I like drinking while watching Japanese Izakaya TV shows, and I found the new-style Japanese sour!
It is called “fresh-squeezed grapefruit & tomato jam sour”.
What the heck is the drink? Can’t imagine the taste!
So, I couldn’t stop myself to make it!
I made homemade spicy tomato jam and squeezed fresh grapefruits!
So, what’s taste like?
Actually, it’s really tasty!
So refreshing, the kind of drink you try to savor by sipping extra slowly while mixing the passion color of grapefruits and tomato jam!
Yet, always disappears quickly!
Refreshing, still, tangy grapefruits, sweet grapefruits, citrusy grapefruits, sweet tomato jam, spicy jalapeno peppers…
It’s a mysterious delicious summer cocktail!
Grapefruit juice interacts with a number of medications, including statin drugs, increasing your risk of developing side effects of these pharmaceuticals. If you take medication, talk to your doctor before consuming the juice to avoid a harmful interaction.
What’s “Sour” Cocktail In Japan
Simply, Japanese sour is a casual Izakaya drink, which is made of distilled spirits, fizzy water, and added flavor.
If you dive into Japanese sour drinks, you’ll be much confused…
Simply, remember, Japanese sour is the Izakaya drink, which is made of distilled spirits, fizzy water, and added flavors.
How To Make Spicy Tomato Jam
You can get a tomato jam jar from a store, but it’s easy to make.
You don’t have to add jalapeno peppers if you don’t want to make it spicy.
It goes well with not only crackers but also ricotta cheese as dessert.
Use non-reactive pots such as Stainless steel, ceramic, glass, and metal cookware with enamel coating. Avoid using aluminum as it is prone to chemical reactions with tomato acids.
Sweet & Spicy Tomato Jam
Ingredients
- Tomato
- Jalapeno peppers
- Sugar *30% of the weight of tomatoes
- Lemon juice
Instructions
Peel The Tomato Skin
- Remove the stem and cut a shallow X on the bottom of the tomato.
- Add water to a pot and bring the water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice water and set it aside.
- Gently place the tomato into the boiling water. You can add several tomatoes..
- Remove them after 30 seconds, or when the skin begins to peel back and transfer them into the ice water immediately.
- Since the skin wrinkled and came off the flesh, peel the skins off with your fingers.
Chop The Ingredients
- Coarsely chop the tomatoes. Reserve any juices and add to chopped tomatoes.
- Chop the jalapenos.*Wear kitchen gloves while chopping jalapeño peppers
- Combine chopped tomatoes, brown sugar, chopped jalapeno pepper, lemon juice in a large pot and leave them for 30 minutes-1 hour. *It can enhance rich flavor to take the juice out and combine.
Make Tomato Jam
- Bring the mixture to a boil over high, medium-high heat.
- Skim the scum off constantly.
- Cook and stir occasionally until the liquid has reduced by half.
Notes
Fresh-Squeezed Grapefruit & Spicy Tomato Jam Sour
Ingredients
- 2 Fresh grapefruits
- Distilled spirits *Vodka/ Japanese Korui Shochu/ Japanese Shochu (Mugi/ kome/ kokuto)
- Spicy tomato jam
Instructions
- Prepare a big glass or beer mug.
- Make fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice.
- Fill a glass with ice.
- Pour distilled spirits and stir well.*Add more ice to fill the glass if needed.
- Add spice tomato jam.
- Pour fizzy water. *You can skip it if desired.
- Pour fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice to finish.
The Best Shochu To Make Sour Cocktail
I know you store vodka in the home bar already, it is absolutely fine!
If you want to upgrade this Japanese sour cocktail, here is the guide to which JAPANESE SHOCHU to choose.
Why Not Korean Soju?
What differences between Japanese shochu and Korean soju are similar but not similar compared with the alcohol content level, flavored or unflavored, and distilling process.
For more details, read this post.
What You’ll Need To Make Fresh Squeezed Grapefruits & Tomato Jam Sour At Home
To make this sour drink, I highly recommend using FRESH SQUEEZED grapefruits.
SO, You definitely need a squeezer to squeeze grapefruits.
We really enjoy this mysterious sour drink with guests, so we upgraded a manual squeezer to this electric juicer!
It’s so easy to make not only fresh grapefruit juice but also fresh orange juice every morning!
VIVA, VITAMIN C LIFE!
You don’t have time to make homemade jam? Or wanna skip the hassle of canning?
It’s not hot spicy jam, but,
Here’s the time saver.
This jam is absolutely delicious. All Natural tomato jam with No additives or Preservatives.
It’s very versatile!
HOME IZAKAYA: JAPANESE IZAKAYA COCKTAILS
Homemade Japanese-Style (Dry) Lemon Sour
Craving a refreshing lemon cocktail? But, away from the stylish sweet one? Here’s the Japanese Izakaya dry Lemon sour recipe. Fresh lemons infused in Shochu or vodka (need ABV right?) brings a tangy zing to this classic Japanese popular Izakaya drink! Making frozen lemon flesh ice, it’ll never be watery. Super-easy to make, better to try this summer! Since it is dry lemon sour, it goes perfectly with Japanese cuisine.

The Japanese Highball is a little far away from the classic highball cocktail at a stylish bar. “Highball” in Japan mainly often refers to “whiskey and soda” or sometimes “Shochu and soda”. Highball is really popular Izakaya drink as well as ice-cold draft beer, Chu-Hi, and lemon sour! RELAX, I want to introduce a “Japanese-style” whiskey highball but that doesn’t mean it is made of JAPANESE WHISKEY. So refreshing, dry, simple, fizzy, and fresh lemon, that’s all need!
McCola: Homemade Natural Cola Recipe
Homemade cola aka “Craft cola” is carefully made from raw materials. Moreover, you can make an organic cola drink that you know all ingredients in this refreshing sweet cola drink that everyone loves worldwide. With its exotic spice and hints of citrus, this “Craft Cola” is so refreshing and addictive. Add this aromatic delicate McCola to milk, coffee, tea, beer, gin, vodka, whiskey, and of course, rum to entertain your guests!
Japanese highball is often called “sour” in Japan and very popular cocktail as a casual Izakaya drink. Japanese sour goes well with citrus fruit, well, that’s why the cocktail is called “sour”, and this recipe uses KINKAN fruit (kumquats fruits), a special seasonal sour cocktail. This is a dry Shochu highball recipe, but you can sweeten it if desired. Or, use Kinkan marmalade jam.