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Asia Pours

Practical

Sourcing, prices and syrups

Observed in Switzerland and Germany, August 2026. Ranges, not quotes. CHF unless a source is euro denominated.

Ube

Where to buy
Filipino and pan Asian grocers for frozen grated ube and jarred halaya. Powder online in Switzerland. Fresh tubers rarely reach Europe.
Expect to pay
Powder around CHF 22 per 50 g. Broader range CHF 15 to 35 per 100 g. Frozen grated is cheapest.
Watch out for
Purple sweet potato sold as ube, and purple that comes from coloring. Real product lists purple yam first. A color code on the label means you are buying a costume.

Yuzu

Where to buy
Japanese grocers and specialist online food shops. Fresh fruit appears in specialty produce from late November to January.
Expect to pay
Around CHF 20 to 25 per 200 ml of 100 percent juice, quoted at EUR 24 by German specialists. Bulk is event scale only.
Watch out for
Bottles labeled yuzu that are blends with lemon, sugar or citron. Check for 100 percent. Korean yuja is a sweetened preparation and behaves differently.

Matcha

Where to buy
Swiss supermarkets for entry level, specialist online retailers for the rest. Culinary grade is the correct choice for cocktails.
Expect to pay
CHF 0.49 to 2.20 per gram. Supermarket near CHF 0.65. Specialist 100 g packs around CHF 50.
Watch out for
Ceremonial grade is not a protected classification here, so ignore it. Buy on stated region and harvest year. Cheap Uji claims are the clearest warning sign.

The two syrups

Made once, used across the book

Ube syrupSimmer 100 g thawed grated ube, or 80 g ube halaya, with 200 ml water and 150 g sugar for 10 minutes. Blend, then strain through a fine sieve. Keeps one week refrigerated. If using halaya, reduce the sugar to 100 g because it is already sweetened.

Honey syrupStir 2 parts honey into 1 part hot water and cool. Use a neutral blossom honey so the yuzu and matcha stay in front. Chestnut or forest honey will take over the drink, and shortly afterwards the conversation.

What one drink costs at home

Ingredients only, excluding ice and garnish

The receipt

Kulay Lilang Ginto has no spirit in it and costs three quarters of what the whisky highball costs. In most cocktails the bottle is the expensive line. In these it is the ingredient that had to travel. That is the supply story of this booklet, arriving as a receipt.