How to Make Shochu And Things You Must Know About Shochu!

One of the most savored alcohol beverage to have emerged from Japan in the last few years is shochu. Talking about this amazing shochu, it is famously sourced from Southern Japan as well as the other warmer areas of Japan. Shochu is steadily booming in fame in Japan and even across the whole globe. At present, there are more than 630 shochu distilleries in Japan operating as shochu sakaguras. Thus we see that the consumption of Shochu is pumping up remarkably across the last five years universally. Therefore let us take some worthy time to learn more about this wonderful shochu that is on almost every lip in Japan.ೕ(˃̵ᴗ˂̵ ๑)

The Basics of Shochu

Well, it is understandable that shochu may not as famous as it is in Japan as it is in the United States or any other part of the world. This is because shochu is essentially a traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage.

Fundamentally, shochu tea is distilled liquored savored for its delectable refreshment and power. Many tend to assume shochu for the Japanese sake. But this is not entirely accurate. This is because there are still some deep differences between Shochu and your conventional Japanese sake.

One of the most notable differences is that while Shochu is distilled liquor, sake, on the other hand, is fermented. Looking more at the ingredients typifying both, we see that while sake is produced from rice, shochu, on the other hand, is majorly made from mugi (which is barley) and sweet potato combined with rice.

On the side of alcoholic content, shochu is stronger than sake coming at an average alcohol content of 25-30% while sake comes at 15-18% alcoholic content. Even while they share some similarities, shochu tea and Japanese sake don’t taste exactly the same.

In Japan, shochu is more informally referred to as the Japanese vodka on the basis of its elevated alcoholic composition when compared to other common types of tea. Now how should you serve shochu?ೕ(˃̵ᴗ˂̵ ๑)

Serving Your Shochu Warm

The warming serving of shochu is more recommended for that rice shochu tea. This warm serving method is even more traditional although it is not necessarily the most popular serving approach. When warmed, the shochu tends to take on a mild soft and sweet taste. This flavor rightly differs from when you mix your shochu with hot water. Here the rice shochu is left overnight, but it is not mixed with water.ೕ(˃̵ᴗ˂̵ ๑)

Delving deeper into the procedure of serving your shochu hot:

Ideal Temperature

Note that your shochu in this regard shouldn’t be too hot. The best temperature at which you enjoy your shochu is around 45 °C. Here is one infamous mistake people regularly make when serving their shochu warm; they go on to put it in the microwave. This is needless and damages the flavor of your shochu because the taste gets excessively harsh when you heat your shochu in the microwave.

You can, therefore, see that the best condition to enjoy your shochu (using the warming approach) is a lukewarm temperature as said around 113 °F so you can best enjoy it when drinking.

Ideal Mixing Ratio

Here you may ask “what is the best ratio for mixing the shochu with water when serving warm?” Well, optimally you should go for a mixing ratio of 6:4 (shochu to water). That way the flavor of the shochu is more preserved. This way the balance in the taste is better. It is not too mild neither is it too harsh.

Serving Your Shochu Hot Water Mixed

This approach is more recommended for your sweet potato shochu tea It is more befitting for those who desire to significantly feel the umami as well as the aroma of the sweet potato shochu. By umami, we are referring to the lovely flavor of the imo shochu. Such flavor is rich in the vapor coming from the shochu. So what are the steps and guidelines to adhere to when serving your shochu this way?

The reason behind this is that you have to keep an eye out for the specific gravity of the water. This specific gravity of water is lighter when compared to shochu. In practical terms, the specific gravity of the shochu which supersedes that of the hot water causes to mix more effectively with the water by the process of convection. Therefore this would naturally result in a mild taste for the sweet potato shochu. In most cases, you wouldn’t even find a muddler useful in this instance.ೕ(˃̵ᴗ˂̵ ๑)

Ideal Temperature

So moving on the ideal temperature for the water that is best for this approach, we can go for somewhere around 70 °C. You see that this not overly hot.

