Sake & brews ── Shochu & Awamori
Maewari
Maewari — pre-mixed and rested shochu
A way of drinking shochu in which it's mixed with water in advance and left to rest for days or weeks. The water and spirit are said to meld together and soften the sharp edges, giving a remarkably mellow mouthfeel, and styles like oyuwari (hot water), mizuwari (cold water), and on the rocks are discussed as extensions of the same idea.
- Other styles
What it's made of
Maewari is simply honkaku shochu mixed with water ahead of time, with no new ingredients added, it's said. Compared to mixing shochu with water and drinking it right away, resting it for days to weeks is said to soften its sharp edges into a mellow mouthfeel and let the aroma settle down. The same spirit is said to come across differently depending on how long it's been left to rest. It's said to need no special equipment and to be enjoyed as a style easily tried with nothing more than a jug or a plastic bottle.
How it's made
Shochu and water are combined in a preferred ratio in a jug or bottle and left in a cool, dark place for days to weeks, said to be the basic method. Because it's said to take time for the molecules to meld together, preparing it ahead of a gathering became a practical trick for serving guests immediately once they arrived. Oyuwari, mizuwari, and on-the-rocks are often discussed as quick, on-the-spot versions of this same idea.
Why it took this shape
In Kyushu, where banquets and ceremonial gatherings often bring many people together at once, mixing drinks ahead of time rather than one glass at a time is said to have spread as a more efficient way to entertain guests. The mellowing effect this happened to produce became widely known through experience, and it's said to remain a favored way of drinking today for how it enhances the flavor itself.
Before you go
- How to use an antenna shopA guide to what's sold at an antenna shop, its restaurant or eat-in counters, its tourist-information role, the cluster of shops around Ginza and Yurakucho, and how to use one before a trip or for last-minute souvenirs.
- All-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink customsTime limits, last-order windows, and a few rules to know before booking a tabehodai or nomihodai course.
- Rules and etiquette around alcoholWhat's worth knowing before drinking in Japan: the legal drinking age, how strictly drink-driving is treated, rules on drinking outdoors, train etiquette, and customs like waiting for a toast and pouring for each other.
Dishes in the same style
- Choki Chozo ShochuA labeling standard for shochu, other than awamori, that can be marked 'long-aged' once at least 50 percent of the blend is raw spirit stored three years or longer. Awamori follows a separate rule, using the term kusu for spirit aged three years or more, the labeling conventions diverging between the two.
- Joatsu / Genatsu JouryuThe difference in pressure used when running shochu through a single-distillation still. Atmospheric distillation, boiling the mash at ordinary air pressure, is said to bring out a rich body with a concentrated raw-material aroma, while reduced-pressure distillation, boiling at a lower temperature under reduced pressure, is said to give a cleaner, lighter style.