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Kanpai

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Events

Okinawamori!

April 23, 2012 by Stephen Leave a Comment

Okinawamori!What could be better to start out Spring than a virtual trip to Okinawa? The beautiful islands in the Pacific Ocean off the southern coast of Japan? Unfortunately for New Yorkers, since Suibi in Midtown East closed a few years back, Okinawan food is not easily available. Fortunately for New Yorkers, some Okinawa lovers have persisted and they have decided to put on an Okinawan festival.

Filed Under: Events, Izakayas, Shochu Tagged With: Awamori, Bozu, Karaoke, Okinawa, Orion Beer, Samurai Mama, Uminoie

Shochu Drinking Champion?

March 5, 2012 by Stephen 1 Comment

Shochu Drinking Champion?Just the title of this piece strikes me as odd. What is a shochu drinking champion? Fortunately for our livers, it's not the person who can drink the most shochu, but rather the person who can successfully match the most shochus from memory. And last week saw the crowning of the 1st ever New York Shochu Contest champion. Before we get to the winner, let's talk a little bit about the 1st Annual Shochu & Awamori Tasting Contest. In the interest of full disclosure, I am not an impartial observer. I was also a contestant.

Filed Under: Events, Shochu, Shochu Misc. Tagged With: aged shochu, Awamori, imo, mugi, New York, shochu, Shochu & Awamori Tasting Contest

2 days, 16 producers, 42 spirits

February 27, 2012 by Stephen Leave a Comment

2 days, 16 producers, 42 spiritsThe Japanese External Trade Organization (JETRO) & the Japanese Sake & Shochu Makers Association (JSS) put on a pair of stellar events in New York City on February 12th & 13th. We've already raved about Shochu Night Out, but the next day (Monday, February 13th) was Experience Shochu at Astor Wines.

Filed Under: Events, Shochu, Shochu Misc. Tagged With: Astor Wines, Awamori, Experience Shochu, genshu, JETRO, JSS, New York, umeshu

A Great Night Out

February 20, 2012 by Stephen 4 Comments

A Great Night Out

In Manhattan on Sunday, February 12th nearly 300 people were treated to a taste of shochu from the hands of shochu producers visiting from Japan. Dinner guests at Inakaya, Robataya, and Sakagura were greeted with sixteen shochu producers sampling their products.

At Inakaya the producers were situated around the perimeter of the high ceilinged space where we tried old favorites such as iichiko, Zuisen, Jinkoo, and Kappa No Sasoimizu, but were also introduced to a new distillery – Komasa Jyozo from Kagoshima Prefecture, which now offers four new products in the U.S. Window’s Mugiichi and Window’s Migaki are mugi shochus.… Read More “A Great Night Out”

Filed Under: Events, Izakayas, Shochu, Shochu Misc.

NYC Shochu & Awamori Contest!

January 29, 2012 by Stephen 3 Comments

NYC Shochu & Awamori Contest!In another sign that shochu is becoming more popular in the U.S. we are being treated to the 1st ever New York Shochu & Awamori Tasting Contest featuring 10 shochu & 3 Awamori at 16 restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The contest runs February 6-11, 2012.

Filed Under: Events, Shochu, Shochu Misc. Tagged With: Awamori, New York, shochu, Shochu & Awamori Tasting Contest, Shochu & Spirits Tasting Contest, tasting, tasting contest

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Shochu Reviews

iichiko Kurobin

My personal favorite iichiko brand available in the US is iichiko Kurobin. Kurobin is literally translated as "black bottle," which is a pretty on the nose description of this evocative packaging. It is simply too pretty to throw away after finishing.

Shochu Reviews

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.

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.

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.

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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