Shochu and awamori on a Japanese menu
On a menu, the word before 焼酎 tells you what the shochu is made from (芋 sweet potato, 麦 barley, 米 rice, 黒糖 brown sugar), and the way of drinking is one of ロック (on the rocks), 水割り (with cold water), お湯割り (with hot water) or ソーダ割り (with soda); awamori (泡盛) is Okinawa's rice spirit.
What is shochu made from?
Honkaku shochu (本格焼酎) is distilled once from one main ingredient, and that ingredient gives the style. The name is on the menu before the word 焼酎.
| Word | Reading | Made from | Usual character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 芋焼酎 | imo | Sweet potato | Sweet, rounded, a rich aroma |
| 麦焼酎 | mugi | Barley | Light, clean, easy to start with |
| 米焼酎 | kome | Rice | Soft and gentle, close to sake |
| 黒糖焼酎 | kokutō | Brown sugar | Light with a sweet scent (made on the Amami islands) |
| 泡盛 | awamori | Thai-type rice, black koji | Strong aroma; aged awamori is called 古酒 (kusu) |
More detail: types of shochu and awamori and how awamori differs from shochu.
How is it served?
| Word | Reading | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| ロック | rokku | On the rocks, over ice |
| 水割り | mizuwari | Mixed with cold water |
| お湯割り | oyuwari | Mixed with hot water. Sweet potato shochu is very good this way. |
| ソーダ割り | sōda-wari | Mixed with soda water, light and refreshing |
| ストレート | sutorēto | Straight, in a small glass |
| 前割り | maewari | Mixed with water in advance and rested, so the taste is softer |
A common order is 「芋のお湯割りをください」 (imo no oyuwari o kudasai), a sweet potato shochu with hot water. How to mix shochu gives the usual ratios, and how to drink awamori covers awamori.
What does 25度 mean?
度 is the percentage of alcohol by volume, so 25度 is 25 %. Shochu is most often 25度 and awamori is often 25 to 30度, which is stronger than sake at about 15 %. Mixed with water the drink becomes lighter, and drinking water in between is a good habit.
What is the difference between honkaku shochu and 甲類?
The label 本格焼酎 (also shown as 乙類) means the drink is distilled once from its ingredients and keeps their flavour. 甲類 is a neutral spirit used as the base of チューハイ (chūhai). See kōrui shochu.
Can KIKI’s menu scan read shochu lines?
Yes. The menu scan reads sake, shochu and awamori lines, and shows the matching bottle with its taste and rating. Shochu and awamori have their own taste map, because their scales differ from sake. How the menu scan works.