Awamori :: Okinawan Rice Spirit
Awamori is an alcoholic beverage produced in the southern islands of Okinawa. Although made from rice, it differs from sake in that it is distilled not brewed, and uses Thai Indica rice rather than short-grained Japonica rice. The method for distilling Awamori was first introduced to Okinawa from Thailand in the 15th century, and was refined using a unique white koji mould indigenous to Okinawa. Awamori is an extremely robust drink, and can be 60% proof, with its alcohol content rising further as it ages.
Beer :: Japanese Beer
Beer was first test-brewed in Japan in 1853, following a Dutch recipe. The country's first brewery was established in the 1870s and beer, especially lager, has since become very popular as an accompaniment to Japanese food. Japanese beer drinkers consider a beer's kire (literally “cutting”), or ability to cleanse the palate, as being particularly important and major Japanese beers are brewed for a sharp, clean finish. In 1994, it has become easier for smaller breweries to gain brewing licences and the variety of original, regional beers has greatly increased.
Chuhai :: Shochu Cocktail
Invented in the 1940s, the popular drink chuhai derives its name from an abbreviation of gshochu highballh. In the lean post-war years, the average person could not afford the mix of whisky and soda in a highball, and so shochu was used as a more affordable alternative, often flavoured with grape or plum. There is now a huge range of chuhai available, mixed with everything from soft drinks to green tea. Often sold in cans, chuhai is popular for its relatively low alcohol content.
Cup Sake :: Cup Rice Wine
Sake is traditionally sold in large bottles known as issho-bin (with a volume of approximately 1.8 litres). In the 1960s, as part of an effort to make sake more appealing to a younger generation, the concept of cup sake was introduced. The small handy-sized glass cups have proved extremely popular and a huge range of cup sake is now available. Sold in a wide-range of places such as convenience stores and train stations, the convenience of cup sake makes it ideal for the famous hanami cherry-blossom viewing.
Sake :: Rice Wine
Japan's most celebrated alcoholic drink, sake is brewed from fermented rice. Brown rice is polished to remove its husk, producing the smaller white rice grains used to make sake. Sake is categorized according to the degree to which the rice is polished and alcohol content: junmaishu (pure rice sake), honjozo (sake with added brewer's alcohol), ginjoshu (the highest grade of sake) and futsushu (common grades of sake). Sake is clear with a slightly sweet taste and an alcohol content of 14 to 16%. It can be served hot or chilled.
Shochu :: Japanese Clear Spirit
Fashionable in Japan in recent years and gaining popularity worldwide, shochu can be made from ingredients such as rice, buckwheat, wheat, sweet potato and corn. As in the making of sake, soy sauce, and miso, during initial fermentation a 'starter' called koji is used. The single distillation method used to make traditional shochu keeps more of the flavour of its ingredients while the multiple distillation method is suited to making cocktails and fruit liquor. Shochu contains no fat or sugar and is good drunk mixed in cocktails or on its own.
Umeshu :: Japanese Apricot Liqueur
Umeshu, with its subtle sweet flavour, has been consumed for over 1,000 years in Japan. This liqueur is made from green ume apricots, shochu and sugar, and is left to mature for between three months and one year. Because of the healthy properties of ume, umeshu is popular not only as a delicious drink, but also as a medicine. Ume apricots are rich in potassium and calcium and fruit acid, which aids digestion, breaks down lactic acid and are said to increase the body's metabolic rate and reduce tiredness.
Whisky :: Japanese Whisky
While using fundamentally the same ingredients and methods as in the West, Japanese whisky is made to accompany Japanese-style meals. While Scotch whisky, with its smoky flavour and strong peat taste, is better savoured on its own, Japanese whisky goes well with food. Particular importance is attached to the harmonized balance of the basic flavour, which is not diminished when diluted, and a subtlety of taste suited to the Japanese palate that does not mask the delicate flavours of Japanese food.
Wine :: Japanese Wine
Wine production only really began in Japan after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 made Japan more open to Western ideas, and the first commercial winery was established in 1877. At first sight, the high humidity and rainfall of Japan's climate and its acidic soil do not make it ideal for viticulture. However, in spite of this vineyards have flourished in areas where conditions have been suitable, such as Yamanashi prefecture. The northern island of Hokkaido has also gained a good reputation for its wines.
