Japan and its little things: Shōchū

I do not know why it took me so long to talk about it here. Shōchū was certainly one of the best discoveries during this stay in Japan. But what is it?

"Shōchū (焼酎) is an alcoholic beverage of Japan, most commonly distilled from barley, sweet potato or rice. Typically it is 25% alcohol by volume, making it weaker than whiskey, but stronger than wine and sake."

http://www.theshochu.com/top.html

The key characteristics of Shōchū are irresistible: soft taste, low calories and no next-day-headache! And those few calories are converted to heat by the body and emitted. There have been well-publicized claims of medical benefits, including that it can be effective in preventing thrombosis, heart attacks, and diabetes. It is also a versatile drink that is suited to most styles of cuisine.It is the perfect drink!

Description

Serving Sizes

kCal

Calories in Bitter

Pint

187

Calories in Draught Mild

Pint

136

Calories in Gin & Tonic

Single

120

Calories in Red Wine

Glass

119

Calories in Regular Bitter

Pint

170

Calories in Vodka

Single

Calories in Whiskey

Single

Calories in White Wine - Dry

Glass

116

Calories in Shōchū

Single

On top of that, getting high on Shōchū (oh yeah you can definitely say "high") is one of the best experiences you can have in the Tokyo night, as it fills you with an intense energy that you do not know where comes from, but you gladly realize when it is there!

Shōchū recently became the focus of a consumer boom, and in 2003 shipments within Japan surpassed those of sake for the first time. However, this alcohol remains unknown outside Japan.

It has become better known as a result of one man who consumed it regularly. Shigechiyo Izumi, a Japanese citizen who up until recently held the world record for longest life span (120 years), made shōchū part of his daily dietary regimen. This fact was mentioned along with his record in the Guinness Book of World Records. Because of his intimate passion for shōchū, many have speculated that shōchū is healthy and can actually promote longevity. This even prompted some local Ryūkyū shōchū brewers to market a special Longevity Liquor shōchū bearing his likeness on the front label. Despite these claims, Izumi's personal physician strongly advised against drinking shōchū, as his kidneys were not strong enough to process shōchū in his advanced age. But Izumi went on to say: "Without shōchū there would be no pleasure in life. I would rather die than give up drinking."

And my friend Izumi, you could not be more correct!

Main Varieties

Rice shōchū

Rice shōchū (米焼酎, komejōchū) shares its base ingredient with sake. It has a fairly thick taste, and appears to have originally developed in regions too warm for sake production. ^[14]

Barley shōchū

Barley shōchū (麦焼酎, mugijōchū) is generally less distinctive than rice shōchū and easy to drink. However if cask-aged the taste can be quite sharp and strongly reminiscent of single-malt whisky.

Potato shōchū (my ichi-ban!)

Potato shōchū (芋焼酎, imojōchū) uses sweet potato, widely cultivated across southern Kyūshū since the Edo period, as its base ingredient.

It tends to have has a strong taste and a distinctive smell, sharply dividing drinkers into those who do and don't like it. More recently producers have made varieties whose aroma is somewhat
suppressed.

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Vinicius de Moraes, a famous Brazilian poet/composer/musician/bon-vivant once said: "Whiskey is like a dog in a bottle", making fun with the fact that both dog and whiskey are man's best friends. Well, I used to agree with him until I met shōchū...

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Dch%C5%AB#cite_ref-japantimes_2-1