NEW YORK, NY — January 2025 — Yoshi debuts as the first premium matcha liqueur, introducing a bold new entry in the global spirits landscape. Designed by award-winning NYC-based design agency Saint-Urbain, the brand reimagines how matcha shows up in nightlife and contemporary drinking culture—bridging ritual, modern bar energy, and cultural curiosity.
At a time when matcha has become a billion-dollar cultural force—and the liqueur aisle has remained rooted in decades-old formulas—Yoshi introduces something entirely new: a premium liqueur built for both ceremony and celebration.
Where most legacy liqueur brands rely on nostalgia, Yoshi looks forward—drawing inspiration from matcha's centuries-old precision and the expressive energy of contemporary bar culture. Saint-Urbain led the full brand system, including brand strategy, visual and verbal identity, packaging design, art direction, and motion, with the goal of honoring Japanese heritage without leaning on cliché—while still feeling modern, playful, and unmistakably alive.
The strategic foundation centered on ritual, intention, and a cross-cultural rhythm connecting Tokyo and New York. From this idea came the complete identity, anchored by the concept of "a new kind of tradition."
At the heart of the identity is Yoshi's hand-drawn wordmark, whose soft, irregular forms bring human warmth and approachability to the spirits category. Complementing it is a ceremonial spiral symbol, inspired by the circular motion of the chasen whisk used in matcha preparation.
"We wanted a mark that felt both energetic and meditative—a visual bridge between ritual and nightlife," says Alex Ostroff, Founder and Creative Director of Saint-Urbain.
The packaging system centers on a striking green bottle—opaque, modern, and instantly recognizable on a backbar or retail shelf. A bold white label interrupts the silhouette with confident simplicity, while precise typographic structure and a circular authenticity seal reinforce Yoshi's craft-driven sensibility. In motion, the brand comes alive through spiraling typography, jazz-influenced rhythm, and a kinetic visual language that mirrors matcha's whisk-to-glass transformation.
Art direction blends the intimacy of Japanese tea culture with the pulse of nightlife photography: direct flash, real hands, real pours, and the unmistakable vibrancy of matcha's color. The result is a visual world that feels premium yet playful—familiar yet entirely new.
Through color, form, storytelling, and cultural sensitivity, Saint-Urbain shaped a liqueur brand that doesn't imitate tradition—it reimagines it, positioning Yoshi as a fresh ritual for the modern drinker and signaling a new direction for the spirits category.
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