KAGA, Ishikawa -- A liqueur made from Ajihei kabocha pumpkins, a specialty fruit of Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture, has been developed by JA Kaga, a local agricultural cooperative.
Kaga Ajihei Kabocha Liqueur, like the pumpkin itself, has a perfect balance of sweetness and aroma, and is especially suitable for use in cocktails.
Ajihei kabocha pumpkins are featured crops among the local Kaga Kutani Yasai vegetables, and the cooperative is working on developing new products using specialty crops of sizes and other features out of standard for retail sales.
The cooperative has also been developing candy and other products using the pumpkin. This is the sixth pumpkin product they have developed and the second alcoholic beverage, following the release of kabocha shochu in July 2012.
The new liqueur is targeted at women and younger drinkers. It has a smooth, rich taste and is sweet like pumpkin pudding. The alcohol content is a modest 7%, so it can be enjoyed on the rocks or used in a wide range of cocktails.
The cooperative has already developed some cocktail recipes with the help of bartenders in the city and is promoting ways to enjoy its products with sweets such as vanilla ice cream.
"It's a great drinks. We hope couples and younger people will drink it," an official at the cooperative said. "We want to expand our sales channels so that many bars can use it for cocktails in the future."
Kaga Ajihei Kabocha Liqueur is sold in two sizes -- 300 milliliters (800, yen excluding tax) and 500 milliliters (1300, yen excluding tax) -- at JA shops in Ishikawa Prefecture and the online shop at the JA website.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
