On February 13th, JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) and JSS (Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association) came together with 16 leading Shochu producers for an event entitled “Experience Shochu, the National Spirit of Japan.” The purpose of the event was to introduce Shochu (a Japanese spirit, similar to vodka or whiskey) to American consumers on a large scale, and introduced it was! The event drew a large crowd of individuals sampling 44 different varieties of the spirit neat or on the rocks as well as 3 cocktails created by the Liquid Chef himself, Junior Merino (which were absolutely delicious!)
You are probably asking yourself the number one question of the night: What is Shochu? (Number two being: where can I buy it?). Shochu is a Japanese spirit dating back to the 16th century. Unlike Sake, which is a brewed rice wine, Shochu is distilled. It comes in many varieties (providing a great range of tastes at the event) because it is commonly distilled from various forms (sweet potato, rice and barley to name a few). With the surging popularity of Japanese food and Sake in America, we foresee a large growth of popularity for this spirit in the future and are glad we were able to sample it firsthand.
Next time you are in an authentic Japanese restaurant or Izakaya skip your usual and order a drink with Shochu, you won’t regret it!
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