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OOK CAREFULLY. NESTLED AMONG THE WHISKIES
in Edmonton’s Chateau Louis Liquor Store, you might
spot a frosted white bottle with Japanese lettering,
labelled “iichiko.” Peer at the fine print and you can pick out the
description, “The Mugi Shochu.”
Confused? Thankfully, store manager Adam Koziak is eager to
answer your questions. Koziak developed a taste for shochu (a
Japanese distilled spirit) during trips to New York. He marvelled
at how well shochu went with Japanese and Korean food, and
decided to introduce it to the Edmonton market.
Koziak settled on iichiko as his store’s first brand.
“I’ve tried probably 10 or 12 different ones over the years, and
this is the one that we typically go back to,” he said. “It’s smooth
enough that you can drink it straight. Throw it on the rocks, and
squeeze a lemon or lime into it, and you’re ready to go.
“So,” he said with a laugh, “it’s in my store mostly for myself!”
Although it’s a distilled spirit, shochu typically contains 25 per
cent alcohol—more than wine but less than most hard liquor.
Although iichiko is distilled frommalted barley (in Japanese,
mugi means barley), shochu can also be made with sweet
potatoes, buckwheat, rice or blends of the above.
But, for now, let’s stick with mugi shochu.
The Food Issue
2014
Grains
West
30
Feature
L
SHOWTIME
D
SHOCHU ?
by SCOTT rOllANS • PHOTOGrAPHy by CANdiCe WArd
Japanese liquor takes first steps into new markets