Think of the Kyoto Club as the Clover Club taking a lovely trip east. Suntory ROKU gin, chilled green tea, fresh lemon and raspberry syrup come together in a bright, delicate drink that is ready in about seven minutes.
The combination is usually light, citrus driven, and subtly aromatic. The flavors are clean rather than bold, with nothing overpowering the structure. It is a drink that relies on precision more than intensity.
Ingredient notes
Chill the green tea completely before it meets the shaker, so the drink stays crisp and bright. No raspberry syrup on hand? Sugar and fresh raspberries make a lovely stand-in.
Suntory ROKU is the gin this drink is built around. It pairs six Japanese botanicals (sakura flower and leaf, sencha and gyokuro teas, yuzu peel and sansho pepper) with eight classic gin botanicals, which is why it plays so beautifully with tea and citrus.
The original Clover Club is a Philadelphia classic, named for a gentlemen’s club that met at the Bellevue-Stratford hotel. The Kyoto Club keeps the gin, lemon and raspberry spirit and swaps in a Japanese accent.
Why Lush Life Loves It
I like this when I want something that feels a bit more considered. It is not loud, but it holds your attention, and it is one I would happily sit with for a while. The green tea is the heart of it. ROKU is distilled with sencha and gyokuro teas, so the chilled tea in your glass echoes the gin itself, while the yuzu peel in the gin adds a gentle citrus lift beside the lemon. If you love gin and citrus, the Aviation and the Bramble are two more drinks you will want to try.
Here is the recipe
Kyoto Club
Ingredients
- 1½ oz Suntory ROKU Gin
- 1 oz 25ml Green Tea (Chilled)
- 1 oz Lemon Juice
- ½ oz Raspberry Syrup (Sugar + Raspberries if not available)
- Garnish: Raspberries
Instructions
- Fill glass with ice
- Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice
- Shake until chilled.
- Strain into glass and garnish