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Kanpai

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New York

A Gem in Greenwich Village

January 25, 2018 by Stephen Leave a Comment

A Gem in Greenwich VillageFukurou is the first US outpost of a Japanese izakaya chain, but you'd never guess this was a corporate location from the experience. It's a tiny space with a few counter seats and tables that are almost always reserved by Japanese patrons or foodies.

Filed Under: Izakaya Reviews, Izakayas Tagged With: beer, chicken wings, fried brie, fukurou, izakaya, New York, New York City, sake, tebasaki, wine

NYC finally has an Izakaya Brunch!

August 14, 2015 by Stephen Leave a Comment

NYC finally has an Izakaya Brunch!I've been advocating for an izakaya brunch in NYC since at least the summer of 2012 when Uminoie had a series of summer afternoon patio parties. I guess I've worn down the owners at SakaMai (157 Ludlow, LES), because they are now serving brunch 11:30-2:30 Saturday & Sunday.

Filed Under: Izakaya Reviews, Izakayas Tagged With: brunch, burger, izakaya, New York, NYC, ramen, SakaMai, soba

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

Tori Shin

June 14, 2012 by Stephen 1 Comment

Tori ShinThere are few places in New York City where you legitimately feel like you could be sitting in Tokyo. Most places are either too big or too small or the proportions of the space are just off in some subtle way. Perhaps there's a Latino bus boy or English signage. There's almost always something that gives away that we're in the U.S. At Tori Shin you have to look very, very closely and the evidence only appeared in early 2012.

Filed Under: Izakaya Reviews, Izakayas Tagged With: beer, chicken sashimi, ichiyaboshi, izakaya, New York, review, sake, shochu, Tori Shin, yakitori

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

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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: 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.

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.

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 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.

Mizu Lemongrass Shochu

Mizu Lemongrass Shochu may not be an authentic honkaku shochu due to the use of lemongrass, but this is a case where a beautiful spirit breaks the rules.

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