When it comes to Japanese sake, besides sake, it is also famous as shochu. If you are new to these two wines, you may have difficulty distinguishing between sake and shochu. So RUOUNHAT will help you learn the differences between these two wines.
Japanese sake
Sake is a typical drink and has been associated with the lives of people since the dawn of the sun. This is a special drink because only fermented from rice, but it brings a lot of fragrance and diverse flavors. In terms of taste, Japanese sake has many similarities with wine but the production process is more like beer. To make Japanese sake, people use a special type of yeast, which converts the starch in rice into sugar, and then further transforms sugar into alcohol. Normally, sake content of sake is relatively low, only about 12-14% so it is easy to drink.
There are 4 ways to enjoy sake:

• Cold drink: This is the most popular way to enjoy Japanese sake. Accordingly, people will put bottles of wine in the refrigerator about 30 minutes before drinking to reduce the temperature to about 7-10 degrees. Cold Sake is easy to drink, while preserving the inherent freshness.
• Hot drink: In winter, warmed sake is often preferred. The ideal temperature is 40-60 degrees Celsius and often in large restaurants or hotels there is a dedicated sake heater to serve guests.
• Drinking at room temperature: Room temperature is understood as 20-25 degrees C. Many people like this way because they can feel the true taste of the original sake.
• Drink with ice: In this way, people will drink chilled wine with a large stone in a specialized glass. The best wine to drink with ice are Gensu (pure wine), rice wine or liquor that hasn’t been heated (seishu).
  Japanese shochu

Shochu is a wine fermented from fruits (apricots) or cereals (rice, wheat, sweet potatoes, etc.) and then distilled into alcohol. So basically shochu and sake are the biggest differences in wine making materials.
There are 4 ways to enjoy shochu:

• Drink with hot water: the ratio of shochu / hot water is 6/4, so shochu will increase the sweetness and aroma more attractive.
• Drink with cold water: This is the most common way to drink Japanese shochu. The cool wine tastes great in summer.
• Drink with ice: This is a way to drink Shochu or Awamori (special Shochu of Okinawa) with ice. Wine after cooling will make you feel cooler and more delicious for drinkers.
• Cocktail preparation: We can mix shochu with tea, lemon, strawberry and other juices to create shochu cocktail – a young and attractive drink that many young people love.