Why Choose Shochu?

I got a couple of sample bottles of Haamonii Shochu earlier this summer… and I am remiss in not yet posting about it. (Been traveling, been incredibly busy, sometimes things I love even take a little while to circle back to…)

But, let’s start at the beginning… What is shochu?

“Shochu” is a distilled Asian spirit. I have been acquainted with “soju” - Typically a distilled Korean spirit - for a while now. Soju is sometimes classified as a kind of wine, allowing restaurants with only a beer / wine license replace vodka with soju in cocktails. (Similarly, some restaurants make “agave wine” margaritas, when they don’t have a license for spirits… and they taste pretty good!)

But I digress…

I had understood “shochu” to be Japanese “soju” but wasn’t entirely sure if there was a difference. Turns out that Japan has started calling some of its shochu “soju” so that it could be recognizably exported to the U.S.. Shochu and soju can be made from sweet potato, barley, grain and rice. Haamonii Shochu declares itself “a grain based ultra premium spirit” and I don’t argue with that definition.

How does it compare with vodka?

To me, plain Haamonii Shochu is similar to vodka, only a bit sweeter. I find it incredibly silky on the tongue with very little alcohol “burn.” The lemon-flavored Hammonii is a pleasant surprise. The smell and taste are of fresh lemon (though both are surely artificial). I plan to create a cocktail combining muddled lychee, mandarin juice and a splash of lime for my next 'sushi night.'

I’m a big fan of the Asian influence on our cocktails in the U.S., Europe and Australia. In my travels, I have seen more ginger, lemongrass and the like making their way onto worldwide cocktail menus, for a while now. I use all sorts of exotic ingredients in The Liquid Muse Mixology, and I look forward to incorporating Shochu into the mix!

Tart Trend - The Meyer Lemon

I've been singing the praises of Asian ingredients in The Liquid Muse Mixology summer cocktails... and wouldn't ya know... I'm not alone. The Meyer Lemon (native of China) is making a sweet splash on cocktail menus around the country, in time for sipping along with the Olympics!

Blue Velvet (Los Angeles, CA) - serves the Meyer Lemon Martini with Saffron, which is made with saffron, and lemon skin that is blanched with simple syrup 3 times. It is then pureed and mixed with citron vodka and freshly squeezed lemon juice

Bacar (San Francisco, CA) – Mixologist Carlos Yturria uses Meyer Lemons for his specialty cocktails by soaking them in simple syrup and deep-frying them to create interesting garnishes. The cocktail list highlights locally produced spirits, such as 209 Gin from San Francisco and Hangar One vodka from Alameda, CA

Restaurant Kelly Liken (Vail, CO) – features a Meyer Lemon Margarita made with freshly squeezed Meyer Lemon Juice, Sauza “Hornitos” Tequila, Cointreau, shaken and served tall with a Pink Sea Salt rim

Napa Valley Grille (Westwood, CA) - Chef Joseph Gillard serves the Chef Jospeh Hard Lemonade, which is made with Lemon Verbena, Lemon Balm, Ginger, Lemon Grass, Meyer Lemons and Vodka

Tristan (Charleston, SC) – serves a White Lady at the bar with Meyer Lemon Juice, Gin and Cointreau served up with a twist of the lemo

CYRUS (Healdsburg, CA) – features The Waverly Place Echo made with Hangar One Mandarin Orange Blossom Vodka, Kaffir Lime Leaf, Chinese Five Spice Honey, Bruce's Satsuma Mandarins, Meyer Lemons and Seltzer and the Gin Kim Chi made with Sarticious Gin, Shiso, Galangal, Kim Chi of Ginger and Daikon, Bruce's Meyer Lemon Juice and Ginger Beer

Designer Water Takes a Fashionable Turn

Evian by Christian Lacroix

While tooling around a wine tasting in Los Angeles a few days ago, I came across this intriguing item. I'm guessing that amid all the 'noise' energy drinks are making these days, fancy designer water is floating downstream, away from the lime light. In an effort to recapture our attention, and material desires, companies such as Evian, are turning to celebrities in the fashion world.

