For Goodness Saké! Red Bottle's guide to Japanese drinks

There’s little doubt that here in Australia, any mention of Japanese alcohol will immediately bring to mind one word: Sake.

A beverage made from fermented polished rice, sake has been brewed in Japan for over 1000 years, and its broad flavour spectrum – from light, delicate & aromatic, to rich, complex & robust – coupled with its ability to match beautifully with all types of cuisine, has seen its popularity skyrocket in the Western world over the last century.

But of course, there is so much more to alcohol production in Japan than just sake! – in fact, in Japanese the term ‘sake’ can refer to any form of alcoholic drink, whilst the rice-based beverage referred to as ‘sake’ in English is usually called ‘nihonshu’ or ‘seishu’.

Shochu – not to be confused with the Korean spirit soju – is the most popular distilled Japanese spirit, and has been produced and consumed in the country for over 500 years. Typically with an ABV of 20-35%, It can be made using up to 55 different raw and processed ingredients, with the most common being barley, rice, sweet potato or molasses.

A highly versatile spirit, shochu can be served straight, on the rocks, or long with tonic or soda. Bartenders are using shochu more and more in place of vodka and gin in classic cocktails, particularly the Martini and Negroni. Also gaining massive popularity in Japan and abroad are the many versions of canned ‘chu-hi’ (short for ‘shochu highball’). Made with shochu and carbonated water flavoured with a variety of fruit combinations, try the Suntory -196 range to see what the craze is about!

Japan is also becoming increasingly well known for its variety of unique liqueurs. Made by infusing a base ingredient with some form of alcohol (usually shochu or sake) and sweetener, many popular examples make use of local fruits and produce such as ume (a sour fruit similar to plum and apricot), yuzu (a citrus hybrid of lime, mandarin and grapefruit) and aromatic green tea.

Perfect chilled, on the rocks or in mixed cocktails, Japanese liqueurs are as versatile as they are varied – for a truly unique flavour experience try Choya Kokuto Umeshu (blending Ume fruit with brown sugar, dark rum and black vinegar) Choya Uji Green Tea Umeshu (blending Ume with Green Tea) or Hakutsuru Yuzushu (blending Ume with Yuzu juice.)

Kanpai!