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Search Results for: jougo

Jougo

October 9, 2011 by Stephen 3 Comments

JougoJougo was my first introduction to “black sugar” shochu. Black sugar is a richer, darker Asian version of western brown sugar. It contains molasses and sugar cane. And it’s delicious. If you can find black sugar in your local Asian market, pick some up and experiment with it as a replacement for other sweeteners. Jougo is smooth, sweet, and rounded. It lacks the complexity of many other shochus, but it’s easy drinking. It’s not as sweet as you’d expect from something distilled from a sugar, which is probably due to the spring water added at the end of the distillation process.

Filed Under: Shochu, Shochu Reviews Tagged With: brown sugar, Jougo, kokuto, molasses, review, shochu, sugar cane

Kokuto: Japan’s Delicious Dark Sugar

August 31, 2020 by Christopher Pellegrini 2 Comments

Kokuto: Japan’s Delicious Dark SugarKokuto sugar is Japan's top-quality dark sugar tradition. It is one of the world's great "unrefined" sugars, and it's used in cooking, consumed as a snack, or added to the second fermentation when brewing kokuto shochu in Japan's Amami Islands.

Filed Under: Shochu Tagged With: amami kokuto shochu, kokuto, kokuto shochu, kokuto sugar, sugarcane

kokuto shochu reviews

kokuto shochu reviews

Kokuto shochu is made from kokuto. Kokuto is a type of unrefined dark sugar that is made by pulping sugar cane and then boiling the juice for hours until it dries into blocks. Nutrient rich and more delicious than any brown sugar you have ever tried in the US, kokuto’s closest cousin may be muscovado.

kokuto sugar
raw kokuto sugar in a shochu distillery.

Kokuto shochu can only legally be made in the Amami Islands between Kagoshima Prefecture and Okinawa. There are 28 distilleries producing products under 18 different brand portfolios. Ten smaller distilleries work together to make a single portfolio rather than trying to compete against the larger suppliers on the islands.… Read More “kokuto shochu reviews”

Menchanko-Tei 55 (NOW: Katsu Hama)

March 13, 2012 by Stephen Leave a Comment

Menchanko-Tei 55 (NOW: Katsu Hama)There are some restaurants that are destinations and others that are comfortable neighborhood joints where you feel like a local even if you're not. Menchanko-Tei 55 falls into the latter category. It's a narrow izakaya in a nondescript area of Midtown Manhattan. The appeal is that it is situated in a relative food desert for good Japanese, several blocks away from any other restaurant of note with the exception of Katsu Hana (upstairs from Menchankto-Tei). The varnished wood walls give the place a warm feeling with its semi-open kitchen along one side.

Filed Under: Izakaya Reviews, Izakayas Tagged With: beer, izakaya, kara-age, menchanko, Menchanko Tei, Menchanko Tei 55, oden, ramen, sake, shochu, tako wasa

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Retweet on TwitterawamoriXshochu Retweeted
ChrisPellegriniChristopher Pellegrini@ChrisPellegrini·
13 Aug

My #awamori of the day is Kamimura’s ‘Shurei,’ a 30% ABV expression that reveals a soft milky note when served mizuwari. To the right of the brand name it says ‘hojun roman’ which sorta indicates mellowness, but I think it may depend on service style. Kari-! @regista_NAGAOKA

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Shochu Reviews

iichiko Saiten

After winning some awards on the international spirits circuit (including double-gold at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition), there's ample evidence that iichiko Saiten deserves serious consideration by bartenders everywhere.

Shochu Reviews

Tasting Notes: Nankai

Nankai Shochu
At first whiff, Nankai smells faintly grassy, which is common in kokuto shochu owing to how kokuto sugar is made from fresh cut cane and that fresh grassiness is a sign of well made kokuto sugar. Sugar cane is, after all, a tall perennial grass. It is still pretty wild that they can capture that after fermentation and distillation.

Tasting Notes: The SG Shochu MUGI

The SG Shochu MUGI Label
The SG Shochu MUGI wraps several barley shochu identities into one. It's lightly barrel-aged and carries the associated sweet notes. But there's also a graininess that is revealed when the temperature of the drink drops. It's a versatile barley shochu that can be enjoyed a variety of ways.

iichiko silhouette

This iichiko silhouette is probably the most common Japanese shochu currently available in the United States. In NYC I’ve seen it in random mom & pop liquor stores as the only shochu among a shelf of sake options. It’s most commonly available in 750ml bottles, though I’ve seen other sizes in other countries. This is a great starter shochu, which is why I’ve chosen it for my first tasting note. It was my introduction to shochu back in 2008. I’d had Korean soju before, but Japanese shochu is a strikingly different (and better) experience.

Shochu Reviews

Tasting Notes: Lento Shochu

Lento is the top selling kokuto shochu in Japan, and it is available internationally as well. Try it on the rocks or with sparkling water for a refreshing taste of the Amami Islands. Kanpai!

Tasting Notes: The SG Shochu IMO

The SG Shochu IMO is a clear invitation to create the classic imo cocktail. If you get it right, it will resonate and cascade around the world until you can't not have sweet potato shochu on your menu if you consider yourself a proper drinking establishment.

Tasting Notes: The SG Shochu KOME

Putting your nose in a glass of The SG Shochu Kome shows you just how complex a vacuum distilled rice shochu can be. Ginjo sake aromas from the yeast, pineapple, melon, and a faint hint of dairy-like lactic acidity are all present.

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