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sake

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

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

Izakaya in Paris

June 21, 2015 by Stephen Leave a Comment

Izakaya in ParisWalking 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.

Filed Under: Izakaya Reviews, Izakayas Tagged With: beer, izakaya, lengue, paris, sake, shochu, umeshu, wine

SakaMai: The Modern Izakaya Comes to the Lower East Side

August 18, 2013 by Stephen 1 Comment

SakaMai: The Modern Izakaya Comes to the Lower East SideSakaMai may not be the kind of place that you can afford to eat every night, but you're going to want to. The food, drinks, atmosphere, and staff make this an absolutely perfect night out. I'd like to come up with a quibble so it doesn't seem like I'm completely biased ... okay, here's one.

Filed Under: Izakaya Reviews, Izakayas Tagged With: cocktails, egg on egg on egg, iberico pork, izakaya, Japanese beer, Japanese whiskey, Lower East Side, New York City, nihonshu, SakaMai, sake, Shingo Gokan, shochu

Kitaya Shuzo

July 31, 2012 by Stephen 3 Comments

Kitaya ShuzoKitaya Shuzo is a nihonshu (sake) and shochu producer in Fukuoka Prefecture and the first stop on our shochu distillery tour. Seikai Ishizuka and I traveled nearly an hour south of Hakata (main station in Fukouka City) on a commuter train to reach Yame, a city of less than 40,000 people in southern Fukuoka Prefecture. There we were met by a Kitaya representative who drove us to the distillery.

Filed Under: Shochu, Shochu Tour 2012 Tagged With: aged shochu, barley, Bikoo, black koji, distillation, distillery, Fukuoka, genatsu, Gokoo, Gyokuro, imo, Jinkoo, joatsu, Kitaya Shuzo, Kokyu Yosaku, kura, kuro koji, moromi, mugi, nihonshu, sake, shochu, Shochu Tour, shuzo, sweet potato, Yosaku, Zeikoo

Sakaya

June 29, 2012 by Stephen Leave a Comment

SakayaSakaya, which means "sake shop" in Japanese, is a small, elegantly designed shop in New York City's East Village. It's just a few minutes walk from many of the popular izakayas and ramen shops in the neighborhood. The extensive selection of sake (nihon-shu) is curated by a husband and wife team - Hiroko Furukowa & Rick Smith. Their tastes are impeccable and their weekend sake tastings are a "must try" event when in the neighborhood on a Saturday afternoon.

Filed Under: Sake, Shochu, Shochu Misc. Tagged With: Beniotome, iichiko frasco, Kuro Kiri, Kuro Kirishima, Sakaya, sake, Satoh, shochu, Tomi No Hozan

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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 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.

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.

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.

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 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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