The world is becoming more aware of the potential of shochu as a cocktail ingredient. As classic cocktails have increased in popularity, cocktail ingredients are playing a significant role in developing creative recipes. It is crucial to use ingredients with flavors and aromas that have never been used before. Honkaku shochu and awamori, bringing the flavors of the ingredients, are the best to meet those demands. Shochu has gradually increased its popularity abroad in a way that has never been done before; bars at exclusive hotels in the U.S. and Europe have started offering cocktails with authentic shochu and awamori as part of their regular menu.
So we, SHOCHU NEXT, are focusing on the “Shochu Cocktail” development with influential bartenders. This time, we used <DEN-EN ENVELHECIDA 40%> from DEN-EN SHUZO in Kagoshima. We had Mr. Daiki Kanetaka, based in Singapore, produce two types of cocktails.
Barrel-aged sweet potato shochu by a distillery proud of its aging process.
Mr. Kanetaka is the owner and bartender of a bar, D.Bespoke, which was nominated for Asia’s 50 Best Bar six years in a row. He dashingly appeared at the bar. He is intimate with many shochu distilleries and runs a bar(several bars including), “RPM by D. Bespoke”, which aims to increase the popularity of shochu around the world by showcasing Japanese shochu.
Today, Mr. Kanetaka has <DEN-EN ENVELHECIDA 40%> from DEN-EN SHUZO in Kagoshima. The brand is highly acclaimed in global competitions; it won both the Grand Gold Award in the Tokyo Whiskey & Spirits Competition (TWSC) and the Gold Award in the International Wine & Spirits Competition in 2021.
DEN-EN SHUZO started producing barrel-aged shochu quite a lot earlier than other distilleries in Japan. They are well-known for “music distilling,” playing classical masterpieces during the distilling process and launching the sale of barrel-aged barley shochu for the first time in Japan in 1985. The distillery named the brand for this unique barrel-aged sweet potato shochu, “ENVELHECIDA”, after the Portuguese term “aging.” They use white oak barrels to age all of the shochu for more than 3 years.
“Although they say it is challenging to barrel-age potato shochu, this <DEN-EN ENVELHECIDA 40%> is very well-balanced,” says Mr. Kanetaka.
“The original shochu has a heavy and has a deep taste, just like classic potato shochu, rather than light and fruity. These characteristics become more rounded through barrel aging. It doesn’t have much of a barrel smell after over 3 years. The 40% alcohol content is relatively high for shochu, but it is not too high when compared to other spirits in the world. The first taste is not too sharp, but you will smell a soft and mild potato aroma afterward. You can certainly appreciate it with hot or cold water, or with sparkling water, but today I have created two types of cocktails taking advantage of its characteristics.”
Flip cocktail for dessert
The first cocktail is named “ENVELHECIDA JAPANESE FLIP” using < DEN-EN ENVELHECIDA 40%>. It uses egg yolk and sugar, and, influenced by global trends, is becoming more popular in Japan.
“I was sure that the flip cocktail with eggs and sugar would be a perfect match for the heavy sweet flavor of sweet potato in <DEN-EN ENVELHECIDA 40%>. It has a sweet and dessert-like taste, just like sweet potato pudding. I also recommend enjoying it with a cigar.”
| ENVELHECIDA JAPANESE FLIP |
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| [Ingredients (per 1 glass)] -DEN-EN ENVELHECIDA 40% 50ml -Kaneju-Farm Hojicha Leaves 2g -One egg yolk -PX SHERRY 10-15ml 1. Pour hot water over the hojicha tea leaves in a warm teapot and brew the first roast. 2. After the first brew, pour 50 ml of shochu into the teapot to bring out the aroma and flavor of the tea. 3. Combine step 2 in a shaker with the egg yolk and sherry, and mix with a hand blender. 4. Add ice to step 3., shake, and strain into a glass through a strainer. <Secrets to a good cocktail> “Brew the first roasted hojicha with hot water to spread the tea leaves. Add shochu to blend with the tea flavor. It is also a good idea to offer the first roast of the tea to your customers and let them know you are going to use it.” (Mr. Kanetaka) |
Exotic foamy sour cocktail
Mr. Kanetaka introduced the second sour cocktail using <DEN-EN ENVELHECIDA 40%>.
