Shochu

A word on the local liquor. Most people in the States, when they think of Japan and alcohol, think sake. Interestingly enough, sake means rice wine and alcohol in Japanese, which sometimes makes it tough for me to know what I'm being asked to drink. However, what I've found is that the popular liquor down here in Ehime is something called shochu, which looks just like rice wine, but is actually much worse tasting and much stronger, usually around 25%. There are about four different types, distinguished by the nature of the starch which was brewed. The common types are rice, barley, brown sugar, and sweet potato. The one that I keep getting handed is the sweet potato type, which I'm told has the most kick and the strongest flavor. It's not the type of drink you take as a shot, instead you mix it into just about everything. Cold water, hot water, tea, fruit juice, soda, and even beer. Normally when it's been ordered for me, it comes in a glass of hot water. Let me tell you, this stuff sneaks up on you. I'll see what I can do about bringing some back into the States, but the problem, as you can see from the picture, is that the bottles are absolutely massive. The best, or perhaps, worst part about shochu is that it's about as cheap as water, which really helps at the end of the night once the bartender brings the tab. Tasty stuff, but I think I'll stick with my Suntory whiskey.