The Japanese have been distilling and drinking shochu since the 16th century, but despite its continued popularity in Japan, the beverage is only just starting to make its mark in Australia with bartenders and keen at-home mixologists. We pulled up a stool to talk to bartender Fumiaki Michishita of Sydney’s Kuro and get the lowdown on what shochu is, how to drink it and why you’ll want to keep it close by at meal time.
What is shochu?
Shochu is the most popular spirit in its native Japan, outselling whisky and even sake. Unlike vodka, whisky and other common spirits, which tend to sit around 40 per cent alcohol by volume, the alcohol content of shochu tends to sit between 25 to 35 per cent, and it can be made from a number of base ingredients.
“It is generally distilled from rice, barley, sweet potato, buckwheat or brown sugar,” Michishita says. “Unlike, for example, bourbon [which is made] from corn, brandy from grapes, tequila from agave.”
This variety of base starches means that when you ask for shochu at a bar, you might have the option to be more specific. It also means that there’s no one way to drink it, so – like gin or vodka – shochu tends to be incredibly versatile.
What does it taste like?
Based on the variety of base ingredients that can be used to make shochu, you’re going to find there’s a real fluctuation in flavour, particularly when drinking it neat.
“For example, barley shochu has a malty note, and rice shochu has a round and aromatic taste, and sweet potato shochu has a fruity taste,” Michishita says. “Brown sugar has a rich and complex flavour.”
There’s really no method of mixing that doesn’t lend itself to shochu, either.
“You can drink it neat, on the rocks, or oyuwari which means to dilute with hot water, and also mizuwari which means to dilute with cold water, and chuhai, which is a shochu highball,” says Michishita. “Traditional chuhai is made with shochu and sparkling water.”
Chuhai also lends itself to plenty of subtle and fresh flavour combos, such as adding juice or oolong tea. Koyomi’s ready-to-drink shochu highballs – in flavours such as yuzu and lime, mandarin and grapefruit, and blood orange and bitters – are a light and zesty introduction to this format.
When to drink it
Traditionally, you can drink shochu on all manner of occasions. The Japanese often enjoy at mealtime, but really it just depends on how you’re drinking it. Oyuwari is often favoured as a warming, pre-bedtime drink. Japanese drinkers tend to opt for the chuhai when looking for a light aperitif at an izakaya. If you’re looking for something to match a late-evening vibe, it’s more decadent to drink shochu on the rocks and really experience the full flavour.
What food to pair it with
“Different shochu such as sweet potato goes well with tempura,” Michishita says.
The fresh and sparkling Koyomi highball is a great match for lighter dishes such as this – the zesty flavours complement the delicate crispiness of the tempura, and also pair well with fresh-fish dishes such as sashimi and sushi. You can also try a like-for-like method – at Kuro, the restaurant pairs a buckwheat-shochu cocktail with soba noodles that are also made from buckwheat.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Koyomi.
