Told You Shochu is Good
So what's the drinking trend for the last five years in Japan??? No, it is not Suntory time and sadly the sales of sake are declining. Shochu!!! This is a drink of Oyaji or "Old man". It is relatively cheap and spikes with higher percentage of alcohol. These days Shochu or Soju (Korean version) are ultra hip to drink.
How does it taste??? Well...better than vodka and moonshine I would say. Basically, shochu can be made from rice, although it is more commonly made from barley, potato or sugar cane. Most shochu is around 25% alcohol, although some varieties (particularly Okinawan awamori) can go as high as 43%. It is perfect for making martini!!!
iichiko
Shochu should not be confused with sake, a brewed (not distilled) rice wine. However, in Southern Kyushu sake actually means potato shochu, imo-jochu; while in Okinawa it means the local brew awamori (泡盛, lit. "bubble top") and kūsū (aged awamori, lit. "old liquor"). Awamori, while also a distilled rice wine, differs from normal shochu as it is made from long-grained Indica rice, not the short-grained Japonica usually eaten in Japan.
Anyway, Big O and I slammed several rounds of Iichiko at Yoko-Cho last night. This is the first time that I have ever tasted this buckwheat shochu....The nose is always high in alcohol but leaves a sweet note in taste. Not a bad one comparing to the Korean's Jinro (Jinro is crap recently bought out by Hite Brewery; another crap beer). Had it on the rocks so no nasty headache this morning. Soul-Chu rules!!!
posted by azianbrewer @ Thursday, June 16, 2005
2 Comments:
Yeah, shochu rocks! When I was in college, all that was available was Jinro and the vodka-like plain rice variety. Over here, there are so many different varieties available that it is mindblowing. Not only does shochu work well as a base for cocktails, but there is great variation in the flavor of various shochu makers. In the summer, shochu on the rocks, or shochu-wari (shochu and water) are a refreshing drink. In the cold winters, oyu-wari (shochu and hot water) helps to keep you warm, and brings out the bouquet of the shochu, especially of the imo variety.
It's interesting to see a blog dedicated to shochu in the States. Cheers.
shochu rocks my world x
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