Goodbye, Sake; Hello, Shochu

Sake isn’t the only alcoholic beverage served at Japanese and other Asian restaurants. Long popular in Japan and Korean, shochu, a traditional Eastern distilled spirit produced from rice, barley and even sweet potatoes, is becoming increasingly popular at sushi bars and Asian clubs and restaurants.

Non-Asians are frequently steered away from shochu (also called soju), being told it’s too strong. Yet while it packs more of a kick than sake, shochu is less potent than vodka and other spirits. And like sake, it’s great with sushi and seafood.

At Beverly Hills Samurai, a new sushi bar and Japanese restaurant on La Cienega, the bar stocks nearly a dozen fine sakes, but it’s shochu that bar managers are most excited about. The classic way to partake is on the rocks or mixed with tonic or soda and a slice of lime. But here, they’ve created a dozen or so colorful and unique cocktails (Samurai Rainbow drinks) by blending the Asian spirit with mixers, some traditional, some less so.

Takara, a neutral-flavored bottle of shochu from Korea, usually gets the call for mixed drinks with whimsical names like the Devil, red and delicious with raspberry flavors from a splash of Chambord; the electric Blue Dream, with its exotic hint of almond, made with blue Curacao; and the neon-green Evergreen, made with melon-flavored Midori.

For straight sipping, try Iichiko, made from barley, with light texture and good flavor with subtle spice; Yokaiche Kome, made from rice, with relatively strong aroma and flavor; or sweet potato-based Satsuma Shiranami, definitely an acquired taste with its potent aroma of fennel and anise.

You can also find shochu at the Hump (at the Santa Monica Airport), which offers three brands; and at A Thousand Cranes and the Garden Grill (at the New Otani in downtown L.A.), where four varieties are available.