We members of the kitchen crew also wanted our guests to experience neighborhood stories through beverages as well as food. Fortunately, many fruits are harvested in the vicinity of the hotel. In particular, the city of Odawara, which could be called the gateway to Hakone, is blessed with a temperate climate, terrain facing the sea, and fine soil with good drainage. From long ago, it has been well-known for its production of citrus fruits.

Among the citrus fruits grown in Odawara, we selected Shonan Gold. This is a type of mandarin orange whose roots lie in Golden Orange, a fabled variety of orange. It is called “fabled” because, in spite of its flavor, which is said to be so delicious that anyone who once tastes it will never forget it, it is rarely available in the market, due to a lack of uniformity in size and shape, and low volume of production.

Golden Orange, an orange that can seldom be enjoyed in spite of its fabled flavor. The Kanagawa Agricultural Technology Center decided to take action to overcome the drawbacks in order to bring this flavor to a wide circle of people. After more than 10 years of work, the Center finally completed Shonan Gold, which is as easy to eat as a mandarin orange and also has the flavor and fragrance of Golden Orange. It began shipping this orange in 2006, and made the fabled treat available to the general public.

The Riverside Kitchen & Bar serves the Shonan Gold Margarita, a cocktail that highlights the refreshing fragrance and sweetness of Shonan Gold.

To be continued in Vol. 7