From Tochigi, the birth of
craft liqueur with no colouring agents!
<Part 1>

There is a craft liqueur that has recently become a hot topic in bars.Tochigi Liqueur" is made from seasonal fruit from Tochigi.The brewer behind it is former bartender Yuriko Hara.Let us introduce you to the background behind the production process.

writer：Ryoko Kuraishi

Yuriko Hara, a former bartender, founded Tochigi Liquor.Currently, she is the sole person in charge of all aspects of the business.

Tochigi-based Tochigi Liqueur is an up-and-coming craft liqueur maker that only started operations last autumn.
It is a locally produced liqueur that takes shape from a bartender's unique perspective and hometown love for her hometown, Tochigi.


Tochigi Liqueur originated at BAR Fleur de Lys, which Yuriko Hara opened in 2012 as the owner-bartender.
When she opened her own shop, she decided not to use any liqueur containing colouring agents.

Bar Fleur de Lis, a homemade liqueur shop.Spectacular array of homemade fruit liqueurs lined up on the counter!

Homemade liqueurs born from the bar counter.

Mr Hara, who has always been allergic to artificial colours, preservatives and other additives, refrained from using them to manage his condition.
'I wanted to recommend to my customers only what I felt safe drinking, so I took the plunge and decided not to serve artificially coloured cocktails.


Instead, I decided to prepare fruit wine using local fruits.
Tochigi is a major production area for strawberries and other fruits.
If there are fresh fruits around, I wanted people to enjoy cocktails that reflect the season."


40 varieties of homemade liqueurs lined up on the counter.
According to Mr Hara, there is a strong tendency in Tochigi to deepen understanding of old favourites, rather than to actively introduce new ones.
This may be closely related to the identity of preserving local culture.


It seems that such a local character matches well with locally produced liqueurs made with traditional fruits.
The seasonal fruit liqueurs became a hot topic of conversation, and BAR Fleur de Lys became recognised as a 'fruit wine bar'.

When I was a bartender, I used to transmit the charms of Tochigi fruit from the counter.This is where Tochigi Liqueur began.

'Before starting my own place, I trained in an authentic bar serving standard cocktails.
It was all a great experience, both the direct contact with the customers and learning bartending from my brothers and sisters.
Customers told me that it was my vocation, and my mentor even complimented me (with a laugh) that 'I don't remember cocktails, but I remember people really well'.


But the bar work that he loved and Mr Hara'sHowever, his physical condition was not a match for his favourite bar job.
Her preexisting allergies gradually worsened, and her fingers became rough from washing and bleeding.
He was forced to leave the shop as he could no longer run the business.


He has since had to leave his own shop, which he is starting from scratch, and has set himself the task of preparing the working environment and ensuring that he is at the counter in the best possible condition.


He also decided not to use any products with colourings or preservatives, closed the bar at 24:00 and banned smoking in the bar so that customers could enjoy the aroma of fruit.
This is unique among bars in Tochigi.


I received various criticisms: closing at 24:00 is something children do, it's disrespectful to customers that all seats are non-smoking, and homemade fruit wine is an escape from the high street.......
But I think I was able to keep my style because my customers followed me."

In the tangerine fields of Kunimi, Nasukarasuyama, Tochigi, ageing growers were facing succession problems.

Regular customers encouraged me to become a brewer.

Eventually, homemade fruit liqueurs, which were considered 'evil', began to be picked up by the local media, and the keyword 'locally produced' began to attract a new clientele.
In the course of searching for fruit to make homemade liqueurs from, interaction with farmers increased.
Conversations with local government and JA officials led to the next step, as they became aware of the realities facing agriculture, such as depopulation in the region and the problem of farmers' successors.


'Farmers looking for ways to promote their produce throughout the year, even if the distribution season is short, JA staff and local authorities wanting to promote the appeal of local produce.
I think these voices have pushed me to want to promote liqueurs from the region more widely.


With the support of my customers, who have always been very supportive of me, I started to think about trying my hand at liqueur production in the autumn of 2014."


From bartender to brewer.
In fact, I had been considering a career change since I started BAR Fleur de Lys.
As I entered my thirties, it was difficult to continue standing at the counter given the changing life stages of women, such as childbirth and childcare.


Nevertheless, she wanted to cherish the bonds she had built with her regular customers and wanted to somehow continue the bar path she had carved out with the help of her mentors and siblings.
The option of a brewery business fell to Hara, who was feeling conflicted about his working style as a bartender.

Tochigi Prefecture has produced the largest amount of strawberries in Japan for 50 consecutive years.Hara says that the joy of eating and the bounty of the land are concentrated in each strawberry.

'I started by visiting local production areas and learnt about the spirit of sake brewing by visiting 26 breweries and breweries in the prefecture.
I also studied the manufacturing industry by attending seminars for entrepreneurs organised by local authorities.


In 2016, she won the top prize in a business plan competition for women entrepreneurs organised by a local bank and received a loan and a commitment for back-up.
When we launched the company last spring, we were surprised by the liquor tax officer, but we finally received approval in autumn after showing how serious we were about obtaining a brewing licence, and we were able to start 'Tochigi Liqueur'.


In addition to the people who have helped us in the crowdfunding for 'Tochigi Liqueur' at the end of last year, new supporters also backed us, and we have finally started to make our dream a reality."
<a10>
If we can go beyond the framework of our own bar and spread the appeal of high-quality liqueurs throughout Japan, we may be able to build a new culture together with local farmers.
Tochigi Liqueur, which embodies 'small-scale', 'local culture' and 'independent' craft liqueurs, has finally begun.


In the second part, we will introduce new attractions and possibilities in bars for craft liqueurs born in Tochigi.


Continued in Part 2.