Since we’ve shared the best sake Chicago has to offer, Roka Akor wants to introduce you to shochu – a distilled spirit that is ubiquitous in Japan. Not widely known in the States, shochu outsells sake in its homeland, and can even be purchased from street vending machines.

With an alcohol content generally averaging 25 percent, shochu can be made and distilled from any number of starches including buckwheat, barley, rice and even brown sugar. The spirit provides different taste profiles depending on which starch is used in it’s creation. The palate may read it as similar to vodka, gin or tequila, although it is lower than all of these in both proof and calories- shochu has about 1/3rd the calories of an equal amount of vodka.

Roka Akor is currently offering seven varieties of shochu, with flavors including blueberry, pineapple and mango-chile. As we head into the Fall and Winter season, we will be adding seasonal options including fig and spiced apple. The infusions are served over ice that is freshly chipped from an ultra-pure 60-pound-block custom ordered for the restaurant.

Join us today and enjoy the fresh cherry and black peppercorn Manhattan, mixed with house-infused cherry-peppercorn shochu with Punt e Mes vermouth, Angostura bitters and cherry syrup.

At Roka Akor we take our sake seriously. We’ve made it our mission to bring rare and hard to find brands to Chicago for your tippling pleasure. The best sake in the world is now available in River North.

Here’s the lowdown on five sake brands you won’t find anywhere else in Chicago.

Azure
We love this stuff. In fact, Roka Akor is the only restaurant in the state of Illinois who carries it. Shipped directly from Japan, our working relationship with Azure allows us to carry this rare gem at all of our restaurants worldwide.

Chikurin Junmai Ginjo Organic
Yet another sake you can’t imbibe anywhere else in Chicago (starting to see a parttern here?) by the glass, it’s the only EU and USDA certified organic sake. That means a start to finish process of starting with estate grown organic rice and sake production and ending in your hand at Roka Akor.

Kenbishi
Japan is an old country and they adore tradition. Kenbishi is one of those special alcohols that have been produced the same way by the same brewing masters for six hundred years. That’s right: it’s the oldest brand of sake in Japan, and we’re serving it for you buy the glass.

Watari Bune
Rare means hard to get. Watari Bune might have taken the idea of a “limited run” too far… Made from a thought to be extinct sake rice that was rediscovered from 28 grams of seedlings and brought back into production Watari Bune is the sake that almost never was.

No. 9
When top shelf sake is made each grain of rice is polished down to the best inner morsels. No. 9 is produced from the highest polished rice in the world. Amazingly, fewer than 400 bottles remain in existence due to the devastating 2011 Japanese Tsunami. While the producer has vowed to rebuild, it will take years. In the mean time we’re holding a bottle or three behind the bar at Roka Akor Chicago.

Mention this blog post in the Sake and Shochu Lounge and we’ll put together a special off-the-menu sake flight with some of our best offerings.