Kanpai

Kiccho Hozan: Black Koji Sweet Potato Shochu

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Kiccho Hozan, the black koji version, is very popular in NYC among shochu aficionados thanks to the influence of Aya Otaka, the bartender-owner of Shochu + Tapas Aya, who always recommended Kiccho to her customers when she was holding court at the late, great Shochu Bar Hatchan.

Izakaya in Paris

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Walking to the izakaya past Notre Dame and other sites, things seemed sketchy. I walked along narrow old cobblestone streets full of flashy restaurants with hawkers outside trying to draw in thirsty & hungry tourists. I stayed my course, and nearly grimaced as I turned the corner onto Rue de la Parcheminerie, expecting more of the same. I exhaled deeply as I saw an empty alley with a single shop, which at first glance (thanks to the wine bottles in the window), I walked past thinking it was a cave-a-manger (French wine bar). Turning back, I found myself in front of the izakaya. With a single sign in hiragana, it was easy to miss.

Pitching Shochu to the World

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At 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.

Gift Shochu: Two for One

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Two bottles as a gift

 

The more I explore shochu, the more interesting facets I discover. I wish I could share all of them in real time, but as you’ve probably noticed I’m not able to spend as much time on updating Kampai.US as I have been in the past. Life and work intrude and I spend far more of my time talking with people about shochu than writing about it. That said, I’ll keep it up and I’ve invited a few guest writers who hopefully will start to contribute additional content. But this post wasn’t meant to be an apology. Rather, this is about one of those facets of shochu culture that I love.… Read More “Gift Shochu: Two for One”