The Story: Spring 2021 to Winter 2022

Shinjuku Golden Gai — a small corner of the city where the charm of the Showa era meets the modern day.
In 2015, we opened OPEN BOOK, a bar specializing in lemon sours.

Wanting to share the refreshing tartness and fresh flavor of our lemon sours with more people, we launched Real Lemon Sour in 2021—a version you can enjoy at home.
At OPEN BOOK, our lemon sours change with the seasons, offering a unique flavor experience throughout the year.

In this article, we look back at the story of Real Lemon Sour, from its first release in spring 2021 to the winter 2022 edition.

 

Real Lemon Sour – A Liqueur Made for True Lemon Sour Lovers

We’ve turned OPEN BOOK’s signature lemon sour into a bottled liqueur.
Everything is crafted by hand with great care—no preservatives, flavorings, artificial sweeteners, or colorings are used.

Tanaka from OPEN BOOK spent a full week on Amami Oshima to make this special liqueur.
Fifty kilograms of lemons were peeled by hand, infused into a custom-blended shochu, and mixed with our original OPEN BOOK syrup.
Just add soda water and enjoy the taste of an OPEN BOOK lemon sour—maybe even better than the one at the bar.

We use a lemon variety called Biafranca, grown by citrusfarms Tatemichiya in Setoda, Onomichi, Hiroshima.
Mix with soda water at a 1:3 ratio, and don’t forget to add a slice of fresh lemon to complete the experience.
On chilly days, try mixing it with hot water for a cozy hot lemon sour.

Each bottle of Real Lemon Sour makes about 12 standard servings.

 

 

 

 

 

In autumn 2021, we used green lemons, which appear at the very beginning of the lemon season. As a result, the flavor is cleaner and more refreshing. You may even notice a hint of fresh melon-like aroma.

Because of the lemon’s delicacy, we decided to stop adding syrup partway through the process. We felt that too much sweetness might overpower the subtle fragrance of the lemon.

Some may find it lacks the punch of our previous Real Lemon Sours. However, this version brings a new kind of enjoyment—it invites you to savor the experience of drinking and enhances its harmony with food. Enjoy the sweet aroma of brown sugar shochu and the gentle tartness of these early-season lemons.

 

 

Winter 2022

It was an unusually chilly season for Amami Oshima—jacket weather, which is rare for the island.

Personally, I believe winter is the best time to make lemon sours. While lemon sour might evoke an image of a refreshing summer drink, the peak season for lemons is actually winter. Their skins gleam under the light, smooth and golden. The lemons are fully ripe and at their most radiant.

The moment you open the box, a rich, tangy aroma fills the air. Back in autumn, the lemons were still green and had a distinct bitterness. But from the end of the year, they begin to ripen into a vibrant yellow, reaching their best state around February. By the time May comes—before the typhoons and rainy season—the lemons are no longer harvestable.

Last time, the sour had a slightly bitter finish. But this time, we went with a classic recipe, aiming for a touch more sweetness. That’s also a testament to how flavorful the lemons were on their own.

February in Amami Oshima is lovely—not too hot. Any warmer, and unless there's a beach right next to me, I honestly wouldn’t feel like working (but I do).

 

 

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