So, true to my promises I will start off my postings with one about good ol’ alk e hol. This last weekend i was privileged to partake in some fine Japanese alcohol called Shōchū (pronounced show chew). it is a native Japanese alcohol and typically contains 25% alcohol by volume (making it weaker than whisky but stronger than wine and sake). I obtained some of this via my wife’s brother who is in the US Navy and is stationed in Japan. The alcohol comes in a very very large four liter plastic bottle (which was gone by the end of the night) and tastes like very high shelf vodka. Apparently, shochu takes the same role as vodka does in the US, its very common and can be mixed with anything (although when it is mixed it is then referred to as a chuhai ‘chewhigh‘ and whatever the mixer is called, like shochu and orange juice is called an orange chuhai). Like all other Japanese alcohol, shochu seems to not only get you good and toasted but it also seems to sink deep into a person and reveal the true identity of that person. the best part about shochu? that gigantic four liter bottle only cost us 1,995¥ ($20.00) and it tastes like REALLY REALLY good vodka. That was cheap Shochu too!

My Alcohol ratings *which will always be out of five*:

Drunkenness:4.5 (don’t go driving, even with one shot of this in you, it takes a little bit but you’ll feel it)

Taste: 2 (you have to mix it man)

Hangover/day-after: 4 (your probably gonna be a little hungover, all four of us who drank it was hungover including myself, and i never get hungover…ever)

sipability: 2 (its a mixer)

mixability: 5

bang for your buck: 5 (20 bucks for four liters of what basically amounts to top shelf moonshine, right on!)

so there you have it, shochu is a damn good drink, thanks Harry for bringing some of it back for us!