Shochu! What is it?

[Luc]

I think a proper thread would facilitate my question.

I was about to buy Sake yesterday and saw two bottles of Shochu next to them. I don't know how big the import is in Oz but I got curious. The ingredients are water, barley and roasted barley.

I did a quick search and there was a website that said it could remind you of Whiskey. It's probably a specific bottle, I doubt all of them would be like that.

So, what is it? How do I drink it? Any specific food? What can I expect? Is it a substitute for Sake?

 

[RichGem]

I think a proper thread would facilitate my question.

I was about to buy Sake yesterday and saw two bottles of Shochu next to them. I don't know how big the import is in Oz but I got curious. The ingredients are water, barley and roasted barley.

I did a quick search and there was a website that said it could remind you of Whiskey. It's probably a specific bottle, I doubt all of them would be like that.

So, what is it? How do I drink it? Any specific food? What can I expect? Is it a substitute for Sake?

Shochu? The sound a shogun makes when he sneezes. DUH!

Actually, isn't it Asian (Korean? Japanese?) rotgut?

 

[Luc]

It's Japanese and doesn't contain any cheddar!

 

[Jatte]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shochu

this has lots on it

 

[RichGem]

It's Japanese and doesn't contain any cheddar!

no cheddar = bad

 

[rm71]

It is a clear drink. It usually mixed with other stuff like orange juice etc. more younger are people are drinking it in Japan. I think it tried it once and it did not have much of a taste. Not a fan. sake on the other hand...

 

[thunderball]

Ha, my coworker reeks of it beside me today. Not a huge fan myself but many guys here drink it nightly. The two most popular types are 'mugi' (made from barley) and 'imo' (made from potatoes). Usually about 25% alcohol it's usually had straight or mixed with water. Ranges in price, flavour, and quality just like wine or sake. You can also get canned, fizzy 'girly drinks' called 'Chu-Hi' which is a mix of shochu and different fruit flavors. I'll stick to nihonshu (sake) myself.

 

[e d o]

I seem to prefer it from Korea. I find it smoother. They spell it Soju.

 

[1OldGI]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soju

Having spent considerable time in Korea, I have had the Soju experience on a number of occassions. Back then, moderation was not my forte but it was quite an enjoyable drink that packed quite a wollop. A very odd alcohol experience. First off, you can't taste the alcohol. Unlike like most intoxicants, the first reaction is one of totally being wired (i.e. I just chugged a case of Red Bull and ate a box of No Doz). After that's over with (it lasts an hour or two) then suddenly without warning, the alcohol just kicks you in the man parts and you're drooling on your shoes, aren't real sure where you are, and develop tunnel vision.

The hangover from this stuff is absolutely horrendous and unmatched anywhere in my drinking career. Amongst GIs in Korea it is affectionately known as "Soju Confused". Tasks you've mindlessly accomplished since childhood (i.e. tying shoes) become very confusing and take a minute to figure out the morning after. Bacchus D a Korean Herbal Energy drink with massive quantites of vitamin B-12 is good to have on hand to combat the effects. In fact, this mana from heaven will literally pull you out of a ghastly state of intoxication in short order.

 

[Luc]

Mmm, thanks for the advices. I will give it a go and report back.

 

[The Nid Hog]

I just ordered some shochu for my wife's birthday and, while poking around on line, found this thread right here on B&B!

I guess that the difference between sake (nihonshu) and shochu is that sake is brewed, much like beer, but shochus are distilled. There are difference categories of shochu and, like Thunderball said, they can be made from sweet potatoes or barley. You can also find ones made from sesame, buckwheat, cane sugar and any number of other ones. I had a couple of glasses on shochu distilled from chestnuts this summer. (If I had quit drinking right then, I could tell you what it's called, but that data is now lost to me). It has a lot in common with Okinawan awamori, which is distilled from Thai rice.

You can drink it neat, on the rocks, or mixed with hot or cold water. Thunderball is right in saying that you can get canned chuhai, and that it's just OK (think a bottle of hard lemonade). However, you can make a much better one on your own. I've had it at a grill in Tokyo when the bartender made it with fresh squeezed grapefruit. That was unbelievably good. My wife had one when we were out that was made with fresh ginger, lemon and some other mysterious ingredients. Chuhais, once the drink of lowlifes hanging out at seedy bars in base towns, has gone upscale. I've done my share of drinking in scummy joints and I really do think that the new versions taste better.

Personally, I like awamore better (on the rocks, with a bit of water), but shochu is pretty darned good.

I bet that there's good soju too, but I've always wound up drinking the rotgut stuff. My wife brought a two-liter bottle back from a business trip to Pusan a couple of years ago. It actually had ibuprofen added to it already! Ghastly.