Shōchū

File:Shochu 001.jpg

A glass of Shochu

Shōchū is a Japanese alcoholic drink. It is usually about 25 - 37% alcohol. Shōchū can be made from barley, rice, sweet potato, buckwheat, and sugar cane. It is made in many places in Japan, but started in Kyūshū. People drink it mixed with cold or hot water, over ice, in cocktails, or on its own. Shōchū is different from nihonshu, or sake. Rice shōchū is made from sake by increasing the purity of alcohol. Shochu comes in many flavors depending on the ingredients.

Shōchū Media

• Japanese Joka.JPG

  Choka: kettle to make hot shōchū

• Shochu-rakugaki.jpg

  Shōchū graffiti at Kōriyama Hachiman shrine. Furigana is shown to the right. It is signed by two carpenters and dated August 11 of the 2nd year of the Eiroku period, i.e. 1559.

• Woodstill5.jpg

  Single distillation. Wooden pot stills are most often used at smaller distilleries.

• Shiranami.jpg

  One brand of Satsuma shōchū

• Various brands of sweet potato shōchū

• Bottled amami kokuto shochu.jpg

  Various bottled Amami kokutō shōchū

• Awamori at Miyakojima01s3s4500.jpg

  Bottled awamori displayed in a shop

Other websites

• https://www.satsuma.co.jp/english/con-shiru-shochu.html - A guide to shochu by a Japanese company