Shoshu

[ThinkingBartender]

Hi Everyone,

Does anyone know any cocktail recipes, or mixed drinks which used Shoshu?

My only Shoshu Cocktail is the Apple Blossom

Apple Blossom

2 shots Shoshu

3/4 shot fresh lime juice

1/2 shot sugar syrup

2-3 dashes of rosewater

1 eggwhite (albumen)

Shake hard with ice, then strain over ice, in a whisky glass. Glass with an Edible flower perhaps, or a slice of apple.

Plus, can anyone recommend any books on Shoshu?

Cheers!

George

[thebartrainer]

How about this...

1 1/2 Sochu

1 Sake

1/2 Gomme

knob ginger

Muddle Ginger, add other ingredients, shake vigorously and double strain into a cocktail glass

Cheers

[ThinkingBartender]

Japan Times: Shoshu Article

"Shochu is a part of Japanese culture that not many people know much about," he said. "People abroad know nihonshu [sake], but they don't know anything about shochu. Ultimately, though, I hope it will become a common word worldwide, like sushi or tempura. But before that can happen, Japanese people must first know more about it."

He lays out the two fundamental types of shochu: otsu-rui and ko-rui. For decades ko-rui, which is distilled several times and is virtually odorless, was the popular type, usually drunk mixed with juice, tea or -- as chuhai -- with soda. Otsu-rui, on the other hand, is the product of one distillation, and has a strong, distinctive smell derived from its source ingredient, which -- just as for ko-rui -- may be buckwheat, sweet potatoes, brown sugar or rice. Otsu-rui is normally drunk on the rocks or mixed with water.

George

[markovitch]

my favorite sushi bar has three varieties:

shochu with ume (havent had it)

'' with green tea, warm

'' with lemon juice and club soda (very good)

sorry but i can't give proportions, since i don't know them

Edited September 29, 2004 by markovitch (log)

[WoBuJiDao]

Hi Everyone,

Does anyone know any cocktail recipes, or mixed drinks which used Shoshu?

This reply is entirely delayed. But you can buy Soju (Shochu is a Japanese version of this Korean product) very easily and cheaply in any Korean store. I'm not usually one to mix alcohol with teas. But Saan-brand Green-Tea-infused Soju, mixed with Oolong Tea (don't go easy on the booze), is perhaps the ultimate drink for a Cold Winter Night. Spring's coming soon so try it while you have the chance - or try it with an unsweetened ice tea.

Soju is also excellent on the rocks or mixed with fruit juice. It's essentially a 50 proof vodka with a somewhat savory taste, so I imagine it would work in the place of vodka for many drinks. Perhaps a Bloody Mary made with Soju would be excellent.

Japanese sojus are quite a bit harder to find and more expensive, and to my mind don't taste any better, although I'm not expert.

[AzianBrewer]

Japanese shochu are quite easy to find in NYC. I personally think that Japanese Shochu taste better than Korean Soju because its intense flavors and not harsh. Korean Soju are loaded with chemical anyway. The only thing I do with Korean Soju is to mix. The only au natural soju from Korean are one from the Anjong region.

[eje]

I've noticed recently that some restaurants I know don't have hard liquor licenses have begun serving soju cocktails, so I did some digging.

From what I've read, Korean restaurant owners banded together in 1998 and lobbied for some sort of special dispensation in CA so that liquor labeled "soju" and below 48 proof could be sold in restaurants with only beer and wine licenses.

It took a while for non-Korean restaurants to catch on; but, I've now been seeing it pretty commonly in various sushi bars.

I guess I would be slightly more apt to try a soju-tini than a sake-tini.

Has anyone been experimenting with this spirit?

I thought this combination was nice:

2 ounces of Awamori (Okinawan version of Shochu/Soju)

2 dashes of Angostora bitters

1/2 tsp (or less) rich simple syrup

1 tsp meyer lemon, clementine, or tangerine juice

Chill briefly and strain into glass.

[WoBuJiDao]

I posted before and since learned a little extra. Korean sojus are not crafted. They are essentially industrial neutral spirits, the same as vodka, but watered down to 48 proof instead of watered down to 80 proof. OK there's usually a little bit more of a flavor to it, usually a powdered sugar or pear flavor, but the flavor is very subtle and not noticeable in a cocktail, any more than a premium vodka tastes different from Smirnoff in a cocktail.

Japanese shochus tend to be of a higher quality, and brewed from sweet potatoes (Korean sojus were also brewed from sweet potatoes, until the practice was outlawed during some war, the Korean War I believe) but really aren't much different.

In the Bay Area, there are definitely some cool spots that aren't at all Asian and have soju cocktails. These spots are cool for their indie or music vibe rather than the quality of their cocktails, though.

Also, I thought it was interesting to see a publicity photo for the new Harry Potter movie - Harry is seen with a small green bottle with mountains on it. Keen eyes will note it's a bottle of Korean green-tea infused soju. One bottle is about equal to four beers. So I expect Harry's Quidditch skills to be a bit sloppy in this one.

[Pan]

Funny member name you have!

I believe you're incorrect that Korean soju cannot be brewed from sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are one of the ingredients in at least some Korean sojus.

[AzianBrewer]

There are various types of shochu. Other than sweet potato or imo, sugar cane, wheat, rice and millet are used to make shochu. Some distilleries even used carrots, pumpkins and chestnuts. Korean soju are great for cocktails and Japanese shochu are great for sipping.

Cheers.