02-05-2025
It Took 51 Tries To Nail This Delicious Yuzu Matcha Martini
On The Rocks x House of Suntory Collaboration
When it comes to crafting new cocktails from scratch, even the best mixologists may need to try dozens of times before finalizing a recipe. And it took a Japanese bartending legend over 50 tries to create one the better ready-to-serve cocktails on the market.
Hidetsugu Ueno of Tokyo's famed Bar High Five was tasked with crafting two new, shelf-stable cocktails for a new collaboration between On The Rocks Premium Cocktails and The House of Suntory. The results—dubbed 'The Harmony Collection,' now on the U.S. market—were a Japanese Boulevardier and Yuzu Matcha Martini. Both use spirits from Suntory's collection; the Boulevardier with Suntory Whisky Toki, and the Martini with Haku Vodka. (On The Rocks and Suntory Global Spirits have had a partnership since 2016. Suntory acquired On The Rocks in 2020.)
And while the Japanese Boulevardier is a tasty go-to over ice (with some latitude for at-home customization with garnishes), the Yuzu Matcha Martini stands out, both for its rich mouthfeel and surprising balance of key ingredients and flavors. According to brand press notes, 'the Yuzu Matcha Martini masterfully balances bright yuzu citrus with the earthy depth of green tea, delivering a harmonious fusion of tangy vibrancy and subtle bitterness.'
That's certainly a tall order. And during a recent tasting of The Harmony Collection, the martini may have exceeded even those lofty tasting notes. The drink itself—best served in a pre-chilled martini glass, of course—walks a delicate balance between tart, sweet, and boozy. It's recognizably a vodka martini, with a punchy citrus kick from the yuzu on the midpalate.
Perhaps more impressive is the restrained, integrated impact of matcha, which lends a subtle earthiness without overpowering the cocktail at any juncture. It's the sort of drink even the matcha-averse may quite enjoy; in fact, if I didn't know the drink's name ahead of time, I might have missed that ground green tea impact until the very end.
That sort of balance in a ready-to-serve cocktail doesn't come automatically. Over the course of around a year, Ueno and the On The Rocks team went through 51 variations of the Yuzu Matcha Martini before finalizing the product.
'Many of the ingredients (such as fresh juice, matcha tea, and wines) used to create cocktails will quickly settle and separate once they sit,' says Ueno, speaking to Forbes. 'These ingredients contribute to the flavor, mouthfeel, color, etc. of the overall cocktail and recreating this unity over time is essential in delivering the optimal experience for our consumers. It takes a lot of testing, patience, and creativity.'
The On The Rocks Yuzu Matcha Martini is proofed at 20% ABV and is now available in the U.S. as part of a 375ml bottle 2-pack for $29.99. That includes a bottle of the brand's Japanese Boulevardier, proofed to a boozier 32.5% ABV.
