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Events

NOTICE: Shochu’sday is Moving!

March 2, 2021 by Stephen Leave a Comment

NOTICE: Shochu’sday is Moving!

After 40 consecutive weeks of hosting Shochu Pros Shochu’sday on Instagram, we are moving to Streamyard, which will allow us to stream to Facebook, YouTube, and eventually to our new website, JapanDistilled.com.

As always (except during daylight savings), 8pm EST on Tuesday evening, 10am JST on Wednesday morning in Japan.

We will be harmonizing our various web presences over the next few months. More to come!

KANPAI!

… Read More “NOTICE: Shochu’sday is Moving!”

Filed Under: Events

The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks!

October 9, 2019 by Stephen Leave a Comment

The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks!Stephen Lyman has written the Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks, which was published in October by Tuttle. Find out more abou the book, where to buy it, and most importantly, where to meet Stephen to get your own signed copy as he travels Japan and North America.

Filed Under: Events, Shochu Misc. Tagged With: Awamori, beer, book, book signing, book tour, cocktails, craft beer, craft spirits, japanese alcohol, japanese drinks, plume wine, sake, shochu, The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks, umeshu, whiskey, whisky, wine

Pitching Shochu to the World

April 14, 2015 by Stephen Leave a Comment

Pitching Shochu to the WorldAt the event, held in March 2015, buyers from the US, UK, Israel, China, South Korea, Thailand, and Cambodia met with sake and shochu producers from around Kumamoto. We toured Hitoyoshi, the center of the rice shochu universe. Hitoyoshi is nestled in the valley of the Kuma River, which has been voted the best river in Japan every year for years.

Filed Under: Events, Shochu, Shochu Misc. Tagged With: kome shochu, kumajochu, Kumamoto, rice shochu, Sengetsu Shuzo, shochu, Takahashi Shuzo, Torikai Shuzo

Shochu Tuesdays at SakaMai

July 19, 2013 by Stephen 1 Comment

Shochu Tuesdays at SakaMaiShochu Tuesdays have a new home at SakaMai. If you've been following the site for a while, you know that these started at Izakaya Ten back in 2008 when I first discovered shochu. The experience stuck with me and corrupted me in ways I didn't expect.

Filed Under: Events, Shochu, Shochu Misc. Tagged With: LES, Lower East Side, New York, SakaMai, shochu, shochu happy hour, Shochu Tuesday

The Odd Couple

May 28, 2013 by Stephen 1 Comment

The Odd CoupleAs I've delved deeper into the world of shochu, I've become increasingly interested in pairing shochu with foods. I first became aware of the differences when I began drinking sweet potato shochu with roasted meats and rice shochu with seafood. The shochu enhanced the food's flavors and the oils in the foods changed the character of the shochu. Over time I've found that some foods pair amazingly well with shochu while others are a complete miss.

Filed Under: Events, Shochu, Shochu Misc. Tagged With: food pairing, oysters, SakaMai, shochu, shochu pairing

My First Night Tending Bar

May 1, 2013 by Stephen 4 Comments

My First Night Tending BarLet me preface this by saying I've never operated a cash register and I've never worked in the food service industry a day in my life. But that didn't stop the fine folks at SakaMai (157 Ludlow Street, NYC) from opening up their Pour Bar for me to host their first Shochu Tuesday Happy Hour last night, April 30th from 6-8pm.

Filed Under: Events, Izakayas, Shochu, Shochu Misc. Tagged With: bartending, Gankutsuoh, Gokoo, izakaya, SakaMai, Satsuma Shiranami, shochu

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ShochuTengokuKANPAI.US@ShochuTengoku·
2 Mar

Heads up to everyone - #shochusday is moving to @japandistilled as Stephen and Christopher begin to harmonize their web presence around their Podcast. Please watch on Facebook and soon on YouTube and the JapanDistilled website Kanpai! https://kanpai.us/shochusday-is-moving/

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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

The SG Shochu Cocktail Recipes

Bartender Shingo Gokan mixes a cocktail.
The SG Shochu brand manager, Joshin Atone, talks with Kanpai.us about shochu's versatility and potential in the cocktail. He also shares three recipes for bartenders to try.

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.

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.

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: 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 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.

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