“Sour cocktails with a fine foam of egg whites are quite popular overseas. So you can appreciate it without hesitation even though you are not familiar with shochu,” says Mr. Kanetaka. Mr. Kanetaka shows his creativity in using tea leaves produced in Japan just like in the first recipe.
| ENVELHECIDA JAPANESE SOUR |
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| [Ingredients (per 1 glass)] -DEN-EN ENVELHECIDA 40% 60ml -Kaneju-Farm Earl Gray tea leaves 2g -Lemon juice 15ml -One egg white -Acacia honey 10 ml 1. Pour hot water over the Earl Gray tea leaves in a warm teapot, and brew the first roast. 2. After pouring the first roast, pour 60 ml of shochu into the teapot to bring out the aroma and flavor of the tea. 3. Combine step 2 in a shaker with egg white, lemon juice, and acacia honey, and mix with a hand blender. 4. Fill step 3 with ice, shake, and pour into a glass. <Secrets to a good cocktail> “Earl Gray from Kaneju-Farm in Shizuoka is green, unlike other Earl Gray.” It has quite a light taste because they use the first flush with reduced caffeine and scent with natural essential oil extracted from the bergamot. When combined with <DEN-EN ENVELHECIDA 40%> with its low barrel aroma, the cocktail becomes refreshing. Because the aroma of the tea leaves is strong and distinct, I recommend discarding the first roast and using the second one to make it taste better. You can use normal Earl Gray. In that case, it becomes amber just like whiskey sour.”(Mr. Kanetaka) |
The key to casually enjoying <DEN-EN ENVELHECIDA 40%> at home
The two cocktails appear classy, prepared by a professional bartender using high-quality sherry and made in fine form with a shaker. Although it sounds difficult to make them at home, Mr. Kanetaka says, “You can feel free to substitute equipment and change ingredients.”
“It doesn’t matter if you use a protein shaker instead of a professional shaker. Of course, we, professional bartenders, prepare high-end cocktails, but homemade cocktails should be more casually appreciated. Shochu is supposed to be part of everyday life, so feel free to enjoy it just as you like.”
For a cocktail that you can easily make at home, “How about adding twists to the Old Fashioned?” Mr. Kanetaka said. An Old Fashioned is typically made of whiskey, bitters, and sugar cubes. But “Place ice in a rocks glass, add mirin rice wine instead of bitters, and pour <DEN-EN ENVELHECIDA 40%>. I am sure you have mirin even if you don’t keep bitters at home. You can use Yomeishu, an herbal liqueur, instead of mirin. It brings a rich flavor. You can make various cocktails just with the ingredients at home! I believe that <DEN-EN ENVELHECIDA 40%> will go well with your playful creativity.”
Daiki Kanetaka/Bartender. After training in Ginza, he started a business in Beijing in 2008. In 2014, he moved to Singapore and founded D. Bespoke. He created it to be “a bar that is more Japanese than Japan”, and has collaborated with various individuals and businesses, such as Japanese traditional artisans, restaurants, fashion brands, and musicians. D. Bespoke has been nominated as Asia’s 50 Best Bar for 6 years in a row until 2021. In 2017, he founded “D. Classic” in Jakarta. In 2018, he opened RPM by D. Bespoke with the theme, “Vinyl x Cocktail x Japanese Shochu,” developed from his lifetime enthusiasm for collecting vinyl records. He plans to open a new business called “Next to Silence” to represent a bar space from a unique angle in the post-pandemic.
http://dbespoke.sg
| DEN-EN Envelhecida 40% |
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| [Potato Shochu] Aged for over 3 years (in oak barrels) 40% ALC/VOL Ingredients: sweet potato (from Kagoshima Prefecture), malted rice koji (Japanese rice and Thai rice) Distilled with normal pressure Distilled by DEN-EN SHUZO →WEB Located in Satsumasendai City, Kagoshima Prefecture |
