Amarone or the Japanese deli Osōzai. You can also order it online at Dutchwasabi.nl and sake.nl.
The Jabara sake is ideal to give as a gift. It is an exclusive drink that is hardly known anywhere in the world. Discover great gift shops in Rotterdam for more inspiration!
