Food / Drink

Shochu is a distilled alcoholic beverage, which is weaker than wisky but stronger than wine and sake (about 25% alcohol by volume). Different from sake, people often drink it with water to make it weaker.

Shochu became popular at a burst in Japan around 2003. It was called "Shochu boom."
Though it was regarded as old-man's drink before the boom, many young women like to drink it because of its taste and also its healthiness now.

While shochu is widely available at bars, izakaya, restaurants, supermarkets, liquor stores, and convinience stores, there are bars which serve shochu exclusivery, called "Shochu bar."

A glass of shochu usually costs 400 ~ 1000 yen. However, some kinds of shochu are at a premium and auctioned for more than decuple price.

One of the good things about shochu is that you can enjoy a large variety of tastes. It's because each shochu is made of different ingredients (such as sweet potato-most common-, barley, rice, brown sugar, labiates, and chestnuts), production methods, and aging techniques.

Though it seems that foreign people are likely to feel shochu smells not nice, why don't you try a glass of it once? It's truly JAPANESE!

>> Brands of Shochu

<< Premium >>
- Maou
- Murao
- Moriizo

<< Popular >>
Made from Sweet Potato
- Tominohozan
- Isami
- Sato-kuro
Made from Barley
- Nakanaka
- Hyakunen-no-kodoku

>> How to Drink Shochu

Like no other drink, you can enjoy varied ways of drinking Shochu. To savor it well, you should drink it straight or on the rocks. It's also nice to drink it with hot water in winter.
But the recommended way, especially for beginners, is with water. It's not strong, but you can taste difference.

- straight
- on the rocks
- with water, called mizu-wari
- with hot water, called oyu-wari
- with a kind of green tea, called otya-wari

<< Topping >>
Japanese people add something in shochu to make it mild.
Especially, shochu with hot water with pickled plum (umeboshi) is seen as one of the best combinations.

- lemon
- pickled plum (umeboshi)