{"id":30101,"date":"2017-04-24T00:10:19","date_gmt":"2017-04-24T04:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/?p=30101"},"modified":"2019-07-23T11:57:04","modified_gmt":"2019-07-23T15:57:04","slug":"great-28-pairings-cheese-shochu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/great-28-pairings-cheese-shochu\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great 28 Pairings: Cheese + Shochu"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Great 28 is featured in our Cheese+ 2017 issue<\/a>. Check out 27 other pairings here<\/a>.<\/em><\/h4>\n

Sake is what most Americans think of as Japan\u2019s signature drink, but shochu is the most popular. \u201cTraditionally, the number one drink is beer and number two is shochu,\u201d says Michelle Hand, a certified sake sommelier who discovered the pleasures of shochu while studying Japanese in Ishikawa. Sake, she says, relies mostly on export; shochu is the people\u2019s drink, with some 600-plus distilleries across the country.<\/p>\n

Because it\u2019s more widely available, shochu is often assumed to be less interesting than sake. But it can be just as compelling, Hand says. Unlike sake, which is, by definition, made from rice, shochu may be created from a wide array of starches, from barley to sugar cane. And while both begin with fermentation of a base ingredient, shochu goes an extra step: It\u2019s also distilled. The result is a clear drink that captures the flavors of its components in delicate and fascinating ways.<\/p>\n

To demonstrate, Hand led me to EN Japanese Brasserie<\/a> in Manhattan, one of the first restaurants to import an extensive array of top-notch shochu to the US. Beverage director Yoshi Sakimoto poured a few favorites into small glasses, leaving enough room for an ice cube or a splash of water; in Japan, he explained, shochu is usually watered down by as much as 50 percent. This is another reason why shochu is so popular: Bottled at about 25 percent alcohol\u2014only 5 to 10 percent more than most sakes\u2014and then diluted, it\u2019s a beverage you can drink all night. \u201cIn Japan,\u201d Hand adds, \u201cthey say it\u2019s good for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHealth\u201d claims aside, our tasting reveals there\u2019s a shochu for everyone. \u201cWhen I meet someone who\u2019s unfamiliar with shochu, I often begin by asking them what they usually like to drink,\u201d Hand says. \u201cIf it\u2019s vodka, I\u2019ll start them with something neutral or sweet, like rice or sugar cane. If they like gin, I\u2019ll go for sweet potato\u2014it has that earthier flavor. If they drink whiskey, I\u2019ll do a barrel-aged one.\u201d<\/p>\n

At EN, Sakimoto finds that shochu is versatile at the table, too, and sneaks it into tasting menus with everything from raw fish to red meat dishes. That adaptability translates well to cheese, even if it\u2019s not a time-honored combination. Here are some of our top pairings.<\/p>\n

Sweet Potato Shochu<\/h2>\n
\n
\"Meadow

Meadow Creek Dairy Grayson<\/small><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Sweet potato is one of the most popular base ingredients for shochu\u2014but we\u2019re not talking about the big orange tubers that grace Thanksgiving tables. The Japanese sweet potato is earthier and less sugary, qualities reflected in this deeply savory shochu. It\u2019s a terrific contrast to the sweet milkiness of a snowy D\u00e9lice de Bourgogne<\/a>. At the same time, shochu doesn\u2019t back down from funky cheeses, either, such as Grayson<\/a>\u2014a washed-rind cow\u2019s milk wedge.<\/p>\n

Recommended Pairings:<\/em><\/p>\n

Fromagerie Lincet D\u00e9lice de Bourgogne<\/a> + sweet potato shochu<\/p>\n

Meadow Creek Dairy Grayson<\/a> + sweet potato shochu<\/p>\n

Sesame Shochu<\/h2>\n

\u201cSesame shochu is rare, but it\u2019s the first one I fell in love with,\u201d Hand says. It\u2019s redolent of lightly toasted sesame seeds, and that nutty character makes it a natural with aged Alpine styles like Ch\u00e4llerhocker<\/a> or Tarentaise<\/a> from Spring Brook Farm in Vermont.<\/p>\n

Recommended Pairings:<\/em><\/p>\n

K\u00e4serei Tufertschwil Ch\u00e4llerhocker<\/a> + sesame shochu<\/p>\n

Spring Brook Farm Tarentaise<\/a> + sesame shochu<\/p>\n

Barrel-Aged Barley Shochu<\/h2>\n

While barley is the most common base ingredient for shochu, only a few are aged in oak barrels. The vessel gives shochu a deep, more complex flavor with brown sugar overtones and vanilla sweetness. It\u2019s delicious with dense, milky Chabichou du Poitou<\/a>, the two melding into a caramel-like sensation. The wood also enriches the shochu enough to stand up to Rogue Creamery\u2019s crumbly, bacony Caveman Blue<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Recommended Pairings:<\/em><\/p>\n

Chabichou du Poitou PDO + barrel-aged shochu<\/p>\n

Rogue Creamery Caveman Blue<\/a> + barrel-aged shochu<\/p>\n

Feature Photo Credit: Nishihama\/Shutterstock.com<\/small><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reach to the East for a fab curd-friendly tipple<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":30103,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[17127,17128,2087,2081,17120,17124,17123,17126,14540,2956,17119,935,17129,17118,17125,1775,1565,15893,17122,4205,1068,17121],"coauthors":[141],"class_list":["post-30101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cheese-pairings","tag-barrel-aged-barley-shochu","tag-chabichou-du-poitou-pdo","tag-cheese","tag-delice-de-bourgogne","tag-en-japanese-brasserie","tag-fromagerie-lincet-delice-de-bourgogne","tag-grayson","tag-kaserei-tufertschwil-challerhocker","tag-manhattan","tag-meadow-creek-dairy-grayson","tag-michelle-hand","tag-pairings","tag-rogue-creamery-caveman-blue","tag-sake","tag-sesame-shochu","tag-shochu","tag-spring-brook-farm","tag-spring-brook-farm-tarentaise","tag-sweet-potato-shochu","tag-tara-q-thomas","tag-vermont","tag-yoshi-sakimoto"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Great 28 Pairings: Cheese + Shochu - culture: the word on cheese<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/great-28-pairings-cheese-shochu\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Great 28 Pairings: Cheese + Shochu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Reach to the East for a fab curd-friendly tipple\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/great-28-pairings-cheese-shochu\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"culture: the word on cheese\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-04-24T04:10:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-07-23T15:57:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/shochu_feature.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"368\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tara Q. 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