I have to admit that this bottle is stunning. It makes the cobalt and red Ty Nant bottles of yore seem incredibly passe. I would buy a bottle of this Lacroix Evian, if only to stick flowers in it as a conversational centerpiece for a springtime dinner on my patio. I'm not sure I'd shell out upwards of $20 for it on ebay simply to tote it in my gym bag, though. But, hey, as proven in fashion-forward vintage stores around the world, one woman's recycling is the center of another woman's wardrobe...

Are We Too Tired to Party?

Interestingly, at the Nightclub & Bar Magazine Tradeshow in Las Vegas, last week, cocktails took a back seat to beverages promising a caffeinated boost. “Upper downers” (my term for caffeinated booze) were the main attraction. I came away with the distinct idea that today’s partiers can’t last though the night without a little help. No, I'm not talking about the good old fashion illegal all-night party drugs of yore. I'm talking about energy drinks.

Apparently, Red Bull is still the King of the Caffeinated Jungle, as proven by the eardrum-rupturing music blaring from the great white go-go dancing installation of amped-up love.

Playboy has gotten in on the act. But, don’t be fooled. The Playboy Energy Drink is not owned by Hef. The CirTran Beverage Corporation has licensed the name. Still, It has less after taste than most, and if I were going to hold a logo in my hand at a party, this would be the one.

Deep Throat energy drink on the other hand, is the last thing I’d be caught dead standing near. I mean, who exactly are they marketing to? Women would look like trailer trash drinking a can of it, and men would seem like total doofuses. I hate to be a hater but even their booth “bunnies” looked they’d turn a trick or two in the parking lot after the show.

Go Girl has the most wholesome (let’s say “normal”) image and tastes the best, by far. It comes in various flavors like the now obligatory pomegranate, among others... Unfortunately, their website is not well put together but try not to let that put you off. This is the energy drink I’d buy a case of. They even donate to breast cancer research.

If you’d like a little liquor buzz with your energy boost, PINK has you covered. In addition to their caffeinated vodka (which tastes better than most of its kind) they are just rolling out caffeinated tequila, sake and more. Tasting PINK, I have to say that amped up booze has come a long way since I wrote about Zygo back in 2006.

Get it on with Mama Juana, whom I didn’t see at the show but sent me samples directly. The company claims that this drink’s ingredients have been used for over 400 years in the Caribbean to enhance stamina and virility. Launched by John Layfield, a WWE wrestler who won notoriety early in his career for taking on a bear at a bar in Texas (sounds like a case for P.E.T.A., if you ask me…). Mama Juana’s sex-boosting formula includes:

• maca (to increase male sexual performance)
• hawthorn berry (improves blood flow around the body… if you catch the drift)
• horny goat weed (pun intended – its an aphrodisiac used in Chinese medicine)
• muira puama (a Brazilian aphrodisiac)
• anumu (used by Peruvians to promote virility)
• eleuthero (“Siberian ginseng,” another aphrodisiac)
• green tea extract (“provides strong antioxidant activity for sperm.” Who knew?)

This elixir doesn’t taste as natural as it sounds but shaken into a margarita it is worth trying out. Just make sure you have a willing partner and a few hours to spare should it deliver the sexual cyclone it promises.

Another burst of energy delivered right to my door is from 5-Hour Energy. This one angles itself more toward the athletic crowd. It claims that it gives “hours of energy now, no crash later.” Now that’s a drug I can get behind! Its packaging is much more technical and even includes reports from a clinical trial favorably comparing itself to other energy drinks. It claims to be loaded with b-vitamins, enzymes and amino acids and comes in berry, lemon-lime and orange flavors. This is one I would definitely down before my next run.

So, there you have it. There are about a million more of these kinds of things on the market, so please share your favorites in the comments, below. And, let us us know if you need this stuff to motivate yourself for a night out. And, definitely let me know if you like mixing these in cocktails… not that I'm too tired to party, or anything. (yawn)