Regardless of centuries of historical past, shochu has solely lately discovered elevated prominence in cocktail bars, thanks in half to bartenders like Takuma Watanabe. An acclaimed bartender in Tokyo, Watanabe was impressed by Shingo Gokan and moved to New York the place he served as the pinnacle bartender at Angel’s Share for 9 years earlier than launching the bar program for Martiny’s, a brand new bar in Gramercy Park. Watanabe appreciates shochu for its versatility in cocktails. “As a result of it may be made with quite a lot of elements like barley, candy potatoes, sesame, and extra, it has a number of character, and the koji creates distinctive flavors,” he says. “The alcohol share is often round 25 p.c, so it’s a lot smoother than different spirits. However these days, producers are offering high-alcohol merchandise as properly, particularly for cocktails. It could actually actually stir bartenders’ imaginations.”
iichiko Saiten
“It’s one of many iconic shochus in Japan from Oita Prefecture,” says Watanabe of the iichiko model, which debuted in 1979 from the Sanwa firm as a premium type of the spirit generally known as honkaku shochu. The iichiko Saiten expression was launched in 2019 with a better ABV meant for cocktails, and the spirit nabbed double gold on the San Francisco World Spirits Competitors the next yr. “It’s a barley shochu that maximizes the style of conventional Japanese koji (jiuqu),” says Watanabe. “It was born by means of joint improvement with a high bartender in San Francisco. With an alcohol content material of 43 p.c, it’s very best as a cocktail base.” $29.99, shopwinedirect.com
Aka Kirishima
Kirishima has been producing shochu for greater than a century within the Miyazaki Prefecture. Additionally a premium honkaku shochu, the Aka Kirishima is produced from purple Murasaki-Masari candy potatoes. The polyphenols within the candy potatoes react to the citric acid produced by the koji, turning the spirit a brilliant purple shade and giving the shochu its identify. “It’s very straightforward to drink,” says Watanabe. “It has a well-balanced candy scent and a mellow and fruity style. It can be used for dessert cocktails that aren’t too candy.” $28.99, harrisonwinevault.com
Kana Shochu
On the Nishihira Distillery in Kagoshima Prefecture, all fermentation is finished in ceramic pots buried within the flooring of the distillery. The Kana Shochu is a honkaku produced from rice and black kokuto sugar from Okinawa, after which aged for one yr in oak casks. “It’s very floral with a contact of acid, with a caramel-like sweetness within the aftertaste,” says Watanabe. “It’s excellent for tropical cocktails. I’d prefer to play with this one in a Piña Colada twist.” $69.99, totalwine.com
Aokage Forty-One
Produced by the Yanagita Distillery within the Miyazaki Prefecture, the Aokage was first launched in 2006 and is produced seasonally within the spring and fall. The distiller created a customized nonetheless that permits him to “toast” the liquid—produced from 100 p.c two-row barley—creating roasty, barely smoky notes. The Aokage Forty-One is a more moderen launch with a better ABV (41 p.c) to deliver a fuller physique and taste to cocktails. “It’s obtained a gorgeous, toasted aroma and comfortable mouthfeel with a number of umami and savory notes,” Watanabe says. “It’s a really enjoyable character and I take advantage of it in scorching cocktails or dry, stirred cocktails.” See skurnik.com for distribution.
Ryukyu 1429 Kaze
“This one is definitely an awamori from Okinawa Prefecture,” explains Watanabe. Whereas shochu could be fermented from quite a lot of elements, awamori can solely be produced from indica rice and black koji mould. Ryukyu 1429 (referencing the traditional Japanese kingdom of the Ryukyu Islands) is made particularly for mixing in cocktails, and the Kaze is aged for 5 years. “Utilizing kuro (black) koji makes a really distinctive and balanced taste, particularly after the 5 years,” Watanabe says. “The style is wealthy umami like a shiitake mushroom, and the tip of the glass has a ravishing cacao aroma.” At present out there in Europe, the model is aiming to launch stateside this summer time. See ryukyu1429.com for distribution.
