the izakaya grapefruit sour: shōchū and soda poured over ice with half a fruit and a hand press set beside the glass, so the drinker squeezes it themselves at the table
Origin: Japan
From the journey of Grapefruit.
Japan liberalised grapefruit imports in 1971 and within a decade had become the largest overseas market for American fruit. What it then did with it exists nowhere else. The sawā, from the English sour, is a category of izakaya highball built on shōchū and soda, and the grapefruit version is ordinarily served nama shibori, freshly squeezed: the glass arrives with spirit, soda, and ice, and beside it a halved grapefruit and a small hand press, and the drinker does the last step. The reason is aromatic rather than theatrical. Citrus oil sits in glands in the rind and begins degrading within minutes of being released, turning from bright and floral to faintly stale. A press squeezes rind and flesh together, so the oils go into the glass with the juice at the moment of drinking, and no bottled mixer reproduces that. It is the same reasoning that puts a twist over a cocktail, carried out at the table. Grapefruit slotted into an existing Japanese preference rather than creating one. The country's own citrus, yuzu, sudachi, and kabosu, are all sour and aromatic rather than sweet, used for juice and peel rather than eaten as fruit. A large sour bitter citrus that could be squeezed over a drink was a familiar idea arriving in a new form, which is why it took hold so quickly and so completely.
Shōchū is the authentic spirit and is distinct from sake, being distilled rather than brewed and typically 25 per cent; vodka may be substituted, giving a cleaner and less interesting drink. Serve it without syrup first and add sweetness only if wanted, since izakaya versions are usually dry. Ruby grapefruit gives a sweeter and pinker drink; white is more traditional to the style and sharper. The same construction works with yuzu, sudachi, kabosu, or lemon, all of which are standard on an izakaya list. If you have no hand press, a squeezer or simply squeezing by hand works; what does not work is juicing it in advance.
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