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Imagine a lava lamp filled with a fluorescent green concoction made of sake, ginseng, pomegranate, plum and oolong tea (among other ingredients), and you get a mental picture of Ty Ku. Through some packaging ingenuity, the tall, thin pyramid-shaped bottle lights up when it is lifted off the table or bar. The contents are billed as "premium liqueur with sake," but the company isn't just hoping Americans will be curious about a new Asian-inspired spirit. They tout Ty Ku as an aphrodisiac, although we have yet to put those claims to the test. There's a health angle, too. Both pomegranate and oolong tea contain antioxidants -- which some people believe prevent cancer and coronary heart disease -- as well as the herbal medicine damiana, which has been prescribed for myriad ailments.
Though Ty Ku is not especially potent at 20 percent alcohol (40 proof), it does have a strong fruit flavor. The pleasant bitterness of yuzu, a Japanese fruit that tastes somewhat like grapefruit, comes through loud and clear. You can drink it on the rocks, but it's better with a mixer or, better yet, a clear spirit, like vodka or gin. Here's drinking to your health.
-- James Oliver Cury
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