• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Japan Distilled logo in black.

Japan Distilled

Home of the Japan Distilled Podcast

  • Home
  • Podcast Episodes
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Show Search
Hide Search

The Charming ChuHai (ep. 25)

November 15, 2021 · Leave a Comment

EPISODE INTRO

In the 25th episode of the Japan Distilled podcast, your hosts Christopher Pellegrini and Stephen Lyman take a closer look at the history and modern enjoyment of the original hard seltzer – the Japanese chuhai.

CREDITS

Theme Song: Begin Anywhere by Tomoko Miyata (http://tomokomiyata.net/)

Mixing and Editing: Rich Pav (https://www.uncannyjapan.com/)

HOSTS

CHRISTOPHER PELLEGRINI Vermont born and bred, long-time Tokyo resident and author of The Shochu Handbook, Christopher learned about delicious fermentations as a beer brewer at Otter Creek (Middlebury, VT). He now spends most of his waking hours convincing strangers that shochu and awamori are unlike anything they’ve ever tried before. 

STEPHEN LYMAN discovered Japan’s indigenous spirits at an izakaya in New York City. He was so enthralled that he now lives in Japan and works in a tiny craft shochu distillery every autumn. His first book, The Complete Guide to Japanese Drinks, was nominated for a 2020 James Beard Award.

Stephen and Christopher are not too precious to drink canned beverages when walking between stops.

If you have any comments or questions about this episode of Japan Distilled, please reach out to Stephen or Christopher via Twitter. We would love to hear from you. 

SHOW NOTES

What is a Chuhai?

A chuhai is the Japanese nickname for a Shochu Highball. If that is not immediately clear, that’s okay. “High” has the same pronunciation in Japanese as “yes”, which is most often romanized as “hai”. So ChuHigh, becomese ChuHai. Sometimes you will also seen it written as ChuHi, but that would be pronounced differently when read by a Japanese person (chu-hee). Thus, chuhai is probably the safest romanization.

But enough arcane linguistic minutiae. A shochu highball is at its most simple: shochu, soda, and some flavoring. The shochu is most often multiply distilled korui shochu rather than authentic single pot distilled shochu. Flavorings are most often fruit juices. We would probably classify Japanese sours in this group as well so long as carbonation is used.

History of the Shochu Highball

It’s believed that the chuhai originated in Eastern Tokyo after the war, most likely in the Hikifune neighborhood of Shumida City in Tokyo. Sanyu Sakabar near the Keisei Hikifune Station claims to be the birthplace. Still around today, the chuhai rivalry in the neighborhood remains strong with several shops making the same claim.

Today the premier korui shochu to use in a chuhai is from Takara, with its clean light taste that compliments the soda and fruit juice.

takara chuhai
The iconic Takara chuhai glass. Photo courtesy of Takara Distillery.

Canned Chuhai

The canned version arrived in market in 1983 with the Hiliki from Toyo Distillery. The Hiliki brand still exists, but is now owned by Asahi. Nearly all canned chuhai brands are now owned by the big four: Asahi, Sapporo, Kirin, and Suntory.

hiliki chuhai
The original canned chuhai, Hiliki, 1st released in 1983.

Canned shochu highballs have exploded to such a point that they now encompass entire aisles in grocery stores and are more plentiful than beer in convenience stores in Japan.

chuhai aisle

Kirin

Perhaps the most ubiquitous canned chuhai at this point is the Kirin Hyoketsu (Frozen) Chuhai, which comes in a dizzying number of expressions. The diamond cut can adds to the experience.

Coca Cola?

Yes, even legendary soft drinks manufacturer Coca Cola has gotten into the chuhai business. Their first ever alcoholic beverage launched in Japan in 2018. Today there are 5 expressions: 3%, 5%, 7%, 9%, and 9% dry.

Coca Cola’s 7% Lemon Sour

Much More to Explore

There are literally hundreds of shochu highball brands now available across Japan. Exploring them can be fun, but be careful. They pack a punch. As we mentioned, Orion recently canceled their strong line due to concerns over alcoholism. As one of the cheapest drinks available in stores, its easy to over-indulge. So please enjoy responsibly.

KANPAI!

Podcast

Follow Japan’s Spirits

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

japandistilled

Join drinks authors @christopherpellegrini & @shochu_danji for a deep dive into Japanese distilled spirits. Available on iTunes & elsewhere.

Japan Distilled Podcast
Episode 41 is out now! All about yeast. This absol Episode 41 is out now! All about yeast. This absolutely vital single celled organism that helped humans form civilization. #podcast #podcasting #podcastersofinstagram #podcastlife #yeast #japandistilled #shochu #awamori #whisky #beer #sake #wine
Silly Liquor Laws (episode 40) is in your podcast Silly Liquor Laws (episode 40) is in your podcast feed now. We dive into America’s often obtuse and sometimes absurd laws surrounding the distribution, sale, and consumption of distilled beverage alcohol. If regularly morass doesn’t sound exciting, don’t you know how animated our hosts can get? This is a fun one. Recommended listening even if you’ve never been to America. Cheers! 

(BTW love this photo framing, but we side with the folks in the background on the right)
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the passing o Today marks the 100th anniversary of the passing of Jokichi Takamine, the 1st Japanese person to ever make whisky. And he did so in Peoria, Illinois the year Masataka Taketsuru was born. We should definitely do an episode on him soon. He did far more than make whisky and are lives are better for his contributions. Cheers!
Getting a deep education on Japanese cocktail hist Getting a deep education on Japanese cocktail history from a Japanese drinks history writer. Learning so much.
Episode 39 is now live. An exploration of the worl Episode 39 is now live. An exploration of the world of the Kurose Toji Guild. This guild was the most powerful shochu group in Japan for much of the 20th century. Today it’s almost disappeared. To learn more, have a listen.
Episode 38 is now out. A deep dive into that magic Episode 38 is now out. A deep dive into that magical mold, koji. We talk sake, shochu, and awamori. Cheers!
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Never miss a new episode. Subscribe now

Japan Distilled

Copyright © 2023 · Log in