Ideal Mixing Ratio

The ratio of the mixture (water and the shochu) is something you must also pay attention to. This is because you would easily spoil the umami flavor of the shochu if you mix it wrongly with the wrong shochu-water ratio. Best go for a ration of 6:4 pertaining to shochu to hot water. This is actually more ideal when the alcohol composition of your shochu is not less than 24%. You can also go for a more balanced mixing ratio of 5:5 in this approach.

The Serving Your Shochu On The Rocks

This serving style is recommended for the sugarcane shochu. In this approach, the shochu can be palatably served with come ice making it chilled and well refreshing. Actually, just any time of shochu from the rice shochu to the sweet potato shochu can be rightly served chilled. But that lovely fruity taste is felt more when barley or sugarcane shochu is served chilled.

The Ice Pouring Approach

It is as simple as pouring your shochu into a cup with say ice cubes, and mixing it adequately. So when the ice in the cup melts and the chillness properly permeates your shochu, it becomes more enjoyable tasting from differently from the conventional taste of the shochu beverage.

Talking about serving your shochu on the rocks, it is crucial to point out here that the ice is best transparent and should be good quality as well. In fact, it would be even more appropriate if the ice is composited of mineral water.

Ideal Quantity of Ice

So how what quantity of ice would you need? Well, three big ice cubes could do. If you want it nicer and chiller, you can go for four big ice cubes. Also make sure that while pouring your shochu into the ice, they should importantly make direct contact (that is the ice and the shochu).

Manufacturing Process As Well As The Alcohol Content Of Shochu

As we have learned earlier on, Shochu is a distilled liquor. So in a way it is similar to your brandy or your vodka right? But more commonly Shochu is seen as fermented liquor putting it closer to the category of wine. When fermented, it is better known traditionally as nihonshu. This is why in Europe and the United States as well, sochu is referred to as rice wine.

The thing is Shochu doesn’t boast as much alcohol content as your customary vodka or the brandy you see readily about. In most circumstances, the alcohol content of Shochu doesn’t exceed 37%. Also, looking at the conventional range, the alcohol content of Shochu doesn’t fall under 25% as well.

Sake and Shochu Cocktails Recipes

While we have established that the Japanese sake is different from shochu both of them can be amorously combined into amazing cocktail recipes. Let us look at some of the ingredients that can be used to make this great blends of cocktail recipes.

You will need your shochu of course as well as your lemonade, vodka, honjozo sake as well as your orange juice. Depending on your preference, you can also replace the vodka with gin. Also, if you deem fit, you can also bring in your melon liqueur otherwise referred to in Japanese as midori.

So now let us quickly look at the preparation procedures for the various cocktail recipes.

1. Saketini

Saketini is one lovely shochu cocktail recipes made in the likeness of martini. Here you would mix 15ml of your honjozo sake with about 53ml of your vodka. Get the mixture along with some ice cubes into a mixer and strain. You can enjoyably serve the saketini with olive to prop up the relish.

2. Sakedriver

This cocktail recipes of shochu and your sake is also very easy to prepare. Mix your orange juice (preferably about 180ml) with your iceball adding your sake and shochu as well. Simple and lovely, this is more of a low alcohol drink you can take in place of your stronger vodka based screwdriver.

3. Chu-hai

The chu-hai can be readily made by mixing your lemonade (about 200ml) with your shochu (an approximate quantity of 50ml will do). Now add ice to the mixture or even soda depending on your taste. You can even go further to spice up the sensation with some awesome fruit flavors like grape, apple or even peach.

3. Shochu & Melon

Just like the others we have talked about, this shochu cocktail recipe is a quickie. You can promptly mix your Midori (about 50 ml will be sufficient as well) with the same quantity of shochu. You can also add an equivalent quantity of fresh lemon juice to spice things even further. You can then go on to shake it with ice after which you strain it. You can make things lovelier by serving with a cocktail cherry.ೕ(˃̵ᴗ˂̵ ๑)

How Do You Store Your Shochu?

For the fact that shochu is distilled, it doesn’t need as much refrigeration to maintain its quality. Just make sure to keep your shochu in a cool place. This way the quality will not quickly degrade as when it is exposed directly to sunlight.

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