Heiwa Shuzo Kid Tsuru-Ume, Summer Orange

Natsumikan, the Japanese summer orange, tastes like a mandarin and a Seville orange arguing: sweet, sour and pleasantly bitter all at once. Heiwa Shuzo blends locally grown natsumikan with amanatsu and lemon, pressing the fruit with the skins left on so the zesty oils and a touch of bitterness come along for the ride. That juice goes into the brewery's Tsuru-Ume umeshu, or plum wine, base, producing something citrusy, richly orange and faintly fizzy. The alcohol is low and the balance leans refreshing rather than sweet, which is the whole trick. Serve it very cold over ice, or top it with soda for one of the better summer drinks available anywhere.