Japan’s oldest distilled alcoholic beverage and best-selling spirit is called shochu.
Not to be confused with Korean soju, shochu is distinctly Japanese, highly regulated, and has umami essence—an easily recognized flavor profile found in Japanese foods like miso and soy sauce.
“Shochu’s rich flavor yet light structure and smooth finish makes the spirit really fun to play with in cocktails,” says Eric Simmons, bar director at Chicago’s Maple and Ash. Simmons creates the Strawberry Blonde cocktail at his bar. The popular drink is a play on a Sidecar, that is a clarified milk punch style cocktail combining cognac, strawberries, lavender, citrus, and coconut cream with iichiko shochu.
“Once cool, bonded and finely strained this clarified strawberry Sidecar is the perfect sipping cocktail all year round,” says Simmons. “As a fan of the Sidecar, we always try to create different riffs on it for all of our seasonal menu changes.”
Simmons says the flavors of the strawberry lavender syrup made at Maple and Ash and his obsession for clarified cocktails inspired the drink. “iichiko is our secret ingredient,” he adds. “Splitting it with cognac in the Strawberry Blonde creates a balanced and crisp symphony of flavors that get better and better with each sip.”
iichiko Shochu (pronounced EACH-ko) is made from 100% two-row barley, fermented with koji. Koji is the traditional secret behind umami. Crafted in Oita Prefecture on Kyushu iichiko stays true to its natural environment. In 1979, iichiko debuted its premium class of shochu known as honkaku shochu. Today, iichiko is the leading brand of barley shochu in Japan. Iichiko Saiten is crafted specifically for the modern bartender, as a full-flavored expression of shochu at 43% ABV and perfect for cocktails. The more traditional expression, at 25% ABV, iichiko Silhouette is lighter and pairs well with a wide range of foods.
“iichiko Saiten is supremely mixable,” explains Simmons. “Its savory flavors and umami-like character creates unique, dynamic, and delicious cocktails.”
Learn More About Shochu
Shochu is believed to have originated around the 16th century, initially being produced throughout the southernmost Japanese main island, Kyushu. This region is famous for its clean air, lush greenery, dense cedar forests, mountainous terrain, and geothermal springs.
Distilled only once, Shochu is highly regulated by the Japanese government with no flavorings or additives allowed. During the distillation process, its normal ABV can be 20%-25%, but can reach as high as 43%.
Shochu can be made from ingredients such as rice, potatoes, buckwheat, grains, molasses, or other ingredients that are heavy in starch.
Traditionally Shochu can be enjoyed neat, hot, or on the rocks, but the spirit is versatile enough to create a wide range of cocktails.
Bartenders like Simmons enjoy riffing on their favorite classic cocktails by splitting the base with shochu. When mixing cocktails with shochu, the spirit should not be mistaken for vodka or soju. They are not the same. The Koji in shochu creates an umami flavor.
Importantly, bartenders need to remember most shochu is around 50 proof, so classic cocktail recipes will need another base spirit to make up the difference in proof. Or use a higher-proof, full-bodied option like iichiko Saiten.
Experiment with the different styles and flavors found in shochu. Taste it neat and or try it swapping out with the base spirit in your classic cocktail recipes. It’s versatility and uniqueness in cocktails make shochu a must-have behind the modern bar.
The post Why Use Shochu in Cocktails with Bar Director Eric Simmons appeared first on Chilled Magazine.
Source: Mixology News
