Sake is the most famous alcoholic drink in Japan and is familiar to most visitors to Japan. Sake is of course a common drink for the Japanese, but they also like other typical Japanese alcoholic drinks.
Especially shochu.
When I explain what shochu is, I always say that it is Japanese vodka.
Shochu is a distilled spirit whose ingredients include barley, buckwheat, brown sugar and sweet potatoes.
Sake has been around for around 2,000 years, but shochu is something new in comparison.
Records show that shochu was already being drunk in Japan in the 16th century. But that only makes it around 500 years old.
Shochu production is particularly flourishing in the southern region of Kyushu.
If you ask the residents of Kagoshima about shochu, for example, they will recommend many brands. Also, due to the low production numbers, a proportion of shochu output is not sold in other prefectures.
Shochu has an alcohol content of around 25%. Some people drink it straight, but it is usually served on ice or mixed with mineral water. In the cold season, some people drink it with hot water. Sometimes dried plums are also added to give it a sour taste.
Shochu has different flavors depending on its ingredients. Sweet potato shochu has a distinctive smell. However, you should try buckwheat, barley or brown sugar shochu first.
The most popular drink among young people is the “sour”. Sour is a drink based on distilled spirits to which sour fruit juices such as citrus fruits and sweetening ingredients such as sugar and syrup as well as carbonated water are added.
Sours with lemon and blackcurrant are not very alcoholic and are popular with young women.
They are usually drunk in pubs, but are also sold in cans in supermarkets and convenience stores.
If you like the taste of shochu, you can take it home with you as a souvenir.
Sake can now be bought all over the world, but shochu is not yet so well known in the world.
We recommend that you first visit an izakaya (Japanese pub) to master the drinking techniques there.
If you would like a Japanese guide for this, please contact my small travel agency.
▲A person who drinks lemon sours at a Japanese-style pub.