E X P E R I E N C E S H O C H U M E N U

⽶ ( K O M E ) ( R I C E ) : ⽩ 岳 し ろ H A K U T A K E S H I R O

COCKTAIL: PAPER MOON HAKUTAKE SHIRO SHOCHU, PEAR BRANDY, LEMON, VANILLA BEAN [BASED ON A SIDECAR]

FOOD PAIRING: MONKFISH NUTA MONKFISH POACHED IN MUSSEL STOCK, MUSTARD GRILLED SCALLIONS, FRESH SEAWEEDS

芋 ( I M O ) ( S W E E T P O T A T O ) ： 萬 膳 M A N Z E N

COCKTAIL: IMO POP MANZEN IMO SHOCHU WITH APPLE-SHISO-CELERY SODA

FOOD PAIRING: OTSUMAMI MUSSEL , BOTTARGA, ASSORTED PICKLES

⻨ ( M U G I ) ( B A R L E Y ) : い い ち こ I I C H I K O F R A S C O

COCKTAIL: JAZZ LINGO IICHIKO FRASCO, DRY VERMOUTH, MANZANILLA SHERRY, SENCHA , CACAO, WINTER MELON BITTERS [BASED ON A DRY MARTINI]

FOOD PAIRING: WAGYU CULOTTE, ROASTED POTATOES, PICKLED ONIONS WITH BLACK GARLIC ANKAKE AND SOY CURED EGG YOLK

ご ま ( G O M A ) ( S E S A M E ) ： 紅 ⼄ ⼥ B E N I O T O M E

COCKTAIL: FUKUOKA SURF CLUB BENIOTOME, KASU, PINEAPPLE, CUCUMBER, LEMON-LIME [BASED ON A PIÑA COLADA]

FOOD PAIRING: BITTER SALAD OF CHICORIES AND CITRUS VINAIGRETTE, HOT HONEY, BONITO GLASS

( T H E M E N U D E T A I L S M A Y C H A N G E D U E T O A V A I L A B I L I T Y O F T H E I N G R E D I E N T ) P A I R I N G P H I L O S O P H Y by Chef JT Vuong, Rule of Thirds

Kome: There is the concept that instead of eating a bowl of rice, you can drink it in the form of sake along with your meal. Even though the taste of kome shochu is distinctly different from sake, this pairing follows a food-friendly precedent set by the soft created through koji fermentation. The relatively light flavor profile comfortably places it in a supporting role alongside the iconic staples in : rice and fish. This demonstrates shochu can be a fine pairing with a classic and clean palate of washoku cuisine.

Imo: Although imo shochu can be made in a way that teases out floral and ethereal aromas, this example emphasizes funky, grounded, bold flavors that carry enough character to match salty snacks throughout a long session of drinking. With this pairing, we are going for more of a gastropub route and otsumami drinking foods. In the context of these more flavorful and intense small bites, even shochus that are a bit louder and bigger can provide a refreshing counterpoint.

Mugi: We wanted to present a heavier dish to compliment the spirit-forward mugi shochu. This pairing demonstrates that a heartier, comforting, and nostalgic dish from any culinary tradition can be a friendly match for shochu’s versatility.

Goma: This is our wildcard pairing to show how diverse shochu can be. Salads are rarely given much consideration as a dish suitable for pairing, so giving it a spotlight can be a bit eye opening. It is easy to consider Beniotome as a "dessert" shochu due to its sweeter nature associated with the black sesame flavor, but I feel like the sweetness can play a much more dynamic role when paired with savory food. Maybe some people will disagree, but it is important to open up the dialogue and why not at least try!