Sake Inn x Hook Coffee Collaboration

What is Shochu?

Many people would have heard and tried sake, but Japanese shochu is still relatively unknown in Singapore. So what is Shochu?

Shochu is a Japanese distilled spirit that contains about 25% to 40% alcohol. Shochu is very different from sake. Sake is a fermented alcohol made from rice, whereas Shochu is distilled and can be made from a variety of ingredients like sweet potato (imo), barley (mugi), and rice (kome). 

Sake Inn Shochu Guide: Different types of shochu

Shochu (焼酎) is a traditional Japanese hard liquor. It is a distilled alcohol, quite similar to vodka, yet do not mistake it as a 'Japanese' vodka. Shochu can be distilled from a wider variety of base ingredients such as sweet potatoes (imo) and barley (mugi). Shochu also has a much higher alcohol content than sake, wine or beer, at around 25-37 percent, but can also go as low as 20 percent or as high as 45 percent depending on the type of shochu. 

Shochu is traditionally a single distilled alcohol. However thanks to modern machinery for repeated distillation, you can also see multiply-distilled shochu. This multiply-distilled shochu usually can be found mixed into cocktails and chu-hais. You can read more about shochu here.

iichiko Mugi Shochu

The iichiko Mugi Shochu is made from 100% barley that is polished down till 60% of the grain remains. It undergoes single distillation, resulting in an alcohol content of 25% and giving it an outstanding fragrance. There will also be a light and mild taste as a result of the barley which it is made from. You can read more about iichiko Mugi Shochu here.

The Birth of Coffee Sho-chu~

Through countless trial and error with different alcohols and different flavours of coffee, at different amounts and different temperatures, our team at Sake Inn and Hook Coffee has successfully created a unique new taste profile!

At the right amounts, the "spicy" taste of shochu perfectly complemented the bitterness of coffee to create a mellow and pleasant new blend. Seeing this blend as like a marriage between the 2 different beverages, we felt that “chu” (meaning kiss in Japanese) can represent a cute kiss between coffee and shochu.

That was how Coffee Sho-chu~ was created.

The Golden Ratio

Sake Inn and Hook Coffee recommends a 1:5 golden ratio, with 1 unit of iichiko Shochu to every 5 units of Specu-lose Your Mind coffee. With this ratio in mind, we have come up with three types of unique blends of Coffee Sho-chu~ specially for you!

3 Types of Blends

The beauty of the Coffee Sho-chu~ blend is that it can be enjoyed in many different ways: hot, cold, or even a classy latte style. Preparation time is also limited to a quick 5 minutes and materials required can be found in the comfort of your own home.

So what are you waiting for? Grab your Coffee Sho-chu~ bundle now to enjoy that daily coffee fix with a twist!

"Warm your Heart" Blend

Instructions:

  1. Sit the Specu-lose Your Mind drip bag over a cup and pour 150ml of boiling water into the drip bag, making sure to wet all the coffee grounds
  2. Let the coffee drip into the cup completely
  3. Add in 30ml of iichiko Mugi Shochu
  4. Mix well

"Survive Sunny Singapore" Blend

Instructions:
  1. Sit the Specu-lose Your Mind drip bag over a cup and pour 150ml of boiling water into the drip bag, making sure to wet all the coffee grounds
  2. Let the coffee drip into the cup completely
  3. Add in 30ml of iichiko Mugi Shochu and mix well
  4. Add in some ice cubes

"I Miss You a Latte" Blend

Instructions:

  1. Sit the Specu-lose Your Mind drip bag over a cup and pour 150ml of boiling water into the drip bag, making sure to wet all the coffee grounds
  2. Let the coffee drip into the cup completely
  3. Add in 30ml of iichiko Mugi Shochu and mix well
  4. Pour 50ml of the mixture into a separate cup
  5. Heat 100ml of milk in a pan over medium-low heat and whisk to create foam
  6. Slowly pour the warm milk into the 50ml of mixture, ensuring that the foam does not mix with the milk
  7. Add in the foam at the top

The iichiko Collection

You can find the Coffee Sho-chu~ bundle and other iichiko products here. Standard delivery shipping for the Coffee Sho-chu~ bundle and all iichiko products is priced at $2.50 with no minimum spending.

Free shipping for orders above $100 still applies. 

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