Thrilled to join JFOODO and thirteen notable local bars in offering Shochu Month exclusive cocktails created by Redbird | Vibiana Bar Director Tobin Shea, from January 15 – February 14.
Shochu is a pure, clean and expressive spirit that makes use of a variety of traditional ingredients from Japan’s long history to create an appealing range of aromas and tastes. Shochu is typically made from sweet potatoes, barley, rice, or black sugar, and though each type has a distinct flavor depending on its base ingredient, the general taste is often described as nutty or earthy, with an ABV of around 25%. Shochu can be interesting to categorize compared to other spirits due to the wide range between all the different varieties, but the more understanding about the properties of each base ingredient, the greater the potential for enjoyment.
Tobin’s new shochu cocktails, Nichu and Kin, join the menu this year alongside the Skyscraper, a returning shochu cocktail from a year prior. The Nichu Shochu Highball is a green tea and orange juice highball infused with nitrogen rather than carbonated. The highball features Iichiko Saiten, and along with a Spanish sherry round out an Umami rich-textured highball. Kin, meant to mimic the flavors of banana bread, has rich, earthy flavors of Aokage paired with banana and sesame to create an airy shochu sour. The Skyscraper is a refreshing highball that lends itself to a great start to an evening. It truly allows the shochu to be the star, and the carbonation helps it further become an aroma angel. All three cocktails are available during happy hour and dinner.
Throughout the month, enjoy original shochu creations through JFOODO at other participating bars including our local friends at Death & Co, Gold Line, Thunderbolt, The Semi-Tropic, Employees Only, Steep, and more.
